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Tropical Tips

Insider's Garden : Episode TIG-106 -- More Projects »
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This colorful caladium, grown from a tuber, is one of many tropical plants that thrive in the diffused light and constant temperatures provided by an indoor environment.
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The croton offers year-round colorful foliage.
You don't have to live in the tropics to decorate with stunning, colorful tropical plants. Although they make look exotic, they can be some of the easiest plants to grow indoors. Many thrive in the diffused indoor lighting and consistent temperatures. Consider these tropicals for indoor decorating:
  • caladium
  • peace lily
  • elephant ear
  • bougainvillea
  • anthurium
  • palm
  • croton
  • orchid
  • caladium
  • fern
  • Dracaena

    Careful selection is an important first step to growing healthy tropical plants in your home:

  • Check plants carefully before purchasing. First, look at the roots. If they are packed tightly in the pot, the plant is root-bound; if they are too loose, the plant is probably not getting enough water.
  • Next, check the tops and bottoms of leaves for signs of disease and pests. Aphids and mealybugs love these plants, so look for telltale clues such as mildew or a waxy substance on the leaves.
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    Create a humid atmosphere for tropical plants by placing them on a tray filled with rocks and water. Bring the water level to just below the top of the rocks, so your plant's roots don't sit directly in the water.
    After you get your plants home, create a healthy environment for them.
  • Tropical plants like humidity. Try setting the pot on a shallow dish filled with rocks and water. Misting frequently with an atomizer is another good way to add humidity. Also, try grouping plants together to create a shared humid environment.
  • Groom plants regularly by removing withered foliage--the papery brown residue at the base of the plant--by hand.

    When it's time to repot, consider propagating (dividing) your plant. This can easily be done one of two ways. Be sure you know which method is appropriate for the particular plant.

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    Figure A
    1. Gently remove the plant from the pot. Tapping the pot on a hard surface may help to loosen the plant. Divide the plant by hand, carefully tearing the roots apart into two even-sized clumps (figure A). Trim the roots if they have become long and straggly. Place a piece of mesh over the drainage hole in a pot to contain the soil, fill halfway with potting soil and add the plant. Continue filling the pot with soil and tamp down so the new plant is secure.
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    Figure B
    2. Dracaena marginata couldn't be easier to propagate. Simply make a diagonal cut on the trunk (figure B), slicing all the way through. Let the cut stem cure (sit out in the air) for 24 hours before planting. Then plant the blunt end of the cutting directly into potting soil. An added benefit: the parent plant will begin branching at the cut point and become bushier.
    Also in this Episode
    Insider's Garden : Episode TIG-106
    •Tropical Tips
    •Decorating with Tropicals
    •Creative Containers for Tropicals
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