My houseplants.

Growing African Violets as a houseplant is the easiest and do no need much sunlight. You can grow nearby your window or just inside an airy room with a flourescent light direct to the plant.

It is not only a very lovely houseplant, the flowers itself will bloom for quite a long period - about a month. African violets do not need so much water. You have to water them at the soil but not at the leaves. Only once a day. The plant will not survive if you overwater them.

Here are some of my African Violet collections.

Tropical Container Gardening.

A considerable amount of tropical gardening is done in containers, not only small ones like pots on balconies and strategically placed around patios and teraces to show off prize specimens, but also large ones that are built-in features of many houses, hotels and other structures.

The key to success with any container, as in the garden itself, is a good, nutritious growing medium and adequate drainage. Pre-mixed potting soil is available in most places and saves a good deal of time and labor, though for really large containers it is probably still best to mix your own.

This should consist of good earth(prefarably baked to kill any weeds or pests it might contain), well-rotted manure or a good substitue, compost, and river sand, in ratio of 2-1-1-1.

At the bottom of the container there should be a layer of broken shards, gravel, or other material to prevent roots from clogging the drainage holes; the depth of this layer depends on the container size and may be 30cm or more in really large ones.

Most potted plants should be watered daily and regularly fed either with compost or inorganic fertilizers in pellet form. Water should never be allowed to stand intrays or saucers that may be placed under pots on terraces, which is not only bad for the plants but breeds mosquitoes as well.

Continuous and often rapid growth means there is nearly always some chores to be done - weeding, pruning, raking up leaves, removing dead branches-and there are some otherwise desirable plants that require frequent attention.

Pruning is necessary to induce more flowering in many shrubs and creepers and also maintain a desired shape.

Watering is important in prolonged dry periods, especially for more delicate plants, lawns, and ground covers. A layer of mulch is a great help in conserving moisture and saving on water use.

Finally, there may be a problem of pests, a whole multitude of them. Also there may be mites, thrips, stem borders, leafminers, aphids, caterpillars, mealy bugs, snails and assorted fungi, to mention only some. Whether to spray or not to spray is a hotly debated topic among tropical gardeners, and the ultimate decision is up to the individual.

Possibly, keep containers garden as clean as possible, to inspect new plants carefully when buying them and hand pick as many leaf eaters as possible.



Seeds can be sown in pots or pans in light soil-sterilized soil, compost and sand at a ratio 1-1-2 is a good mixture for all but very tiny seeds. It should be kept in mind, though, that many seeds quickly lose their viability in the tropics and should be planted as quickly as possible after collection.

See growing herbs from seed.



BY,

Happy Gardener.