Posted by Cory on 3/16/2002, 3:03 pm Growing herbs indoors does not differ much from growing herbs in the garden; it is just harder to duplicate. Fourth, well, water is obvious. Do it well when the plant is dry. Err on the side of dryness without letting the plant wilt. An inexpensive water meter available at most hardware stores is invaluable if you have doubts about when to water. Make sure the water is not too frigid or too hot. Fill your watering can and let it sit for a while to become room temperature. And, plan ahead. If you think you want to grow herbs indoors in the winter, don't wait until winter to get started. Start the plants going in their containers in fall and prepare them for the months ahead by letting them settle in during pleasant conditions. Copyright © 1997-2002 Mountain Valley Growers, Inc.
Growing Herbs Indoors
First, comes the soil. Please don't ever use garden dirt. Use good quality potting soil with organic fertilizer mixed in. If the soil is very fine, add up to 30 percent more perlite.
Second, is how you pot them up. Go from a three inch pot to a four inch pot unless you know the plant is a rampant grower (like Lemon Grass). Don't do anything to the roots of the plant and be very careful not to damage the stem. A perennial has to be really old to need its roots pruned and, even then it is, in most cases, better to just repot and leave the roots alone. Forget about the rocks on the bottom of the pot. This is a myth and it just takes valuable growing space away from the plant's roots. Only put one kind of plant in a pot. If you feel you must combine plants, don't leave oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants for very long. They will overgrow everything. If you pot separately, each plant can be given air space around it and if one plant has a problem it is easy to remove it.
Third, is the light. Just like outside, plants need at least six hours of sun a day. If your sunny window doesn't fill that requirement, then you may want to purchase some regular fluorescent lights. These shop lights need to hang no more than three inches above the plants and stay on for 14 hours a day. If you are trying to grow seedlings, put the lights an inch or less away from the new plants. And like outdoors if your window is too hot in the summer, lower the shades in the afternoon to prevent scorching. If your window freezes in the winter, keep the foliage of the plant away from the glass.
Fifth, temperature is the hardest of all indoor requirements to moderate. Ideally it would be 70 or 75 during the day and 55 or 60 at night. Do your best to keep the temperature close to this for maximum survival and growth.
Lastly, is fertilizer. If you put some in when you repotted, your plant should be happy until spring. When it starts to grow vigorously, add a little organic liquid fertilizer to the water.
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/growingherbsindoors.htm
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