Growing Tropical Fruit In Containers
If growing tropical plants and fruit outdoors in the summer is a bit of a challenge to you, you are not alone. While the growing conditions for tropical plants and fruit indoors require one set of rules, the growing conditions outdoors require yet another set of rules.
Many tropical plants and fruits are grown in containers due to them being grown outside of their normal growing environment. This also presents special issues that must be dealt with to ensure their success. Everything from water to soil to fertilizer must be dealt with, and adjusted to fit your particular growing environment.
Keeping Your Plant Healthy
Growing any plant in a pot can provide a bit of a challenge, even for the most experienced grower, but it can successfully be accomplished with a bit of knowledge. Let's begin by taking a look at the different choices available for soil. While a heavier potting soil is great for holding water, what about those times of heavy rainfall? Even with drainage holes, potting soil tends to retain water and thus causes root rot, unless of course, you intend to cover or move your plant under these conditions.
I personally prefer a soiless mix to grow my plants in. Not only does it allow the plants roots plenty of room to grow, but it also dries out fairly quickly, even with large amounts of rainfall. The drawback to this type of mix is that you must water, sometimes daily. Another favorite trick of mine was to mix 1/2 potting soil, 1/4 vermiculite, and 1/4 perlite and pot my plants up. They did seem to fair ok, but I still prefer the soiless mix. Your growing environment will also affect your plants and the amount of care that they need. Although tropicals are known for surviving in hot, dry conditions, once you take them from their native environment into your own, you must adjust their care.
Providing Optimal Growing Conditions
Although tropical plants are known for surviving in hot, dry conditions, once you take them from their native environment into your own, you must adjust their care.
In the winter, most of us keep the same basic temperature in our houses, and of course, there is no wind...........but summer conditions include rain, wind and sun, so we must condition the plants to stand up to these extremities after they have been used to calm conditions. Although most tropical fruit prefers full sun, providing shelter in the first few weeks they are outdoors, or even providing stakes so that the plants cannot fall over works fairly well. Another must is to keep an eye on them daily until you know just exactly which plant needs what and when they need it.
Latest Articles