How to Grow Indoor Flowers

Indoor flowers can add a touch of color to an otherwise drab room, but only if you can keep the flower alive long enough for it to bloom. Most houseplants, including flowers, will do fine in a good location once they are established, but getting them established can sometimes be tricky. To grow the flowers from seed, you need to have the right soil, humidity and techniques to give the flower a chance to thrive.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Plastic seed tray
• Dish detergent
• Bleach
• Flower seeds
• Seed-starting mixture
• Spray bottle
• Milled sphagnum moss
• Clear plastic bag
• Flower pots
• Potting soil
• Liquid fertilizer
• Knife

1. Wash your plastic container in warm, soapy water, taking care to remove all debris from the container. Then soak the container in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. Remove the container from the bleach and let it dry.

2. Place the seed-starting mixture into the container, filling it up to within an inch of the top. Spray down the mixture with water using your spray bottle.

3. Add the flower seeds to the container, sprinkling them from the package into rows on top of the mixture. Cover the seeds with milled sphagnum moss. The thickness of the covering should be equal to two times the diameter of the seed. Very fine flower seeds, like petunia seeds, need light to germinate, so do not add the moss over these types of seeds.

4. Spray some water over the mixture and seeds, enough to make the surface moist.

5. Cover the container in a clear plastic bag and place it in a warm location, somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If the only warm location you have is in direct sunlight, do not cover the container with the bag, just spray it with water a few times a day if the top of the material is dry.

6. Wait for the seeds to germinate. Once you start to see plants sprouting from the seeds, remove any covering and move the container to a place with good sunshine. The ideal temperature for the location will be listed on the seed packet and will vary from flower to flower.

7. Place potting soil in your flower pot once a few of the seedlings have at least one good set of leaves. Moisten the soil and add a few drops of liquid fertilizer.

8. Dig out the seedling with a knife. Make an indentation into the soil in the flower pot with your finger, equal to the depth of the seedling’s roots. Place the seedling into the indentation. Cover the area and press down on the soil, just a bit, to firm it up.

9. Find a permanent location for your flower that is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, has decent daytime sunlight, and is free from drafts caused by central air, which can dry out the plant.

10. Add fertilizer every two weeks during the summer months, although you can use less once the flower is fully grown. Stick your finger a few inches deep in the pot and add water whenever the soil is dry at least half way down the pot