Potting Plants from the Amazon Horticulture Plant Collection
My greenhouse assortment of rare and interesting potted plants now includes several more beautiful Begonias, Anthuriums, Staghorn Ferns and other specimens from the Amazon Horticulture Plant Collection.
The 25 plants arrived earlier this week - all meticulously wrapped in paper and packed in several large boxes. I opened each plant very carefully and they were all in excellent condition, but it was important to get them potted up as soon as possible. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, selected the appropriate containers and got to work.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Once all the plants are unpacked, they are laid out onto the large table in my greenhouse head house, so they can be repotted, fed, and watered. Ryan starts by looking for the appropriate sized pots.
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- I am fortunate to have such a large assortment of pots. These were left over from a recent shoot and will come in very handy. I like to use clay pots because they allow proper aeration and moisture to penetrate through the sides and to the plant.
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- At the bottom of each container is a drainage hole. A clay shard is placed on top of the hole to help with drainage and to prevent soil from blocking the hole or from falling out.
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- I also save any clay pot shards – it’s a great way to repurpose those broken pieces.
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- Ryan is using Miracle-Gro Tropical Potting Mix. This formula is fast-draining and includes sand and perlite to help create an optimal growing environment. The mix is also fortified with iron and plant food.
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- Ryan uses a knife to scarify the roots of this deer fern, Blechnum. He slices through the roots in several areas to encourage root growth. It may seem harsh, but the plant will send out new feeder roots and will soon recover.
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- Also called a hard fern, Blechnum is an upright evergreen fern that displays finely textured, arching fronds. New growth emerges reddish-bronze and then turns green. After Ryan pots up the plant, he adds more potting mix and pats it down, so there is good contact between the plant and the soil.
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- Ryan sprinkles fertilizer over the soil after planting each one. We use the all-purpose fertilizer Shake ‘N Feed from Miracle-Gro.
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- Next, Ryan tends to this Begonia subacida and trims any broken leaves. He saves all the trimmed stem cuttings, so he can propagate them later.
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- Then Ryan places the Begonia in the center of the pot and backfills to just under the rim.
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- Though different types of plants have varying preferences in terms of pot size and needed root space, most grow well when pots are at least two-inches larger in diameter than the plant’s original pot.
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- This Begonia subacida has kidney-shaped, fluffy hairy leaves with a striking, bluish green color and light, yellow-green leaf veins. The leaves are also slightly thickened and velvety to the touch.
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- For this Begonia, Ryan scarifies the root ball with his hands, teasing the roots at the bottom to stimulate fresh growth.
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- And then he gently places it into the new pot – planting it slightly deeper than it was before. If needed, a little more potting mix is added around the plant and patted down.
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- Begonia phuthoensis is a rhizomatous species from Vietnam with unique round leaves in light green.
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- Among the other plants just potted up – Geogenanthus poeppigii, a rare plant from South America. The glossy leaves are ribbed and show a pattern of dark and lighter colored stripes. This plant prefers low light conditions, high humidity, and frequent watering.
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- Monstera Burle Marx Flame is a very rare and uncommon species that produces extremely unique foliage that resembles the flame of a torch. Look closely at the leaves – they have narrow evenly spaced fenestrations, or leaf openings.
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- Anguloa clowesii is a large terrestrial sometimes epiphytic plant with large, waxy, highly fragrant chocolate, mint, coconut and citrus scented, solitary flowers.
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- Here is a newly potted Begonia pustulata – a rhizomatous species from Mexico with a distinctively textured leaf and silver markings.
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- Now these plants are ready to go out into the greenhouse, where the temperature and humidity levels can be properly controlled and these gorgeous specimens can thrive.
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