Congenial Conditions to the Healthy Growth of Plants
After reading so much about the possibilities of creating ideal circumstances for plant growth in the home, the novice reader will naturally want to know what these conditions are.
To begin with, virtually all plants, whether they blossom or not, need a plenty of light, and many require sunlight, particularly during the long winter days. Plants that do not get enough light never develop normally or healthily; the stems are long, lanky, and weak, the foliage is semi-transparent and washed-out, and the whole plant is vulnerable to disease or insect foes. Even plants grown in full sunlight will pull toward the glass and become one-sided, with all of the leaves pointing one direction, as anybody with any experience with them knows from observation. Even under ideal circumstances, it is required to turn them half every few days, ideally every time they are watered, in order to maintain an even, shapely development.
Flowering plants, such as geraniums and heliotropes, need more light and sunlight than foliage plants, such as palms, ferns, and beautiful leafed begonias. It is nearly impossible to expose any of them to too much sunlight during the winter months, and where there is any danger of this, as sometimes occurs in early fall or late spring, a curtain of the thinnest material will provide adequate protection, the necessity being not to exclude the light, but simply to break the direct action of the sun’s rays through glass.
A wide range of plants may be cultivated in an average window garden, which should be placed in the sunniest and widest window possible.
Plants can be kept as individual specimens in pots and “dishes” or “pans” (which are nothing more than shallow flower pots), or they can be grown together in a plant box, made for the purpose and usually more or less decorative in itself, that will harmonize with and set off the beauty of the plants.
The second approach, growing in boxes, has two unique benefits, particularly when there is a risk of excessive heat and accompanying dryness in the air. The plants are easier to maintain for than plants in pots, which quickly dry up and need regular replacing; and effects in grouping and harmonious design may be achieved that are not easily achieved with plants in containers. On the other hand, it is not possible to give as much attention to individual plants that may require it as when they are grown in pots; nor can there be as much re-arrangement and change when these are required–and what good housekeeper is not a natural born scene shifter, rolling the piano around to the other side of the room, and moving the bookcase or changing the big Boston fern over to the other window, so it can be seen from the dining room?
If the plants are to be maintained in pots–which is typically the more satisfying method–several shelves of light, smooth wood of a reasonable width (six to twelve inches) should be securely installed in each window to be utilized, using the standard iron brackets. A thin, narrow strip of wood fastened to each side of these shelves, extending an inch or two above them, can assist hold the pots in place and prevent dirty water from trickling down to the floor or table below. A couple of coats of outside paint will also improve the appearance and longevity of these shelves, as well as help to avoid any bothersome drips from draining pots. A shelf like this will benefit even more from being coated an inch or two deep with coarse gravel or fine pebbles.
This is much superior than using pot saucers, particularly for little pots. while a bay window is utilized, if it is separated from the rest of the room by glass doors or even curtains, it will help significantly in creating a moist environment around the plants and avoiding dust from falling on the leaves while sweeping or cleaning.
A window box may be easily constructed using planed inch pine planks that are firmly fitted and linked. It should be 6 to 10 inches broad and 6 to 8 inches deep. If a simple box is used, inch holes every six inches or so through the bottom will be required to allow for the removal of any extra water–although, with the technique of filling the box described in a later chapter, those holes would scarcely ever be utilized. Plants in the house in the winter, on the other hand, are just as likely to suffer from too much water as from too little, and so, to avoid the unpleasant possibility of dirty drainage water running down onto several feet of floor, it will be almost as simple and far better to have the box constructed with a bottom made of two pieces, sloping slightly to the center where one hole is made in which a cork can be kept. The drainage is provided by a fake bottom of tin or zinc with the required number of holes cut out and held by three or four inch pieces of wood running lengthways of the box. Of course, these strips must be cut in the center to enable all of the water to drain out. The fake bottom will catch any usual excess water, which can be emptied into a watering can or pitcher by removing the cork. Figure 1 depicts the building specifics of such a box. It is ideal to position the box on its supporting brackets so that it may be moved end to end on occasion, maintaining the plants developing equally and preventing the blossoms from turning their backs toward the interior of the room.