Cultivating wild plants indoors and
in your home can be a rewarding and beautiful hobby. Not only do you get the thrill of watching a seedling or clipping grow into a full plant, but you also enhance the beauty of your home. As an added benefit, you also get cleaner air in your living space. Plants do more than clean out carbon dioxide. Some of them can sequester harmful chemicals in your indoor air, such as formaldehyde. People often assume that they are stuck buying plants or seeds from the store. That simply isn't the case. For many people, harvesting wild plants and growing them in their homes can be a fun and exciting way to experience indoor horticulture.
Finding Wild Plants Is a Real Adventure
Depending on where you live
and the current season, you may be able to head outside and find living plants, new seeds, and tiny seedlings to bring home with you. Whether you're interested in
edible plants, succulents, or flowering plants, you can find something that fits your taste in the wild. Harvesting small plants and seedlings to bring home is a great way to build your indoor garden without spending a lot of money. Out in the wild, you can also find plants you may not find cultivated elsewhere. Different varieties of plants and different colors of known species all exist in the wild. Local species are always changing and developing. The little plants you bring home will also serve as a small, living souvenir of your beautiful trip into Mother Nature.
Home Cultivation Is Affordable and Fun
Sourcing plants out in the wild is much more affordable than buying them from a nursery. After all, there is no cost other than your time, proper equipment, and the gas it takes to reach your destination. Of course, you will have to consider the potential expense of
lighting systems for your indoor garden. These systems can pay for themselves in savings over time when you source plants from the wild. One exciting thing few people consider is that you can propagate just about anything. You can buy or even make rooting hormones at many indoor gardening shops that will let you take clippings and turn them into small plants. That means you have the potential to cultivate large numbers of even the smallest and rarest samples you can find. Plants that might cost you hundreds of dollars online can be got for free out in the wild.
Familiarize Yourself with Local Laws
The only real drawback to wild plants is the potential for breaking the law. Every state has its own approach to harvesting plants. Some states, like our home state of Pennsylvania, allow for some harvesting but penalize harvesting some native plant species. Educating yourself about local laws is important. Otherwise, you could face Hefty tickets and fines. In areas where it is illegal to harvest whole plants, clippings may be a viable option. Growing new plants from small cuttings of existing plants can help propagate species you find in the wild. So long as you are following state law, you can enjoy your indoor gardening hobby knowing that you are helping unusual and wild species to thrive in new environments. Indoor gardening with wild plants can be incredibly thrilling. It's also an activity that can get your kids or loved ones engaged in conservation. If you haven't already done so, it might be time to look into where in your house you could place
grow lights and make space for your new indoor plant nursery.
