SERIES 25 Episode 25
Jerry's tips for easy-growing container plants
"Growing plants in pots requires a little bit more care than growing them in the ground," says Jerry. "After all, if your growing space is compact, things can go wrong quite quickly. For me, they really went wrong during the last drought; I lost heaps of container plants."
"That's why I'd like to show you some of my bomb-proof plants for containers - starting with a number of Mother-in-Laws Tongue (Sansevieria spp.) varieties. If you can't grow these, you should give up gardening!"
Succulents
Jerry's chosen a compact form of sanseviera or Snake Plant, Sansevieria trifasciata, as well as an improved version called Bantel Supreme (Sansevieria trifasciata cv.). He's also growing the Cylinder Snake Plant, which has tubular leaves (Sansevieria cylindrica); one that has leafy stems like a yucca (Sansevieria arborescens); and one of his personal favourites, the Star Sanseviera (Sansevieria kirkii) which has fascinating mottled foliage.
He has a small Sansevieria trifasciata that's become overcrowded in its pot, so he's repotting it. "I like to grow succulents in terracotta because these pots breathe. It's important to keep the roots dry. I'm using 50 percent premium potting mix and 50 percent washed sand. The sand helps improve drainage and aeration and in Queensland, this is really important during our wet summers." He repots the plant into a larger pot at the same soil level.
"Some people will recognise Mother-in-Laws Tongues as being a bit of an environmental weed - and they can escape into the bush - which is why I grow them in pots."
Epiphytes
Another great group of plants to grow in containers are epiphytes. "In the wild," says Jerry, "they use logs and trees for support. They literally wrap their roots around them. They don't need to grow in soil. Some are called Air Plants or Tillandsia."
One of Jerry's favourites is the Giant Air Plant, Tillandsia fasciculata, as they are good for either growing in pots or mounting onto surfaces. Another easy-to-grow close relative is Neoregelia, sometimes known as Neos - Jerry likes the species lilliputiana, which he says happily scrambles over logs.
Many orchids are also epiphytes, like the Crucifix Orchids (Epidendrum cv.) and do best if never watered at all. Jerry says he just leaves them out in the open where they can be watered by the rain. Another favourite of Jerry's is a member of the Oncidium genus (Spray Orchid, Oncidium Twinkle 'Fragrance Fantasy'). "These have a fragrant flower and they are absolutely magical in the middle of winter."
Jerry has also filled a huge hanging basket with a community of tough plants. They include the colourful Neoregelia 'Fireball', the soft grey fluff Spanish Moss - another Air Plant (Tillandsia usneoides). He's also included one of his favourite Air Plants as a feature - Tillandsia pyramidata var. Vivipara.
Jerry explains this odd variety's unusual adaptation for survival. "The reason it's called vivipara is because instead of producing seed, each flower produces a whole plant." The flowers - which look like little plants - appear on long spikes. "When propagating them, I just break off the little flowers and pot them up in cells, again using the sand and potting soil mix."
However, Jerry's trying something slightly different this time. "I bought some wreath frames from a second-hand shop and I've stuffed them with some coconut fibre," he says. "They will provide exactly what an Air Plant needs to root, so all I'm going to do is to poke little holes in the frames and pop in the tiny plants."
"By using tough little plants like epiphytes and Mother-in-Laws Tongue for your pot plants, you can get away for a break and you don't need to worry," Jerry finishes. "See you!"