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Index : Container Plants & Patio Gardening
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- 11. Grow Tropical Plants in Containers - Top
- Even though it’s not warm enough in the Winter to grow tropical plants here in Tucson, there are many tropicals that can be grown on patios in containers. Planted in pots, these exotic species can be easily protected from freezing temperatures during Winter cold snaps.
There are several species of sub-tropical plants that can be grown in containers without worry of damage from freezing, even in the coldest parts of town. They include; Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta), Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis), Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei, and Umbrella Plant (Cyperus alternifolius). All grow well in containers and have a truly tropical appearance.
A second group of tropicals will survive the Winter if provided a minimal amount of protection. These include; Split-leaf Philodendron (Philodendron selloum), Cannas, Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), Tropical Bird-of-Paradise (Serelitzia regina), Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milli), Cardboard Palm (Zamia furfuracea), Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii), Cape Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) and Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis).
These plants can be protected in a variety of ways. For most, some form of cover during cold spells will be enough. The covering could be as little as the canopy of a shade tree, the overhang of your house or the roof over the patio. Additional protection can be provided by placing frost cloth, sheets or blankets over plants. Grouping these tropical plants together will make the job easier.
If temperatures dip into the low 20s or upper teens, placing a heat source under the cover will provide sufficient warming to prevent injury. The easiest and least expensive heat source is a utility lamp, also referred to as a trouble lamp. The lamp bulb is contained behind a protective shield. Placing a 60 or 75 watt bulb in the lamp will generate plenty of heat to keep plants warm on those very cold nights.
Some tropical plants will definitely require covering with a heat source underneath. But they may also need relocating to a garage, sun porch, a greenhouse or indoors during periods of cold. Even so, these plants, because fo their beautiful flowers, exotic appearance and ease of growing in pots makes the trouble worth it. These exotics include; Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia versicolor), Yellow Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica), Desert Rose (Adenium obesum), Frangipani (Plumeria rubra), and Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet).
Simply moving plants to a garage will make a difference of some 20° F between temps in the garage and outside. Of course you can’t leave evergreen plants in a garage for an extended time. Even with windows, there won’t be enough light. However, you can grow your tropical plants under artificial lighting for limited periods of time.
A utility lamp with two florescent bulbs, one warm white and one cool white give the best reproduction of natural sunlight. Tropical plants with their high light requirements must be kept very close to the light source to obtain enough light intensity. However, keeping your plants in the garage or indoors for just a couple of months is usually long enough to get them through the coldest winter weather.
For those cold sensitive tropicals that will need to be moved to warmer locations, make sure to pot them in light containers with a light soil mix. I prefer the ‘Feather-lite’ pots. They’re made of a light-weight foam material that makes moving even the largest Feather-lite container relatively easy work. Another advantage to the foam containers is that they have good insulation properties that keep the soil inside cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
In addition to the pots, the soil mix to fill them with should also be light, both to make plants easier to move and easier to grow. A great light-weight mix can be made by combining equal parts of peat, perlite and vermiculite. Or just as good, and much easier, is to combine 4 parts of any brand potting soil with one part perlite. To make it even easier of moving pots, place them on platforms with casters or rollers. Some larger plant saucers are sold with casters already attached.
Finally, never give tropical plants cold water! In the winter, water coming from an outdoors hose bib will only be about 50° F., and that’s cold enough to shock tropical species. Use tepid water for your tropicals. In addition, you can place garden heating cable inside your tropical pots before planting. Most heating cable for gardens have built-in thermostats that keep the soil temperature at 72° F, which tropical plants love! Look for these cables in convenient 6 foot lengths in garden supply catalogs, garden centers and home supply stores.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161. - Updated: March 13, 2005
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