Hello, this is the second session of Green Dream, a cultural activity support project for the elderly in 2023, which is enjoyed remotely. Last time, we talked about plants that bloom flowers. After the class, did you notice the flowers blooming along the roads you usually pass by more vividly? Today, after the class, you can look forward to enjoying flowers at home anytime. We will discuss ways to keep plants alive and blooming for a long time without killing them. The second session of Green Dream, where the flower of hope blooms, is starting now. I mainly grow tropical plants in my living room. From my experience of growing plants in an apartment, I found out there are five reasons why plants die. If you conquer these five reasons, you will no longer kill your plants.

You can do it. The most important thing in growing plants is light. Usually, we want to grow beautiful plants like this, but it's not easy at home because plants typically grow outdoors. In the case of plants like Adiantum and ferns, they are strictly shade plants. That's why many of them seem to die because of this. Light through the window is indirect light, so if you put them in a dark place, the plants cannot photosynthesize and die. There is a concept called the light compensation point, which is the point where the amount of photosynthesis a plant does matches the amount of respiration it does. Plants need light above this light compensation point to survive. For example, the light compensation point for a Monstera plant is 36 lux. It needs to receive more than 36 lux of light during the day to photosynthesize, survive, and grow.

There is a big difference between light and shade. The indoor and outdoor environments are completely different. You should consider the best environment for plants to grow, which is near the window in a bright place. First, you need to know what plant you want to grow and how much light it needs. I will tell you how to measure the specific amount of light. Search for a mobile app using the keyword light measurement to find various free apps that can measure light with your camera. I use a free app called Light Meter to measure light. When you measure the light, it will show you in lux. Secondly, consider the air. If the ventilation is poor indoors, mold may grow in the soil, the leaves may not dry properly, and root rot due to excessive moisture may occur.

Giving water is important, but it is also crucial to change the airflow around the plants to dry the soil properly. If the air around the plants becomes stagnant, they won't be able to breathe, which hinders their growth. Therefore, in the summer, it is best to ventilate in the morning and evening so that cool air can come in. In winter, since it's too cold, it's good to ventilate during sunny days. If there are places without windows for ventilation, there are machines like fans or circulators that can create air circulation. Providing artificial ventilation with a circulator is also beneficial. The third point is watering. The key to growing plants beautifully and healthily is to water them and observe the plant's condition frequently. When the plant's condition is not good, and various questions arise, I...

Now, they ask to show pictures of plant leaves, but also ask to show black pictures. When the black is too dry, the plant's growth is not happening now, and it becomes brittle, and the leaves dry up because there is not enough water. I will tell you about the bottom watering method. It's okay to use a saucer slightly larger than the pot, or a slightly larger container to hold water. You pour water into it, not from the top, but through the drainage holes of the pot, allowing the plant to absorb water from the bottom up. When the soil is very dry, if you soak it in water for about half a day while providing good sunlight and sufficient ventilation, the soil will be soaked enough for the plant to absorb as much water as it wants. If the soil is hardened and lacks a waterway, by using the bottom watering method, when you water like this, the water will spread throughout the soil, making it moist.

You can milk it. When it comes to overwatering, the leaves start turning black now. Just like when the plant lacks water, the tips start to dry up in brown. Because the roots are rotting, they can no longer absorb, so the leaves dry up. Usually, you will use pottery or plastic pots a lot. In the case of such pots, because there is no ventilation for the roots, overwatering can easily occur. So, change the soil to a light and well-ventilated soil that does not have a coating among the soil components. Please water it thoroughly and if it's a tough environment, let the fan blow once. Also, use a tool to make holes and dry the soil well. There is also a chance of overwatering due to lack of light, so move it to a bright place.

And the fourth is African violet. Although hydroponic cultivation is possible, the reason why plants grow faster and stronger when grown in soil is because of the nutrients in the soil. When the soil in the pot becomes hardened over time, the plant cannot absorb water and nutrients, which is not ideal. In that case, repotting is the best option. Breaking up the soil with tools or covering it with new soil and fertilizer on top is also a method. A beginner-friendly fertilizer is a complete fertilizer called albiro. It is good to fertilize each pot about once a month on neither too hot nor cold days. Then, glossier leaves and flowers are essential. Rainwater contains dissolved nitrogen, so you can think of it as a fertilizer. Also, depending on the acidity of the soil, the flowers are

Colors can change, and the growth rate can vary. In the case of hydrangeas, even the same variety, when the acidity of the soil increases, they bloom blue flowers. When they bloom in alkaline soil, they turn pink. That's why there are things like blueberry-specific soil. Since that soil is highly acidic, by changing pink hydrangeas to blueberry soil, they can turn into blue hydrangeas. Pest management is now the fifth most crucial aspect of care. If you have mastered watering, which is often said to be done every three years, then you should learn how to manage pests. I will also tell you about the most common pests and how to get rid of them. For example, for root aphids, if you find caterpillars in the soil of the pot, they are eating the roots, so the plant.

If your plants are sick, and you see small, slightly elongated insects around like fruit flies, those are root aphids. Root aphids have sticky threads that they stick into the soil of the pot. Even if you try to wipe off those threads, they stick a lot and can end up dying. Pour hydrogen peroxide into water like this and dilute it to about 500:1 (500 parts water, 1 part hydrogen peroxide), then consistently spray it on the plant and soil. This will kill the root aphid larvae and adults. If they have multiplied too much, you will need to use insecticides. When plants start to produce spider webs, it means spider mites have appeared. Spider mites attach themselves to the back of leaves and suck the plant's sap, causing spots on the leaves. If you see spider mites, first clean the leaves thoroughly every day.

Eohe can also not respond to general insecticides, so you need to purchase specific insecticides for Eohe. And if you want to get rid of them in an eco-friendly way, you can buy their natural enemies, Miles Eohe, to eliminate Eohe with their predators. Among the most terrifying pests, there is a bug called Chochung. Chochung is a long, black flying beetle, and its larvae can enter your house and suck it up, which is why gardeners are very scared of this pest. It is also one of the most difficult pests to eliminate. If you want an eco-friendly insecticide, you can dilute Nimoy in water at a ratio of 1:500 and spray it. If Chochung is spreading too much, you can visit a pesticide store, show a picture of the damaged leaves caused by the pest, and get diagnosed to find the appropriate insecticide.

[2023 청춘문화 노리터] 싱그러운 식물생활, 초록가꿈터 2회차 : 식물을 죽이지 않는 방법

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