Reddit mentions: The best house plant gardening nooks

If you want to garden, you can garden in containers under grow-lights. I don't know where you live, but if you have a home improvement store such as Home Depot near you, you can buy a fluorescent plant light and a mount (is that the right word?) for in the neighborhood of $30. Get a timer too.

You can also try growing lower light plants which would do ok in an average apartment, a good book on houseplants can help. I like Reader's Digest Success with Houseplants - http://www.amazon.com/Success-Houseplants-Editors-Readers-Digest/dp/0895770520/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342551429&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=succes+with+houseplants

You can grow mushrooms under the kitchen sink if you buy a grow kit (available at any garden/veggie supply place, or online - they run about $40 also but last a long time)

I lived in the world's most cluttered apartment outside of Hoarders for years, and we did well with them. If you mount the lights to the ceiling you can easily repair the holes before you move out, if your landlord is picky about that kind of thing.

If you want to spend more time with kids you could volunteer with Big Sisters or another mentoring organization. I had a friend who did that for many years. If you can knit you might feel fulfilled making premie hats to donate to hospitals (not really spending time with kids, I know, but you might feel good about doing it).

You might have better luck getting your sewing machine repaired rather than buy a new one, check your yellow pages for appliance servicepeople. FWIW I got a pretty serviceable machine at Goodwill for $20. I'm not sure what you need a machine to do for it to cost $1K unless you have one of those auto embroidery machines or an industrial machine of some kind. The ones I priced out for myself, before the Goodwill find, was about $300 new. But I'm sure you know what you are looking for. I only mention it because you are saving for a down payment and kids, so just take advantage of good deals when you can. Have you tried craigslist/ebay?

You already sound like you are quite busy. I feel I'm mostly unqualified to answer your question because I've been living in this fairly new to me city for about 3 years and I don't know anyone, at all, except my coworkers, so I don't go out (which, in return, doesn't help me meet people) so all of my hobbies are pretty solitary. I do a lot of knitting and painting, I have a vegetable garden (you'll get there!!), I read, and I love to cook. I play video games sometimes, but not as much as I do in the winter. I like to watch tv shows on netflix and go on nature walks. We're probably not too different!

Everyone has different preferences but I bought a houseplant care book (specifically How Not To Kill Your Houseplant ) and maybe I just didn’t buy the right one but I didn’t really care for it. It was cute, I flipped through it once or twice, and then I literally never touched it again. There’s so much information available on plants online, specifically with regards to care instructions, that I find the book unnecessary. You can easily post to r/whatisthisplant or use a plant ID app (much less reliable but works somewhat) to identify plants. If you’re just trying to familiarize yourself with different species of plants, browsing plant subreddits is a good way to go.


If you want to be better at caring for plants in general, I’d highly recommend Botany for Gardeners. I haven’t finished it yet, but it really breaks down how plants work in a way that’s easy to understand but still highly scientific and in-depth. From plant anatomy, to how they grow and reproduce, this book will help you better understand your plants. It doesn’t give specific care tips, but I feel like I’ve gotten much better at caring for my plants since reading it. Far too often we’re told what to do or how to do it, rather than why we should be doing it. If you learn the way plants work, you’ll have a much better idea of how to help them when they start struggling!

Hi! Honestly I think that what you're doing is the way to do it. Start small, take time to learn what each plant wants, and then slowly build things up. The biggest thing to learn is how to watch the plant. What does it look like when it's thirsty? When it wants more light? Less light? When it's overwatered? What does the soil feel like when it needs to be watered?

When I get a new kind of plant, I sometimes kill it before I figure out what to do. It sometimes takes me a few tries until I get it right. Don't beat yourself up if it's not all going perfectly. Just keep staying conscious, growing and learning.

Plants often need to be repotted when you get them - look underneath the pot and see if you can see roots sticking out. If they're sticking out it wants a slightly bigger home. Rule of thumb I've always heard is to go with a pot 2" larger than the one it's in. I personally like terra cotta pots (the simplest) but other people will have other opinions.

People have lots of different ways of caring for plants so I'm sure people will chime in with other (and possibly conflicting) ideas.

A few resources that might help you out:

ASPCA has a great website for looking up what's poisonous to cats

When I'm googling each plant for care instructions I try to stick to websites ending in .edu. These are often ag extensions with amazing information that I can trust.

IF you prefer books to webpages, I've found these to be helpful:

• Crockett's Indoor Garden
  
• Reader's Digest Success With Houseplants
  
  They're both quite old, but the info is solid.

Personally, I don't go in for the expensive, boutique grow nutrients or soil mixes. I've had good success just using your basic potting soil, and then using Miracle-Gro for fertilizer.

For the growing container, I wouldn't suggest going with anything smaller than a 3-gallon pot. But also, transplanting this late in the growing season, there's really not much sense in transplanting into a pot larger than 5-gallon.

Everyone's first grow is a huge learning experience. I would recommend investing in a good grow book, such as Jorge Cervantes' Marijuana Horticulture. The ebook is $10, so you can put it on your phone and have it as a reference. Cervantes has been updating this book for over 30 years, so it's very comprehensive, and can take you from first grow up to how to manage top shelf production. A good grow book is valuable because it can help you diagnose problems when things go wrong.

It’s Root, Nurture, Grow by Rose Ray and Caro Langton. I definitely recommend it for beginners, explains a lot about different propagation methods and best times to propagate different plants. Plus, gorgeous pictures and beautiful cover!

AC really effects humidity in the house. I've had the hardest time with house plants because of AC. I got a cheap humidity sensor off Amazon. My humidity is 45% and that's terrible for a lot of house plants. While outside humidity is usually much higher. In all my 70s house plant books they always spoke of using pebble trays with water in them for the plants to sit on and misting the plants a couple times a day.


The most fool proof house plant is a Snake Plant (Sansevieria). There are many types, my favorite is the dwarf ones, they're super cute. They barely ever need watering, almost any level of light. Another good one for indoors that doesn't care about drafts or humidity or super high light is a ZZ plant or Zanzibar Gem (Zamioculcas). Let dry between watering, I barely ever water mine.

Plants I have trouble with inside I usually just stick on my patio and if they do well then so be it. I then try to look for plants that don't care too much about humidity/ drafts and so on. This is my favorite book on houseplants. It explains a ton, very easy read too.

You're good to go then!

Yeah you're thinking of Paul Staments, he's a good one. David Arora is another. David has a book "All the Rain Promises and More" that's a great field guide.

For cultivating, I got this book. Between that, the subreddits, and shroomery.org I've learned a lot.

Sounds like you need to do a bit more research on the process. Pasturizing substrate (like straw) usually requires sustained temps of around 160 degrees F. This book http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Cultivating-Mushrooms-Techniques-ebook/dp/B00GU2RIRA/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418061133&sr=1-4&keywords=mushroom+cultivation has an interesting way of doing it with a carpet steamer and storage tote. There's also just boiling it in a large stock pot. For reishi, you'll need saw dust and wood chips which is a little more complicated without a pressure cooker and special bags. Good luck! Start with this book, or Tradd Cotter's http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mushroom-Farming-Mycoremediation-Experimental/dp/1603584552/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061323&sr=8-1&keywords=mushroom+cultivation These are much more accessible and updated than Paul Stamet's.

Actually, the investment doesn't have to be big at all. There is a new book out called "Don't Throw It, Grow It!" which basically shows you how to start a garden using scraps from store-bought vegetables. (It's about $5, used.) And as far as fishing goes, buy used ("vintage") gear and make your own tackle (See http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/ and https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/CatalogRequest.aspx). I just found 8 used fishing rods available for $50 on Craigslist in Baltimore (under sporting goods) edit: I hit the jackpot - $25 for everything needed to go fishing: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/spo/3260672986.html) , but garage sales and antique stores are great places to find cheap tackleboxes full of used gear. With those poles and one full tacklebox, the OP could take the entire family fishing, giving them more than one pole each to manage. A few hours of reading and watching youtube before the first trip should be enough to get them started. (Disclaimer: It will definitely be enough to get them fishing, but it won't necessarily get them "catching".)

It’s called Happy Cactus! The photos will give you a pretty good idea of what most of the book is like. It definitely doesn’t have a lot of in-depth info, but it’s perfect to get all the important details for many varieties of succulents!

I just started getting into houseplants too! I borrowed houseplant books from my local library, below is the list based on what I like the most:

1. How Not to Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for the Horticulturally Challenged https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465463305/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D158AbDJT2C9R
   
   
2. What's Wrong With My Houseplant?: Save Your Indoor Plants With 100% Organic Solutions (What’s Wrong Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1604695900/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_i358AbYWR88X7
   
   
3. The Indestructible Houseplant: 200 Beautiful Plants that Everyone Can Grow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z8CQ9WI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0358AbSV1EE8A
   
   To fit more plants into my budget, I buy mostly starter plants. Less heartbreak if I fail taking care of them and more satisfaction when I see new growth.
   
   Check out Walmart and Home Depot in addition to local nurseries, some places have a great selection with lower price (compared to nurseries).

You’re very welcome! Provided your plant is not root bound to start with, going up one size at a time means you’ll likely be repotting it once a year (usually in the spring so it has the growing season to recover from any stress).

If it is very root bound, going up 2 sizes right away may be more appropriate. You’ll have to make the call. After that, it should likely only need to be repotted once a year (or longer) after that.

This book may be helpful if you’re interested in further research:

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Repot-That-Plant-Mistakes/dp/1939767164

The author, Will Creed, is also quite active on the gardening forums - here is a Q&A with him:

https://blog.gardeningknowhow.com/gardening-experts/qa-with-will-creed-author-of-dont-repot-that-plant/

It's better to find some with the roots attached, but if not, put them in water until small roots start to sprout out then plant them or you could use a rooting compound.

And there's no such thing as a green or black thumb, plants will grow as long as you know the conditions they need in order to live. You should pick up Don't Throw It, Grow It!, it's a pretty helpful book for inspiring kitchen gardeners such as yourself.

this book seems like it would be the perfect book! Super instagramable and she might actually take advice from fancy Instagram plant people

I follow @houseplantclub on IG and the two women who run that have a book out called How to Raise a Plant and Make It Love You Back that is both adorable and informative.

JoyUsGarden.com has tons of good plant reading.

Best to start seeds inside and get use to indoor gardening. Indoor gardening eliminates a lot of the pest pressure and uncontrollable weather conditions. It also allows you to analyze and watch your plants progress much easier, do the leaves flop down when its dry? Drought stress... The soil is too wet all the time and the plant declines rapidly (overwatering stress and root related issues). Leaves start to yellow can be nutrient related issue. Mildew on leaves, lack of airflow and UV rays on leaves.

I suggest you start by getting the following for seed germination;

I use this heatmat it works well for me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heat-Sprout-Seedling-Heat-Mat-Germination-Propagation-Sprouting-4-Sizes-/271147604536?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item3f21a81a38

LED e27 light (this plugs into a standard 60watt light socket). I suggest you start with a 21w or 27w. Then plug it into a gooseneck 60watt e27 lamp.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Spectrum-15w-21w-27w-36w-54w-E27-Bulbs-LED-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Light-Lamp-/141277776616?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item20e4cfcae8

Next you need a suitable soil mix for indoor growing. I recommend you use 100% coco coir in large red cups (make sure to poke holes in the bottom) for the growing medium and pre wet and continue watering with spring water/distill water/osmosis water don't use tap water or high PH water it will screw up a lot of plants. Also make sure not to waterlog the soil, you want it damp but not drenched.

This gives you an idea of how I germinate my seeds;
http://imgur.com/a/1Z5u2

Btw, I left out a lot of details such as fertilizing etc. I am making this more complex then you probably wanted, but if your going to do it... do it right.

Sticking a bunch of seeds in the dirt outside you may be discouraged due to lack of germination, insects, adverse weather conditions, and drought stress. Direct sowing works well with certain types of plants, such as Plantago sp., Taraxacum sp. (Dandelion)., and other adapted and weedy types of plants.

There is plenty of good guides that are out there on the internet for free. Something like this from amazon may be useful: http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Organic-Gardening-Indoors-Step--ebook/dp/B00N1ZLI1Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421956536&sr=8-3&keywords=gardening+guide

The House Plant Expert https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0903505355

It's the best I've found, every entry has good pics, "keys to success" and problems specific to that plant, plus a larger troubleshooting section for plants in general.

Pick up this book, it is the perfect beginners guide that gives a good summary of a broad range of related topics.

The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms: Simple and Advanced Techniques for Growing Shiitake, Oyster, Lion's Mane, and Maitake Mushrooms at Home https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612121462/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Le8lDbK2HHJGC

This one might be a good starter book:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Illustrated-Guide-Growing-Succulents/dp/1780190921

I've also heard good things (and skimmed briefly) this one that is a bit shorter, I believe?

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Cacti-Succulents/dp/0789416573

Both are pretty cheap if you buy used.

How much homework have you guys done on growing? If all you know about so far is tents, keep reading! Read the sidebar resources, read the grower's bible and maybe a couple other books like it. Once you know enough that you believe you can put together a complete shopping list (there's some shopping lists in the sidebar for reference), then come back and ask for critiques.

Once you're ready I would say start small, like one plant each, and take them through the entire cycle. That will give you an idea of what you'll be getting yourself into when you go full-scale.

Hey man I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I just started.

For me my concerns were

1. Stealth- Didn't want to get caught, limited space
   
2. Ease/low maintenance
   
3. Buds ASAP!
   
4. Budget
   
   I would recommend this book
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Buds-Less-Grow-Than/dp/0932551874
   
   If you can afford it buy it, otherwise the torrent is easy to find. It's a quick crash course.
   
   I've also had to move my grow because of the smell. Be ready for that it is gonna hit you hard
   
   Edit for clarity

I bought this book a few months ago and I actually reference it ALL the time! It has a lot of information not only with identification but it has tips for arrangements and propagation as well.

Practical Cactus and Succulent Book: The Definitive Guide to Choosing, Displaying, and Caring for more than 200 Cacti https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465480358/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_qLlwDbZMB18F7

not my video, but i too noticed the pitcher plant and have kept them in the past.

this book is great http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Carnivorous-Plants-Barry-Rice/dp/0881928070

since this is skeptic i'll just add that if you review my previous comments you'll see that i live in florida.

Please do some more reading, get a book like: The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms by Stephen Russel. The eBook is $10


The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms: Simple and Advanced Techniques for Growing Shiitake, Oyster, Lion's Mane, and Maitake Mushrooms at Home https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612121462/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_uJ2GzbQRZY3VM

It's likely not a magnesium deficiency because a magnesium deficiency would cause chlorosis all over the plant and not just the leaf edges (outside of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon, chlorophyll has 4 nitrogen molecules and one magnesium molecule).

Micro nutrient deficiencies can be a pain to diagnose but empirically speaking this will clear up most any micro nutrient deficiency you'll likely encounter including copper:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BT4696/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00U1V7M36&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=006D8ARD9GQ5ESQGK1BP

I'd like to caution that growweedeasy is not a very reliable source of information. I've found way too many mistakes particularly in plant lighting (there's essentially a lot of what appears copy/paste going on). If this were a case of copper deficiency due to pH lock up as mentioned in that website then you'd also likely have iron (some new growth would be turning yellow), manganese, zinc and boron deficiencies from too high of a pH. This is a better source of information:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WKUY2S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

If you post some photos people might be able to ID some plants for you, then you just need to watch out for bulbs coming up and some perennials that die back almost totally.

If you possibly can ask the previous owner for information on what is planted, and their pruning regime e.g. for roses which can vary a lot the country. Also useful to know is the soil type (acidity and whether it is sandy or clay etc.), whether there have been any pests/weeds that you need to keep on top of, and whether any of the plants are tender. If they are keen gardeners they wouldn't mind passing on this information, and it would be so useful to have.

I have this mini-book, RHS Gardening Month by Month, it's useful for telling you what jobs to do for the time of year. Don't pay too much for it as it's only very small. One of the most important things about gardening is the rhythm of it. It's all about doing the right thing at the right time of year or in the right weather, pruning at the right time and planting at at the right time.

Jeorge Cervantes is the man, anything he produces is good stuff...I just learned he has DVDs but he also has about 4 or 5 books.
I own this one...I can't tell you the number of times it has been useful.

Also a newb here.. I've found this book to be quite helpful. You don't have to be a total science nerd to read it and apply the techniques he presents

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612121462/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Also this video is pretty thorough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckLJgKy2taM&t=1925s

I’m following The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms . They are saying that I need to get the sawdust moisture just right to prevent bacterial competition to the mycelium. But to know how much water I must add I either need to completely dry the sawdust OR know the moisture content of my sawdust pile by taking a representative sample. They want me to take the rep sample, weight it then bake it dry, then weigh it again so I can make a ratio of dry to original weight.

It’s not that big of a deal, but each time I want to make a few bags I will have to do the oven method to see if my water content had changed. I thought it would be easier if I could spent 10-20 bucks on a moisture meter and just shove it in the bucket of sawdust for an instant read.

I strongly recommend reading these two books:

• The Cannabis Grow Bible - Green (if you're only going to read one book, read this one. It's the best book on growing by a wide margin.)
  http://www.amazon.com/Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Recreational-ebook/dp/B004P1JEBQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368393804&sr=8-2&keywords=growers+bible
  
• Marijuana Grower's Handbook - Rosenthal
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0932551467/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  There are another couple books that I've read which have good bits of information but are by no means necessary to read. They are definitely lower quality than the two mentioned above:
  
  
• Marijuana Horticulture - Cervantes
  http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Horticulture-Outdoor-Medical-ebook/dp/B004WKUY2S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368393921&sr=8-1&keywords=grower%27s+bible
  
• Master Gardener's Medical Cannabis Secrets - Moon
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1478718390/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can do that with a lot of plants, almost any herb. If you are interested I highly recommend this book, it has directions on how to turn your table scraps into plants. I have a mango tree, an avocado tree, and several other things going.

Don't Throw it Grow it

You can get syringes of Lion’s Mane liquid cultures and poke some spawn with it, like rye berries. Once colonized you can bust up the berries and use them to inoculate a ton of supplemented sawdust, then you can fruit that.

If you want some depth, I recommend this book as it’s geared for beginners (like me). You can find PDFs online if you’re willing.

I'd recommend reading through this book.

I'd also look around to see if there's a city owned greenhouse or a botanical garden you can volunteer at. If you have a university or community college around you could see if they offer any plant ID classes if you're very interested.

They are warm spectrum (2700K) CFL's which are the most common and yes you will be able to find them at Home Depot or any store which would sell household lightbulbs. Get the highest actual watt you can and nothing less than the 23 watt ones.

If you want to grow on the cheap with CFL's then your first purchase should be this book.

Or if you are strapped for cash you can just torrent it here.

I recently went through The House Plant Expert. It has a chart like that for common house plants. The other "expert" books in this series probably have similar charts. Or I'm sure there are similar things on the internet.

This is a really good, thorough, and somewhat short book: Marijuana Buds for Less: Grow 8 oz. of Bud for Less Than $100

Edit: Whoops, left out the download: Download

highly recommend this book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marijuana-Horticulture-Outdoor-Medical-ebook/dp/B004WKUY2S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343470602&sr=8-2
by jorge cervantes, covers literally everything, many things you wouldn't even think of (at least i wouldn't have), and helped us grow an amazingly healthy plant before we had to get rid of it :( . i'm sure you could find a pdf of it if you don't want to pay for it, but it really is the grower's bible

How Not to Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for the Horticulturally Challenged https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465463305/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DdPhDb764KBEM

Be aware that this isn't a free guide, this is an unauthorized release of the author's book.

http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Buds-Less-Grow-Than/dp/0932551874

https://www.amazon.com/Indoor-Marijuana-Horticulture-Bible/dp/1878823299

I learned a lot from this one.

"Don't Throw it, Grow It!"

A word of caution...I tried kiwi the way it said and they rotted, but that was probably my fault. I tried lychees too, and they didn't do anything @ all. I haven't tried anything else. It is a nifty book though.

I just had this book recommended to me, which I'll probably be ordering this week: https://smile.amazon.com/How-Kill-Your-Houseplant-Horticulturally/dp/1465463305/

http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Buds-Less-Grow-Than/dp/0932551874

No prob :D. Also just note that if you do use CFL's then use ALOT of them since they don't put out a lot of "leumens" which is basically the volume of light projected from the bulb, and if possible use reflectors so you dont have "light leak"

Like I said I did this when I had cancer to learn :). I bought the following book: http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Buds-Less-Grow-Than/dp/0932551874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311165199&sr=8-1

It's where I learned everything from