How to Grow Beautiful Ornamental Plants – Growing ornamental plants for sale or for just a hobby is very enjoyable and challenging one. Anyone can grow beautiful ornamental plants including you, if you provide your precious plants the right requirements.
Generally, plants will grow best in a medium that is fairly rich in organic matter, can be easily drained to avoid water clogging, fairly porous that enhance aerations to provide oxygen to the roots, and free of harmful disease organisms.
One example of good growing medium is a mixture of carbonized rice hull, processed organic fertilizer or well-decomposed animal manure, and garden soil. A substitute for carbonized rice hull is coconut coir dust.
Proper provision of the light requirement is also important. Plants have different light requirement, so you have to be familiar with them. There are ornamentals that will do best under partial shade such as aglaonemas, dieffenbachias, most philodendrons, ferns, anthuriums and many others. On the other hand, there are plants that will do best in full sun. These include adeniums, plumerias, roses, hibiscus, to name a few.
Proper spacing is another important factor to remember. Overcrowding will prevent proper ventilation. Insects love to hide where there is crowding. Fungal infections are also more likely to develop.
If you are growing foliage plants for a shady area, don’t grow them under tree. The falling leaves can damage the plants. It’s better to grow under a net.
Too much water is bad, and also too little water. Most ornamental will love intermittent watering but the soil should not be allowed to become too dry. If that happens, some of the lower leaves will fall and your plant could become lanky and leafless in the lower portion. If extreme dryness occurs, the plant could wilt irreparably.
Also, the quality of the water is very important. Don’t use water that is salty or which has high chlorine content. This could result in the burning of the leaves.
Regular fertilizing is also important. Don’t apply too much nitrogenous chemical fertilizer or your plants will become succulent. Balanced fertilization is best. Use organic fertilizer, as well as a moderate among of chemical fertilizer. You can use vermicast as an organic fertilizer and vermin tea as foliar fertilizer. The vermin tea is said to have antifungal properties that can prevent disease as well as provide nutrition to your plants.
Also, too much chemical fertilizer will leave behind mineral salts, which could damage the roots of your plants. If mineral salts accumulate in your potted plants, leach them by immersing the whole pot in fresh water for a minute or so. Do that twice of thrice.
Micronutrients in producing beautiful plants and also important. These include boron, magnesium, calcium iron, zinc, manganese, and other. Only small quantities are needed because too much can result in poor growth.
If you want to produce more branches, pinch the growing point of the main steam and some of the branches.
Also, grow your favorite plants in a beautiful container. It will enhance not only its beauty but also its price if it is for sale. And then don’t allow your plant to be rootbound. If that happens, repot your plant and provide it with fresh growing medium
If you keep the pointers above in mind, you can grow sought-after prize-winning ornamental plants.
Source: Zac B. Zarian (Manila Bulletin, January 25, 2008)