What can I feed a plant to ensure it grows healthy ?

[JamesGatz]

A family member recently brought some plants inside my house - I quiet enjoy the presence in the home I definitely feel like there is something positive it's doing to the air that has a great effect on my metabolism

What is a peaty environment for plants ? I don't have the resources to build out a greenhouse but I make do with what I can, right now I have the plant away from any toxic plastic and in a ceramic jar in a room with incandescent lighting and I give the plant some time outside for sunlight each day (it is cold where I am)

High CO2 seems to have a significant effect - I'm not sure if I have the resources to re-create this effect in my house

I was looking at some experiments with plants and giving them magnesium and potassium and they seem to grow a lot healthier than without - what types of food should I be giving these plants to ensure they can absorb necessary nutrients ? I imagine I can give them some foods that work for me to an extent

Right now I have incandescent lighting, filtered water, sunlight, and that is about it - what kind of compost can I put to ensure they grow healthy ? I don't really trust information online that much

I also have the plant in an electrical conductive environment due to my positive experience with silver and gold - I have my stash of silver right next to its pot

 

[Yonebayashian]

Use Epsom salts for footbaths and then use the wastewater for the plants.

Get chickens and use them as compost producers. Put wood shavings underneath them and feed them an intensely nutritious diet of raw meat with supplemental liver which then passes onto the compost and eggs. Chickens naturally love to scratch, so they do the compost turning for you. Quail are another alternative and are very indoor friendly. You can easily put a couple in the space of a large plastic storage big. If they start to smell it means that they need more wood shavings. There should not be a smell.

Traditionally dumping food scraps on pigs and chickens to recycle the nutrients in the form of compost and animal products was the way to go, but due to fear of sanitation it is one of the most illegal things to pursue commercially. They will come after you.

 

[CreakyJoints]

I think it's more important to know how and when to water your plant rather than what - some (many) hate being watered from above, for instance, and prefer water to be absorbed from a dish beneath them. I know a number of people who end up with sickly plants with root rot and so forth just because they were careless in how they watered them.

If you are very keen to give your plant extra nutrients, I would investigate where those plants grow naturally and look up what sort of concentrations those minerals appear in the local soil before adding some. The content of a swamp or a bog for a pitcher plant might be very different to what you might want to give a cactus, for instance.

Most plants will respond fine to a grow light and some like red light at certain times. I think letting them see the sun as often as you can is definitely wise. Turn them too, if you can, so they get an even exposure.

...and you should play them Mort Garson albums.

 

[Metabawlic]

Easiest peaty options are used coffee grinds (magnesium) & ground egg shells (calcium). Maybe twice a month or so. Try not to disturb the soil all that much. Also try to filter their water to avoid halogens.

 

[Yonebayashian]

...and you should play them Mort Garson albums.

Plantasia by Mort Garson is uncannily similar in sound to the microsounds plants emit, produced without ever hearing scientific recordings of them...

 

[Veritas IV]

Winter plant advice = Less is better. They grow more slowly which means they need less nutrition. They're also not getting 90 degree weather, which means they need less water.

Vegetable plants can be complicated with getting the correct nutrition, whereas houseplants you can use practically any plant food because you're not coaxing vegetables out of them. Less tends to be better, at least until you figure out their seasonal particulars. There are some house plants that have specific food preferences, the answer for them is a google search away.

They do not need a special grow light, any middle or cool temperature bulb will have the wavelengths they want. CFL bulbs work particularly well at closer distances, especially if the beam is more focused.

If they out grow their pot then they'll become root-bound (or pot bound, synonymous) The plants will just stop growing till you plant them into larger pots with added soil.

They do like C02, so you can talk to them i guess, preferably when no one is watching, otherwise you'll get the furrowed eyebrows ...

 

[CreakyJoints]

Plantasia by Mort Garson is uncannily similar in sound to the microsounds plants emit, produced without ever hearing scientific recordings of them...

Exactly the album I was thinking of! I think to be honest it sounds similar because that person is using a modular synth and Mort Garson almost exclusively worked in modular. The Instruo Scíon, which is the module in the bottom right, is actually designed specifically for this purpose! I'm not sure what other modules he has on there, I don't have a rig myself (they're too expensive!) but I think the Scíon is probably doing most of the work.

There are a number of very interesting "biofeedback" synths, which often use contact plates and use the player's skin as a conductive surface, so any perspiration would have an impact on the sound generated. I've wondered for a while what Ray would make of them.

 

[ursidae]

molasses

 

[Shackles]

good 'ol cynomel

 

[Giraffe]

what kind of compost can I put to ensure they grow healthy

Vermicompost - A Living Soil Amendment

Cornell University's research on the vermicomposting process as a technology that transforms organic wastes into resources and the uses of vermicompost for plant nutrient management and the suppression of plant diseases.

cwmi.css.cornell.edu

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ3QIZMta98

 

[JamesGatz]

Use Epsom salts for footbaths and then use the wastewater for the plants.

Get chickens and use them as compost producers. Put wood shavings underneath them and feed them an intensely nutritious diet of raw meat with supplemental liver which then passes onto the compost and eggs. Chickens naturally love to scratch, so they do the compost turning for you. Quail are another alternative and are very indoor friendly. You can easily put a couple in the space of a large plastic storage big. If they start to smell it means that they need more wood shavings. There should not be a smell.

Traditionally dumping food scraps on pigs and chickens to recycle the nutrients in the form of compost and animal products was the way to go, but due to fear of sanitation it is one of the most illegal things to pursue commercially. They will come after you.

Ah this is much appreciated - I have actually been meaning to buy some chickens - I do want to start owning some farm animals and becoming more self-sustainable in the future - just need more space from the city I am in - I wasn't aware they had so much usage for plants

I think it's more important to know how and when to water your plant rather than what - some (many) hate being watered from above, for instance, and prefer water to be absorbed from a dish beneath them. I know a number of people who end up with sickly plants with root rot and so forth just because they were careless in how they watered them.

If you are very keen to give your plant extra nutrients, I would investigate where those plants grow naturally and look up what sort of concentrations those minerals appear in the local soil before adding some. The content of a swamp or a bog for a pitcher plant might be very different to what you might want to give a cactus, for instance.

Most plants will respond fine to a grow light and some like red light at certain times. I think letting them see the sun as often as you can is definitely wise. Turn them too, if you can, so they get an even exposure.

...and you should play them Mort Garson albums.

My sister was telling me this today - that I shouldn't water it from above and to keep water on the bottom from a pot with holes in it - I just gave the music a listen - seems to strike up an interesting effect in me as well - very interesting music for these plants

Easiest peaty options are used coffee grinds (magnesium) & ground egg shells (calcium). Maybe twice a month or so. Try not to disturb the soil all that much. Also try to filter their water to avoid halogens.

Ah very interesting - I just tried eggshell today - I was thinking of maybe experimenting giving the plant a tiny bit of my magnesium glycinate and maybe trying a tiny bit of carbonated water for some extra CO2 - I am definitely going to be careful with these experiments but I am interested to see how much better this tree can grow with this

 

[JamesGatz]

Winter plant advice = Less is better. They grow more slowly which means they need less nutrition. They're also not getting 90 degree weather, which means they need less water.

Vegetable plants can be complicated with getting the correct nutrition, whereas houseplants you can use practically any plant food because you're not coaxing vegetables out of them. Less tends to be better, at least until you figure out their seasonal particulars. There are some house plants that have specific food preferences, the answer for them is a google search away.

They do not need a special grow light, any middle or cool temperature bulb will have the wavelengths they want. CFL bulbs work particularly well at closer distances, especially if the beam is more focused.

If they out grow their pot then they'll become root-bound (or pot bound, synonymous) The plants will just stop growing till you plant them into larger pots with added soil.

They do like C02, so you can talk to them i guess, preferably when no one is watching, otherwise you'll get the furrowed eyebrows ...

Hahaha - I am definitely going to try this - people already think I have a screw loose in my own family and in public so I do not mind embarrassing myself further in the name of good health

 

[aodg]

Hi, what kind of lighting ? They kinda like the ones we don't. Spiral CFL for example, LEDs etc.

What plants are they too ? Makes a difference a bit.

I'm in Canada and I've got a half dozen two year old grapefruit trees growing in red SOLO cups about 6 feet from where I type.

I've got a 7w Philips BR30 LED shining on 'em, and it's a pain to be around.

Just not enough light through the window these days to keep them happy.

 

[danishstargazer]

1) coffee
2) coffee grounds
3) egg shells
4) my indoor plants like classical music.

 

[hei]

I think fish emulsion and seaweed emulsion are pretty good for most plants. Seaweed emulsion mainly provides trace elements. Most plants should flourish if you apply these through the growing season. Could be wrong but I wouldn't worry about applying individual elements unless there's something wrong like the leaves turning yellow.
Good nutrition takes care of most things, I don't think some of the more esoteric things are worth worrying about unless the plants are already growing well.

 

[CreakyJoints]

My sister was telling me this today - that I shouldn't water it from above and to keep water on the bottom from a pot with holes in it - I just gave the music a listen - seems to strike up an interesting effect in me as well - very interesting music for these plants

To paraphrase Sakamoto: analog synthesis is an organic sound, it is the sound of thunder! Yes, just keep an eye on things like the colour of the leaves, the roots, the strength of the stems, and so forth. A plant can usually give you lots of clues as to what is wrong with it which are quite easy to pick up.

Since you are indoors, it is unlikely you will have an issue with bugs wreaking havoc, but if you do you can always get some carnivorous plants to sit by your other ones. They're not often well-adapted to cold, though.

They do like C02, so you can talk to them i guess, preferably when no one is watching, otherwise you'll get the furrowed eyebrows ...

I sing to mine sometimes. No complaints yet.

 

[Heroico]

To paraphrase Sakamoto: analog synthesis is an organic sound, it is the sound of thunder! Yes, just keep an eye on things like the colour of the leaves, the roots, the strength of the stems, and so forth. A plant can usually give you lots of clues as to what is wrong with it which are quite easy to pick up.

Since you are indoors, it is unlikely you will have an issue with bugs wreaking havoc, but if you do you can always get some carnivorous plants to sit by your other ones. They're not often well-adapted to cold, though.



I sing to mine sometimes. No complaints yet.

I keep tropical fish and aquatic plants and some house plants. I add dextrose to my water. So far no problems with ants! It stimulates mircoorganisms in the soil along the lines of other carbon sources like kelp fertilizer. I think it makes a tremendous difference. You can also add more structured carbon to the soil to compost in place (wood shavings, shredded newspaper).

 

[AncestralJoy]

@Heroico is it dextrose in particular? How much do you add? Do you think plain white sugar may do the same?

 

[Heroico]

sugar would probably be fine for plants I use dextrose for corals as glucose is a normal breakdown on the reef from coral mucus while fructose is not but would be a normal component of plant decomposition

 

[Grapelander]

Having the correct amount of light is always the most important thing.
Do not let the soil dry out - but do not allow water to stagnate.
I use rock powder, charcoal - not too much fertilizer.
Composting: Some of the ideas above are excellent for outdoors (coffee grounds, eggshells) but may attract gnats indoors.
If a plant does not work out - replace it and use new soil.
Know your plants - look them up - see if they are medicinal, poisonous, etc.
Consider this a first step in a long term relationship with the plant kingdom.

LINKS:
1920 Seed Catalog (Art Deco)
1911 Window & Indoor Gardening (Book)
1976 Golden Press Hallucinogenic Plants (Book)
1973 The Secret Life of Plants (Book)