Horticulture is the science and art of growing plants (fruits, vegetables, flowers, and any other cultivar). It also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, soil management, landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance, and arboriculture. In contrast to agriculture, horticulture does not include large-scale crop production or animal husbandry.
Horticulturists apply their knowledge, skills, and technologies used to grow intensively produced plants for human food and non-food uses and for personal or social needs. Their work involves plant propagation and cultivation with the aim of improving plant growth, yields, quality, nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses. They work as gardeners, growers, therapists, designers, and technical advisors in the food and non-food sectors of horticulture. Horticulture even refers to the growing of plants in a field or garden.
Before planting, thorough cultivation in dry weather is needed to get a good soil composition. Walking on ground that is too wet can cause structural deterioration and prevent enough oxygen reaching the roots. Digging the ground deeply will make sure that compacted layers of soil are broken down and that the roots can grow satisfactorily. You should also increase the humus level in the soil by adding garden compost or well rotted manure.
There are many different ways of growing plants these days and the choice depends very much on the grower’s preference. There are two popular choices when it comes to ‘natural media’ – Soil and Coco. These materials are organic and can vary widely according to the source, understanding the source of your media can lead to a grower getting better results.
The best types of for indoor growing are generally the lighter, free draining mixes. Loam is not important really, provided that a proper nutrient solution is used throughout the crop. If there is any doubt about which soil to choose we would suggest that two or more types are used and compared. They will perform differently and it will be easy to see which is more suitable for the task in hand.
