Gardening at home requires more modest equipment than that used for garden maintenance. You can even empirically use kitchen utensils (spoon, forks, etc.). However, the right tools will allow you to work more efficiently and comfortably.
Interventions made easier with indoor plants
Apart from repotting, which can cause some problems with large plants, interventions on indoor plants are easy and do not require great efforts. The plants can be easily moved and set up, so that they can work in good conditions.
Never neglect the notions of pleasure and comfort in all your actions, in order to take the greatest pleasure. The choice of tools and accessories is essential because a well-adapted kit gives more effective results, but also and above all makes the task easier. There is a very wide choice of tools on the market for the maintenance of indoor plants, some also having an aesthetic function, which does not spoil anything.
Our advice: Clean with soapy water and dry your tools after each intervention, to keep them spotless. The good health of your plants depends in part on the cleanliness of the material used. Soak the tools in a household disinfectant to eliminate germs (white vinegar for example).
The essential equipment
Here is the panoply of tools that you absolutely must equip yourself to properly garden in the house.
The watering can. A small 1 liter model with a long, thin spout. If you have more than 10 plants, opt for a 5 liter watering can, preferably metallic for better aesthetics.
The sprayer. For foliage misting, a 1 or 2 liter trigger model, with adjustable nozzle.
Warning ! The differences in quality vary greatly from one device to another. To treat in the conservatory, a small 2 or 3 liter pre-pressure sprayer or an electric model is recommended.
Scissors with short and thick blades. Opt for garden models or “cut-alls” which will serve you just as well for surface pruning as for cutting ties, opening the bags of fertilizer, etc. Bonsai scissors are particularly practical and effective (see our article dedicated to tools for bonsai).
The transplanter. This is the “shovel” that is used to take the soil from the bags, pull out the withered plants in the compositions, and plant the young subjects. A forged model, with a wooden handle, is nicer.
The claw. Very useful for decreasing the surface of the containers, it can be replaced by a solid fork, if you only have small pots.
The links. Natural or artificial raffia, reinforced plastic and necklaces must be available at all times.
The practical superfluous
The secateurs, It complements the scissors for all pruning operations on woody stems. Opt for a small model with thin but solid blades (lady’s pruning shears). It can sometimes be replaced by an oblique bonsai clamp.
The rake. Small model used with one hand, it is only useful for the maintenance of large bins. It is a finishing tool, which makes it possible to smooth the earth well.
The grafter. Indispensable for all multiplication operations, it is the gardener’s knife which can be replaced by a razor blade.
The bamboo tutor. It becomes an additional tool during repotting, to penetrate the soil in narrow pots. We tie the plants on it.
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