INTERIOR PLANTS (Indoor Plants) BHT315

Work in the Interior Plantscaping Industry

Start an Indoor Plant Nursery

Work in a Garden Centre

This is a course equally applicable to the professional interior plantscaper or the home owner (or interior decorator) who aspires to achieve the very best results with their indoor plants. You will learn about the main family groups indoor plants fall into, the cultural requirements and general characteristics of each of those groups, and from there develop the ability to select the right plant for the right situation. Many types of growing methods are covered (in pots, baskets, hydroponics, terrariums, greenhouses), as well as soil mixes, propagation, pest control, feeding and lots more.

Learn to Grow Indoor Plants

Who Should Do this Course:

  • Interior Plantscapers, Interior Designers, Staff of Indoor Plant Hire Companies
  • Nurserymen
  • Garden Centre Staff
  • Gardeners, Horticulturists, Landscapers, from Warm or Tropical Climates
  • Anyone with a passion for Indoor Plants

Nominal Duration: Approximately 100 hours

Course Aim

To develop your skills to make informed decisions on the selection, care and use of indoor plants.

Course Structure

There are eight lessons in this course as outlined below:

  1. Introduction
  2. Indoor Plant Culture - Part A
  3. Indoor Plant Culture - Part B
  4. Foliage Plants
  5. Flowering Plants
  6. Other Indoor Plants
  7. Making The Best Use Of Indoor Plants
  8. The Interior Plantscaping Industry

 

Course Aims:

  • Distinguish between different types of indoor plants, including twenty-five different genera and fifty different varieties
  • Describe the cultural methods used for growing various indoor plants
  • Select appropriate plants for different interior plantscaping situations
  • Evaluate a range of plants not commonly grown indoors for their suitability for interior plantscaping
  • Develop innovative ways of presenting plants for indoor situations
  • Explain the interior plantscaping industry, including it's nature and scope

 

Scope

The first thing to remember about indoor plants is that they aren't really indoor plants (plants do not grow indoors in nature!). Indoor plants are simply plants which we have found to be adaptable to an indoor environment.

Usually an inside environment will differ from an outside one in the following ways:

  • It has lower light intensities
  • It is warmer in winter and cooler in summer
  • In some rooms (eg. kitchen, bathroom, laundry), humidity can get high
  • The balance of gases in the air is different: (particularly damaging with gas heaters or air conditioning).

While many indoor plants originate in tropical areas, this by no means the case for all. The natural environment for tropical plants is usually wet, humid and hot. If those plants are placed in an indoor environment which is cooler and less humid then wetness must also be reduced.

Over-watering is a common problem with tropical indoor plants being grown in temperate regions.

The best rule is: use a freely draining soil, water thoroughly once and then do not water again until the soil is absolutely bone dry. In some situations this might mean watering once very three months, in other situations once a day. The rate of watering is influenced by factors such as temperature, soil type, humidity and cannot be put down to a regular timetable. For example you cannot just assume that once a week watering is right for every plant in all conditions.

Usually temperate climate plants which are used indoors are hardier (when grown in temperate climate houses). Some are best to alternate between an indoor and outdoor position such as Cyclamen spp., ferns, Asparagus spp. (asparagus fern). Never take the plant from one environment straight to an environment which is in extreme contrast though; the move could be too much of a shock (eg. it is better to move your ferns outside in summer and place them in a protected spot under a big tree: the change will then be minor). Avoid placing indoor plants in draughty positions or near to a gas heater or air conditioning vent. Temperatures should not drop below 5ºCelsius for the less hardy indoor plants (even overnight). Place the more exotic, tropical plants in a more humid room such as a bathroom. Low light intensity areas should be avoided for most indoor plants.


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