Secret Six – Air Circulation
Air circulation is essential to the health of your garden for several reasons.
1. It helps to prevent formation of mildew and fungus in the top of the grow mix and the spread to the plant.
2. The movement of the leaves and stems stimulates the plant to grow stronger stems and leaves.
3. The movement also stimulates the plant to uptake water and nutrients from the potting soil.
4. The circulation brings carbon dioxide to the plant which is used in the plant’s growth process. The result is the plant puts out clean oxygen from the carbon dioxide.
5. If you are a smoker or have odors in the air, the circulation will help the plant to clean the air of noxious smells.
If your garden is in a small space, you can use a small personal fan some distance away so the air movement on the herbs is not too violent but a nice steady breeze. My garden started out sitting in a drain tray on my kitchen counter. So every time I go to the fridge for a snack, I spend a bit of time blowing gently across the plants. This way they get carbon dioxide and air movement. (But I am retired so have time for this stuff.)
Now that the garden is more mature, I have some on the counter under the grow lights and some in front of my patio door. So I use an oscillating fan to provide air circulation.