Growing my career in landscape architecture is a long, but important process. One thing I have learned from my time in the landscape is that planting is fundamental for the design process.
Over the course of my first year at Michigan State University, I pondered my interest in horticulture and the biological process of plants. This gave me the idea of growing plants in my dorm, but one main issue was common in dorm plants: they always end up rotting.
With some little research and a couple bucks on Amazon, I found a way to keep beautiful plants and not only plants, but even vegetables and herbs in my dorm!
Hydroponics is the technique of growing crops by avoiding the main thing we tend to not care about – the soil. If you think about it, we always seem to think consistent watering and sun exposure is the main thing a plant needs. However, what is really killing your beautiful flowers is the soil you tend to grow it in.
Many varieties of soil are used, depending on the plants that are being cropped, and with hydroponics, it’s the opposite! It’s relatively simple and takes less watering regular plants, allowing you to grow vegetables or herbs in your room!
How I Began It All: The Beginning of my Dorm Planting
When I first started, I had no idea what to buy or how to start this process. I wanted to grow a plant in my room, but I knew from past experiences that my plants will end up dying because they won’t have the right environment to thrive in. I was also tremendously forgetful at feeding my plants, and knew I needed something that would grow without so much work.
After looking through planting kits, and bonsai plants, I stumbled upon a hydroponic growing system on Amazon that grows any plant with their efficient growing conditions.
The Hydroponics Growing system allowed me to grow anything, and I mean anything, with their simple system! All you need to do is purchase the seeds!
All I had to do was add the given soil cones to be soaked in water, fill the growing tank with four liters of water, and I was ready to go!
The system has a growing light included with certain settings pertaining to the type of plant growing. It also comes with a grounded water pump inside the tank, helping oxygen push through the tank to provide nutrients to the plants. All I had to do was turn the system on and watch it work its magic.
Progress of Dorm Plants
Over time, my plants progressed throughout the months of growing. I started out with half lettuce and kale, growing away from the other crops to prevent overcrowding.
Beginning the first week, they immediately opened their seeds to sprout and grew these cute baby leaves! No work was needed: I kept the growing light on and let the plants grow!
Over time, my plants were showing out of the soil, so that’s when I started feeding them nutrients to help keep them healthy and grow. Feeding them once a week (or every two weeks) is KEY, as you do not need to give extra nutrients. It does not help the plant, but rather overwhelms them.
While growing some of the seeds, most were coming out moldy or created a white fuzz around the plant. From this, I learned that typically, you want to immediately take those crops out to help not contaminate the surrounding plants.
So far, my plants are doing so well and the the growing system does all the work for me, even if I’m away for longer periods of time. People have planted such things as tomatoes, strawberries, basil, peppers, and more! I am basically obsessed with my little plant babies and hope one day to inspire someone to create their on indoor garden!
