OMG DON! You just had to bring food over here, didn't ya!!! HE HE HE Darn it, now I want some BBQ!!! Gonna send me some next time ya make it, huh, huh? :o)
We love you two you food rubbin, plantaholic feller!!! ♥
"what-can-I-grow-in-my-zone"
OMG, you all are making my chest hurt from laughing so hard!
Guess we can grow love in this zone!!!
Now see, I feel the love from Kansas all the way to North Carolina! :o)
Hugs for evryone (((( !)))
BWilliams, perhaps you could share your fertilizing tips with us too.
Tammy, glad this thread is up. Love ya, and nite nite!
Oops, Kim! Not so tight!
He he he!!!
OHHHHH feel the squeeze, Kim! :o)
Yes, Brain, would love any tips you are willing to offer! :)
Jaye, I am glad to call you my friend, luv ya too, and nighty night! :)
Sorry I was caught up in the moment :)
Sleep Tight!
Speaking of fertilizing ...what can I feed my tiny Alocasia seedling to make it a monster?
Its ok, Kim, we all do that at times! :o)
Yes, I would love to know how to make all mine grow!!!
The steps
1 Sun - You have to have a sunny to partial sunny spot to get the size and color you will want in the garden
2 Rich organic soil - This can take years to get a really good soil but it is the foundation for your plants, good soil can go a long way. Compost manure coffee grounds all can help make a rich organic soil that holds moisture and drains well.
3 healthy plants, tubers, bulbs or rhizome - Often over looked but strong tubers and rhizomes usually mean strong healthy plants. Some plants can have a virus be deformed or just bad cultivars. Try to go for the strongest forms.
4 bone/blood meal - Bone meal is just that crushed up bones. This helps bulbs and tubers produce roots usually a small dusting of the bulb is done before it is put in the ground directions are easy to follow on the bags.
5 Liquid root hormone - This is not always needed but I like to push the plants faster than most. I usually wait for the plants to get up and start pushing out 2 to 3 leaves then I hit them with a light dose of liquid hormone at the suggested measurements. It is not good to use this on small seedlings or plants that are not doing well.
6 Preen or pre emergent - Now that the plants and rhizomes are in the ground it's time to think about one of the worst things in a garden the weeds. This is the best time to spread around preen or other pre emergent to keep seeds from sprouting and keeping the weeds under control.
7 Mulch - Over looked all the time but mulch will play a large role in most peoples tropical landscape. I prefer brown hardwood mulch is cheep and breaks down each year and turns to good soil. The main reason mulch is needed in tropical landscapes is it helps keep the weeds out that would choke your plants it also helps hold in moisture. Dry hot days and the ground will dry out fast and crack but mulched areas will hold more moisture and keep your plants happier.
8 fertilizer time release - Well this trick is pretty interesting. I only use it on the larger plants and the ones that need more food than most. Bananas, Ensetes and anything look forward to being a center piece in the landscape. You need to come out from the plant around 8 inches to 1 foot or more and use a stick to make a whole in the ground. I then fill this whole with time release fertilizer like osmacote. This acts like a fertilizer spike. The plant will grow roots to the fertilizer and help keep it feed all season.
9 liquid fertilizer - Finally we are to the fertilizer. The biggest mistake people make is over fertilizing. I often see people with happier plants who don't fertilize. This is because when young, plant roots will rot if hit with a strong fertilizer this will also stun the plants. I usually do not fertilize here till around late May or early June. I use a wholesale brand with the numbers 20-20-20 anything for a vegetable garden fertilizer is usually fine for tropicals. When fertilizing, only hit the plants that are growing healthy which are the plants that are moving and have a few new leaves. It is not worth while to fertilizer plants that don't have proper roots, so establishing the roots from earlier will make it possible for these plants to now take in the fertilizer. Do not over do it and follow the instructions they are usually best.
10 Epson salt / Magnesium sulfate- I personally like using epson salt which helps darken leaves and make them thicker and stronger. I find this helps variegated plants take a bit more sun it also strengthens those weak leaves and stems. Use when needed 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.
I find if you follow these steps you should have a great garden. Their are tons of other chemicals that can be used but I have found this to be the best for me.
This message was edited Feb 24, 2008 10:38 AM
karewn, where did your daughter plant her passi? i have 4 i want to plant outside this spring, and don't want to dig them up in the fall :o)
Brain that is some great info...I will put it in my files thanks! :)
WOW Brian, thanks so much for the in depth information you have so kindly shared with us all! Now we will all have more beautiful tropical gardens this year! I love the dark foliage, so I will definitely be following your instructions!
Good morning everyone! :o)
Brian,
Thank you so much for the terrific info. Will be a great help to me. I am bad at not fertilizing. I have little patience for 12 different fert schedules for 20 different types of plants, e.g. 1/4 tsp per gal every two weeks, 1/8 tsp per gal every week, 1/2 tsp per gal every 4 four weeks, etc. I need to do a "one-size fits all" schedule or it's just not going to happen.
jordankittyjo,
The Passi is growing on a trellis at the end of her raised front deck. The bed is in morning shade, full afternoon sun. I mulched around it. We did not dig this one up. Except for the fact that it's not blooming now, it looks just like it did all summer. Here's a photo from early last summer. It actually grew to about three times this size by summer's end. This is a west/south facing corner.
Karen
Everyone be sure to keep an eye on the 4th posts for any updates! :o) I just did most of what Brian had posted but I wasn't able to find everything, sorry.
For anyone interested in a book on this subject I really enjoy reading 'Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths' by David A. Francko. It's a really good book and tells you all sorts of tricks to grow palms and other 'tropical' plants outside through the winter.
Steven
Hey Steven, I think I might just have to look that one up, thanks!!!
Steven,
Oh, yeah, sounds like a winner. Thanks,
Karen
I have and read that book,good from the front to the end!
First of all Brian, you mentioned there were 4 types of crinums hardy to zone 6, I know bulbispermum types are, but I am totally curious and intrigued what else?
misty----*sigh* for those of us that long for exotic places and live in er...not-so-exotic places...I am so dumb I put this on the wrong thread..lol
In order to give more specific advice to your area, do you have mostly sun or shade?
How many months of 80 degree days do you get? (lol)
How hot does your hottest month of summer get, and how long does it stay that way?
and what is your soil like? as in sandy/loamy/clay/rocky...
From my limited experience in my area I can offer this. At home we have full baking sun, part sun/shade, deep shade, and red hard clay. The property is slightly sloped so I have tried to cram as many tropicals on the low side to lower watering.:
---Soil drainage is most important here in terms of keeping things alive over winter. Many tropical plants can do fine in colder weather provided they are dry
---Thick layers of mulch around your tropicals will help conserve moisture in the summer and added leaf mulch in the winter will also keep them drier (and hopefully a little warmer). For plants I am growing that are a little outside of my zone limits I try to keep at least about a foot of shredded leaf mulch around and over the plant.
---A plant that is grown in more tropical regions...for instance, hedychium cornarium, will be noted by growers in those areas as full sun/part sun..etc. If a grower in Hawaii says part shade, then you can surely plant it in more sun because you won't have the same powerful, brutal heat.
---If I could start again, I would start with Evergreen hardy shrubs and trees and plant tropicals around them...lol...winter is so bare! There are some cool evergreen arums, rohdeas..etc that can help fill in with winter, also
my favorite hardy evergreen shrubs that can give a tropical look:
aucubas-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
photinias-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
mahonias-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
camellias-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
not my fave, but azaleas: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
rhododendrons: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
I'm sure I have more but I am exhausted!
WOW You want me to work, too! Where did you post it at anyway? :) LOL Ok, on to answer your questions:
Months of 80º weather-HA HA HA Maybe one, if we are lucky! :)
We have been known to get to 100º plus in the Summer, but usually in the 90º's
Soil-All of the above!
On the South Side of the house we have Sun from morning till late evening, which is the largest part of the yard, which I plan to take most of this Spring! HE HE HE
The East gets morning sun, and the West gets afternoon sun.
The North only gets mainly evening sun.
We have about 20 evergreens planted in our yard already, but have Crape Myrtles planted on either side lining our yard from the neighbors. Our driveway is also line with evergreens, again to some day block the neighbors! LOL
Thankfully we live in a place where we can go load up on as much mulch as we want for free, so that is not a problem. I plan to fill in the very back portion of our yard with very large plants to block the neighbors dogs behind us as we can't even step out our back door without being barked or growled at! And we have a large back yard.
Thanks a million for your info, and please come back once you have rested! :)
'Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths' - I looked this up on Amazon. All ratings for it are 5 stars and rave reviews. Can't say the same for other books professing to cover the same ground as this one. I put this on my wish list.
Karen
misty it is great that you have all of those evergreens for structure. and talk about work...lol....
you're probably going to want to focus on planting the south side first because you have the best chance at keeping things over winter. lol
---Might be a good idea to play it safe the first year and stick to plants that you know will survive a zone cooler than you. It stinks to loose a bunch of plants the first year...and you may lose some. All of the above are good choices for you (only I am having a heck of a time with musas other than basjoo and velutina). The folks in your local area, zone, or slightly cooler will be most helpful to you because the climate is similar. If you want to really push it, you can try plants that are known to be hardy to 7a or 7b with lots of mulch in a sunny protected spot and fingers crossed...lol
---It's easier to group your plants according to water requirements...T. Fortuneii, needle palm, yucca, and optunia would go together well because they prefer dry conditions...etc.
---I don't worry much with fertilizer, actually. I try to do things organically and now and then mix up composted cow manure, coffee grinds, wood ash, bone and blood meal, and sometimes plant-tone with some perlite and peat and work it in around the plants. Things might not get as big as they would with chem fertilizers, but it works.
---Shredded newspaper under your mulch attracts earthworms and conserves moisture. Also keeps weeds down significantly.
you should be able to grow cannas...right? lol. I would say with any musa or elephant ear to really be big on the drainage and mulch, but especially up there. I wish there was some kind of "heating mulch" you could get for winter...lol
shady areas--bletilla, rohdeas, lots of ferns, roscoea, sauromatum venosum, I think tricyrtis and soloman's seal look cool in shady spots, not sure if they are tropical. you can add things like tiarellas and heucheras for color. also zingiber mioga is supposed to be very hardy
sunnier areas--gunnera should grow for you, but I don't know for sure, persicaria (not topical but bright flowers and can get big), lots of the newer variegated yuccas are hardy as well. lantanas won't be hardy for you but you can buy them cheap usually and they do add lots of color (coleus too for shade)
I know I'll remember a few more after a little bit...lol
Boy I guess you went and rested after that last post, huh! LOL
You wanna talk about work, we planted all those suckers in one day even! It was one of the hottest days of the year and I coulda wrung DH's neck for bringing them home like that! LOL BUT, they were on clearance for a buck a piece, so couldn't complain too awful much!
I meant to tell you earlier that your links didn't work from the last post, so not real sure exactly what plant they would be?
The South side is where my focus is going to be, for sure. I have a shallow ditch back there where I want to plant a lot of stuff that likes more water as my neighbor is bad for turning his water on in his garden and just leaving it! There was a couple of times last year that our yard was nice and wet, and it was all free water! LOL So I am thinking this will be my best spot for a 'boggy' area. I am thankful that our water here is very cheap, so I can afford to keep everything watered on a regular basis.
Oh yes, Cannas I can grow! LOL I have several ready to be planted as soon as I have no fear of frost. Heavily Mulched and laying the cut foliage over them here will bring them back year after year. My neighbor is who got me started on them, and his aren't even in a good spot to keep coming back, but they do.
OHHHHHHHHH Coleus, another of my new addictions! LOL
Oh, I thought about it today Tammy! I got a headache from visiting my in-laws today.
Oh no, the in-laws! HE HE HE
I looked up all those plants, and then the link didn't work cause surely I did something wrong...lol...I'm tired...been digging clay all day...;)
you're lucky for the built in bog....we've had drought conditions for over a year here in NC
I'll try again in a little while or in the morning
It was actually the screaming baby they have! The oldest child was being unco-opertaive and thought it was funny so mom just got more and more angry. That sort of thing.
If you copied and pasted it from the other thread, someone once said it didn't work?
It would be great if those giving info here would put links to what they are telling about, this way we can be sure to have the info on all of them. Hint! Hint! LOL
Oh yes, that boggy area is a callin my name, fer shure, fer shure! HE HE HE
OHHHHHHH you poor thing, lotsa tylenol!
I know, I know. I am a wimp. I am good now. I actually had to step out into the cold and it went away. How's that for natural treatments!
Hey, I have 3 kids at home, well 4 if you count DH! HE HE HE Just kidding on the last one, though! :) I sure wish that stepping outside worked for me, but I always seem to be followed!
Think of it this way, you have helpers! They obviously think they want to help. I think gardening can be a great "get - away - from - it - all" activity. you first have to be alone. Enough of that. How are you coming with your tropics list? Got any good ones you think you absolutely won't be able to live without?
I have been adding to my want list! LOL There has been some wonderful information given so far! I may have to rethink how I have been doing the list of links, though.
I hope I didn't chase people away from mentioning the in-laws! You have a good thing going here.
Nah, I think most are 'lurking' really, but we have already received a wealth of info here! :)
Just learned of these and found them quite interesting!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/76800/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/668/
Here are a list of the ones I have tested here with mulching. I usually put bags of leaves around the plants and fill the circle with mulch to keep the trunks from freezing. I have in the past put 6 to 8 inches of leaves with good luck but lose the trunks and they return from the base. Many of these forms have different clones and I am sure their are hybrids of these on the market that maybe tougher. These have worked form me for the last 3 to 5 years.
Crinum powellii
Crinum bulbispermum
CRINUM MOOREII
Crinum americanum
This message was edited Feb 25, 2008 1:03 PM
