A Chia herb garden is not defined by the name of an animal with chive “skin” or any other such misconceptions one might have after seeing the many ads for them over the years.The use of animal shaped containers is not even a requirement, for that matter.What make it Chia is first of all that it is planted within a container, which can be any kind virtually, but more on that later.
Second, the chia herb garden is started in a special medium, a sponge material available on the web as well as many garden centers, and only requires some seeds, and a clear, plastic covering. This sponge medium is moistened, seeds sprinkled on it, and placed within the container of your choice and then within the clear, plastic bag or under a protective cover to keep the garden to be, humid.
The light isn’t that important at first, but once those seedlings become plants, it is much more so..
Once we realize that setting up a chia garden gives us much flexibility in terms of space and choice of container, it is no wonder that we see why they are so popular at home and at work. In facat, they are limited only by your imagination and you can come up with dozens of interesting ideas how to add special quality to each room in your house, for example.
If you plan to use your herbs in food or drink (herbal teas, for one idea), then you must consider not using any containers which might, themselves, contain dies, pigments or other chemicals which can be harmful. These harmful materials can leach into the growing medium and then the roots, affecting the plants.. Obviously, this is not a healthy scenario. These containers must be food safe. Typically if one is harmful, it should be labeled, but this isn’t always the case. Colorful containers should not be considered since they frequently contain iron and other materials in the coloring that can be dangerous.
Don’t, however, consider this an admonition against having bright colors.You can make it a project some rainy day to find some ecologically safe paints and design them yourself.There are some great acrylics out there and even some glazes which could work just fine.
There are many different ways to begin your chia herb garden.You can begin with seeds, watching and caring for them as they sprout and grow into full grown herb plants, or you can buy a complete herb kit which will provide all you need to quickly be harvesting leaves and other parts for cooking or storing.Remember if you go this route that even though these “pre-started” plants are already growing, they will need your continued care and attention.You need to pay attention to their watering and fertilizing, as recommended in the instructions you should be getting.
Once the plants have reached maturity, you have the option of transplanting them into a traditional medium such as soil or pellets.When upsizing your plants’ containers, especially when they are young, don’t increase the diameter of the new pot size by more than an inch. The “pot” you transplant to must allow the roots to expand their network, but still has to offer some familiar containment. As plants grow larger, you can increase pot sizes a little more aggressively.
One of the great points of the chia herb garden plants is that they are only part of the benefit; their containers can be just as attractive and delightful.Your creative decisions will make all the difference. One idea is to create a custom theme for each room in your house, and use specific plants that will add color or fragrance to that particular room.
A key point to remember is that your herb garden will need some good quality light, at least from time to time, so even if there are no windows in ideal lighting positions, bring them outside once in a while so they can bask in the warmth of the sun, just as you undoubtedly enjoy every so often.
Tags: chia herb garden., sponge material, harmful materials, herbal teas