5 Indoor Herb Garden Mistakes You're Making & How to Fix Them – Grobo
5 Indoor Herb Garden Mistakes You're Making & How to Fix Them
You were told that growing an indoor herb garden would be easy, and that some herbs grow like weeds. So why does your herb garden look like a withered mess of stalks barely holding onto life? It could be that you are forgetting about one of these key indoor gardening tips!
Mistake #1: Your Soil is Terrible
Plants need food just like you and me, and they get their food from two sources: the sun and soil. If the soil you are using is lacking nutrients, then any herb is going to have a hard time growing and thriving in it.
So what soil should you be using? For starters, don’t just dig up some soil from your yard or garden. Even if you live in a utopia which has never been affected by chemical rainfall, the soil probably had its nutrients sucked out of it by the plants which were growing there before. Plus, regular outdoor soil is way too heavy for herb gardening and will become mucky very quick.
You need soil which is loose and can drain easily. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with suggestions about composting and pH levels of soil. Just buy a quality potting mix and add some fertilizer to it occasionally.
Pro-tip: add extra perlite to your potted soil to improve drainage and aeration. Just make sure you wear a mask when handling it! Perlite particles are not good for your lung health.
Mistake #2: Waiting Too Long to Prune
But that basil looks too tiny and frail to cut now! Contrary to what your instincts may be telling you, even those little herbs need to be pruned. Why do you need to prune herbs?
1. When you don’t cut the herbs on time, they will start to grow straight up – which means they will become top-heavy and topple over. Pruning causes the herbs to grow horizontally so they become thicker instead of taller.
2. Pruning tells the herbs that they should continue with the growth stage. If you do not trim them, they may go into flower earlier than you want.
3. With woody herbs like rosemary, pruning prevents them from becoming all woody (woody parts don’t grow tasty leaves!)
When should you cut your herbs?
A good rule of (green) thumb is to prune your herbs for the first time when they are 3 or 4 inches above the soil and have 3 full sets of leaves. Always trim herbs right above a set of growing leaves! This will cause new growth to occur in a “V” shape, promoting the growth of a thick, full plant. You can read a good guide on how to prune plants here.
Pro Tip: Always sanitize your scissors in- between cuts to prevent the spread of bacteria and fungi.
Mistake #3: Not Watering Herbs Frequently Enough
Most houseplants only need to be watered about once a week. Herbs are a whole different story though. To thrive, herbs need to be watered regularly – meaning about once daily! Their soil should never be allowed to completely dry out, however, you shouldn’t water them so much that the soil becomes saturated and water-logged.
If you're having trouble remembering to water your herbs, don’t worry – technology comes to the rescue! Get an indoor growing system like the Grobo Grow Box which always keeps your plants hydrated.
Mistake #4: Letting the Herbs Flower
Many herbs have gorgeous flowers, but your goal with indoor herb gardening probably isn’t to get pretty blooms. It's to get edible herbs. When an herb starts to flower, it signals to the plant that the growing stage is over and the herb will start to die off. Further, many herbs will have a bitter taste once they flower, such as basil.
This won’t be a problem if you are pruning frequently enough, so cut back those herbs! If you see a flower forming on your herbs, simply pinch off flower. To prolong the life of your herbs, pinch off flowers that form. Herbs die after they bloom!
Mistake #5: Not Controlling Disease and Bugs
You might think that because your herb garden is indoors, it won’t be susceptible to disease and bugs. But the reality is that some herbs may do perfectly fine outdoors only to encounter problems indoors.
Some of the reasons for this are because insects and disease don’t get killed off by extreme temperatures like they would outdoors, insects don’t encounter certain predators indoors, and there is a lack of air circulation indoors, creating perfect environments for bugs to flourish.
Thrips, mealybugs, spider mites, aphids and scale are all common pests to indoor plants. Click here to read more about these bugs and how to identify them.
Before you reach for a pesticide or sprays, remember that many of these are chemically based and NOT EDIBLE. Do your research and find a safe, organic method of controlling the problem.
Pyrethrin is one of the most common chemicals found in insecticides. It is extremely toxic to cats and fish, so if you share your home with either animal, it is best to avoid it completely. However, it is safe for dogs!
Fun Fact: Pyrethrin, the common ingredient in houseplant insecticides is also the most common ingredient in dog flea medication. This is why dogs have different flea treatments than cats!
Our personal favourite "DIY" insecticide is 3ml neem oil, 3ml castile soap, half water and half rubbing alcohol in a 1 liter spray bottle. The rubbing alcohol kills bugs on contact, but also evaporates quick enough to not damage the plant. The Castile soap has a similar function, it suffocates the bugs upon contact. You can use mint scented, which deters pests, or unscented if you are sensitive to the scent of mint. Make sure to only apply this concoction in the evening, as neem can damage the leaves when they are in the sunlight.
Overall, theres many things that can go wrong with an indoor herb garden but we are here to help. By practising these simple tips you should see your herb garden start to thrive.
To make growing herbs indoors easier than ever, we created the Grobo Start. The Grobo Start is a hydroponic indoor herb garden and seed starter designed to make growing indoors effortless. It has several smart functions designed to keep growing stress free. There are 3 different light settings, so you can choose how much light your plant receives. The lights are also automated so you never need to worry about turning them on and off each day, the Grobo Start does that for you. The Grobo Start also comes with an extension arm so you can grow taller plants in the unit. You can attach several light extensions together to create the perfect light environment for your plants. Simply plant your seeds of choice into the peat pods, fill up the water tank, add nutrients, and turn on the lights. It's that simple!
Do you have any tips for starting your own herb garden? Let us know in the comments below!
If you want to grow herbs or other types of plants at home stress free, check out Grobo.io. Grobo is an automated grow box designed to make growing easy. With thousands of seed recipes in our app, we are sure you will find exactly what you want to grow!
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