How much soil and space for a small indoor plant?

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'm building something and need to estimate how much space with soil a basic indoor plant might need - right now I'm keeping 4"x4" and a 2" depth in mind, does this sound fine?

If not, what should it be?

Edit: I guess this is beyond vague... Maybe I should ask what kind of plants would work well in this much space? Or just go to a store and see what comes in small containers?

 

[SSSnail]

Will you be needing high output lamps as well?

 

[FoBoT]

that is very small, most plants have roots that go deeper than 2"

if you want a tiny plant, you can get some small cactus or just go to the nursery and ask for something tiny first

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
that is very small, most plants have roots that go deeper than 2"

if you want a tiny plant, you can get some small cactus or just go to the nursery and ask for something tiny first

Hmm... I'm wondering what size I should make it then, I hadn't really thought about this as much as I should have maybe. Any recommendations on depth? 6 inches?

 

[Bryophyte]

With a pot that size, you are stuck with small cacti and succulents, pretty much. Use the right soil type for the type of plant (cactus mix for cacti and succulents, for example.) Make sure the space you plan on putting it has the right light and temperature conditions for the plant you want.

 

[Bryophyte]

What are you making the container out of?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
Will you be needing high output lamps as well?

I hadn't thought about lighting yet, but it's a good point, that'll be the next step.

That reminds me... I had some PM's about flashlight products that I forgot to reply to, need to get working on those

 

[Howard]

Depends on the plant.

 

[preCRT]

What type of plant are you interested in? You must have some kind of thing in mind. If you give us more details, you'll get more help.

 

[FoBoT]

most pots are pot shaped for a reason, the plants roots go down and out anywhere from half to fully as tall/broad as the plant above the surface is, depending of course, a corn plant doesn't put roots down 7-8 feet

but i guess you are thinking of a flower or house plant


pansies are nice small flowers, one should be ok in a 4"x4" and 4" deep soil space

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
What are you making the container out of?

Plexiglass - this will have an "island" in the middle with a plant, preferably something like a small tree. Around it will be water, enclosed off by more plexiglass obviously so it doesn't mix with the soil, and then it will have a mister like a humidifier/vaporizer. I need to think about the dimensions and such, I was hoping to make almost a mini jungle or something with a few small tree like plants.

I think before I do any cutting or deciding on dimensions, I should go to a nursery and pick out plants.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: preCRT
What type of plant are you interested in? You must have some kind of thing in mind. If you give us more details, you'll get more help.

I was originally thinking of a bonsai tree and so I picked up a few books on them, but left them at school before coming back!

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

If I go with a bonsai tree, what kind of depth should I allow for it? Or does that depend on the species as well?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Example: http://cgi.ebay.com/Elm-Bonsai-Tree-10-...58QQcategoryZ20524QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They don't really have a lot of depth - is that just for selling/show purposes or are bonsai trees really fine with such little depth?

 

[Bryophyte]

You don't seem to be taking into consideration drainage. If you make the plant portion with no drainage holes, plan on sizing it to drop a potted plant in, so you can take it to the sink to water it and let it drain before putting it back into the container.

 

[FoBoT]

bonsai tree

those are small, but i don't know about their root systems

lets google it

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
You don't seem to be taking into consideration drainage. If you make the plant portion with no drainage holes, plan on sizing it to drop a potted plant in, so you can take it to the sink to water it and let it drain before putting it back into the container.

I was actually already planning on holes on the bottom for drainage and a little crate for it to sit on for drainage. I need to think about how I'll slope it though so it actually goes into the hole.

 

[Bryophyte]

You need to also make sure that the mister doesn't cause disease problems. Many plants are susceptible to things like powdery mildew that thrive in highly humid environments. You might consider orchids, they like to have dry feet but humid air.

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
You don't seem to be taking into consideration drainage. If you make the plant portion with no drainage holes, plan on sizing it to drop a potted plant in, so you can take it to the sink to water it and let it drain before putting it back into the container.

I was actually already planning on holes on the bottom for drainage and a little crate for it to sit on for drainage.

Ah, from your description above, I pictured water being around and below it. Doh.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Ah good point Bryophyte, I need to figure out how to work with that. I also need to think about soil composition, maybe pea gravel at the bottom?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
You don't seem to be taking into consideration drainage. If you make the plant portion with no drainage holes, plan on sizing it to drop a potted plant in, so you can take it to the sink to water it and let it drain before putting it back into the container.

I was actually already planning on holes on the bottom for drainage and a little crate for it to sit on for drainage.

Ah, from your description above, I pictured water being around and below it. Doh.

Here's a picture: http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/8427/plantuc9.gif

Green are the plant(s), brown is soil, and blue is obviously water.

There's a lot more involved in this than I thought, to do it properly anyway, heh.

How do I deal with mildew and disease issues?

 

[liquid51]

You could also choose a plant that thrives in low/partial light. Orchids, while rather expensive, are a partial light flowering plant. They require very little watering, the blooms last a very long time, and they are incredibly nice looking plants. I just bought a yellow orchid for my wife for valantines day.

Here are some general orchid pics: Bloom, full pic

My wifes yellow has a bloom just like the first pic; I love it. Google image search for more pics; there's an almost endless variety. And while being expensive, I think they may actually be more affordable than bonsai and would also maintain an asian decorative style.

 

[Bryophyte]

Bonsai don't need a lot of soil depth, because the goal with bonsai is to stunt the growth of the plant, but they do require very frequent attention to root and stem pruning, keeping soil conditions ideal (amount of water and fertilizer) as well as whatever light and temperature conditions the specific plant needs. I've never seen a bonsai grown in a clear container, so I don't know what affect the exposure of the roots to light will have on it.

 

[Bryophyte]

Another consideration is how you're going to control algae in the water without exposing the plants to something that'll be toxic if you're using the same water for misting.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
Another consideration is how you're going to control algae in the water without exposing the plants to something that'll be toxic if you're using the same water for misting.

I'll have tons of java moss in there, that should help a little bit I'd imagine. Would putting a snail or something in there be a bad idea?