Ten New Year Resolutions:
Diversity in Tropical Garden

1. Diversity. Grow different plants. Add more types of tropical plants to your garden for a colorful and diverse look.

2. Save Water. Use water wisely by installing drip systems, collecting rainwater, and using mulch to keep the soil moist.

3. Improve Soil. Make your soil healthier by adding compost or manure regularly. Healthy soil promotes robust plant growth and enhances overall garden resilience.

4. Deal with Pests Smartly. Keep pests in check with a plan - use natural solutions and check your plants often. Preventing program is easier than dealing with infestations.

5. Right Fertilizing. Feed your plants with Eco-frintdly fertilizer such as Sunshine Boosters (safe to use year around). If you use slow-release fertilizers - apply in right amounts, from March to November.

6. Trim Regularly. Keep your garden tidy and healthy by pruning and removing dead or sick parts of the plants.

7. Companion Planting. Explore which plants work well together to enhance nutrient uptake, fight pests and provide shade for those species that need it.

8. Right Climate and Zone Pushing. Pick plants that love your climate, considering sunlight, temperature, and humidity. For more sensitive tropical plants, work on a plan for cold protection: grow them in pots or set up temporary covers.

9. Teach Others. Share your gardening knowledge with the community. Propagate your plants from seeds, cuttings, divisions - and share them with friends and neighbors. Remember: live plant is the best gift, and love is sharing!

10. Make a Relaxation Spot. Create a cozy corner in your garden with comfy seating or hammock, shade, and maybe a water feature for a peaceful retreat.

What are the easiest, low maintenance plants?

Photo above: Bauhinia blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree. The most beautiful of all orchid trees. This winter bloomer starts flowering in very small size, when only 2-3 ft tall, and grows fast. (Bonus plant: makes it 7 easy plants!)

Six easiest to grow, effortless plants

Lighting for overwintering tropical plants indoors

Q: Days are getting shorter and darker... I brought my tropical plants indoors for overwintering (I live in Atlanta, GA). Could you give me some advice on what lamps should I use for additional lighting of my plants?

A: Indoor plants are very unlucky: they have to grow in"caves,"and everybody knows that plants don't grow in the caves. The luckiest plants win sunny windowsills, but even there they dwell rather like in underbrush under tall trees, where the sun illuminate them only early in the morning or in the evening, and its light is diffused by foliage.
Usually domestic plants are in desperate lack of illumination not only in winter, but also in summer. No light - no growth, no flowering. So, plants need extra light to compensate the lack of illumination in the"room-cave" conditions.
Before you will start any practical actions to help your plants, you need first to decide whether you are going to set an additional illumination, or provide full lamplight. In the case of just additional illumination, rather inexpensive luminescent lamps will do, and you don't have to think about their spectrum. Continue reading...