How to Grow Carnations Inside

Carnations can thrive in indoor containers and outside in the garden. As long as carnations receive four to five hours of sunlight per day and sufficient water each week, they grow well in moderate indoor temperatures. Native to Europe and Asia, carnations are considered perennial herbs. In a natural state, carnations grow in a wide variety of pinks, whites and a combination of the two. Expert growers can engineer yellow, blue and other colors.

Pot with drainage holes
Light potting soil
Plastic wrap

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a planting pot with light potting soil. Leave about 1 inch of free space in the pot above the surface of the soil.
- 2
  Sprinkle carnation seeds over the soil by dropping them in clusters of three or four seeds. If you plan to transplant the carnations to an outdoor garden, leave one to two inches between each cluster. If the plant will remain indoors, drop six to eight seeds in the center of the pot.
- 3
  Press the seeds lightly into the soil. Carnation seeds only need to be covered in 1/8 inch of soil, so use your fingertip to gently tamp them down.
- 4
  Sprinkle water over the seeds. Do not overwater the soil. If the pot leaks water, you have overwatered. Soil that has been watered correctly is moist to the touch.
- 5
  Stretch plastic wrap over the top of the pot. Secure it around the edges so no air escapes.
- 6
  Place the pot in direct sunlight. The location should receive four to five hours of direct sunlight each day.
- 7
  Lift the plastic wrap and water the plant one to two times per day. Continue to cover the pot with plastic wrap until sprouts appear. Discard the plastic wrap and continue to water the sprouts daily.
- 8
  Watch for the sprouts to mature. Continue to keep the soil moist by watering as needed.
- 9
  Cut off dead or dying blooms and leaves when they appear. Pruning dying parts of the plant prolongs its life.

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