My Florida Tropical Garden

August is typically the hottest month of the year in Florida. You can definitly feel the heat and humidity as soon as you step outside. Here's a few pictures from around the garden.

The first picture below is a Passion Flower, passiflora caerulea. This is a host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly (second picture). I have a couple Gulf Frit caterpillars that I'm rearing inside, so I'll have to post another update soon with pictures of them.




Below is my Golden Shrimp plant, Pachystachys lutea.



I started this Ornamental Pepper from seed in March 2010. It's very easy to grow and it's neat watching the little peppers change colors as they mature.



And finially, here's an updated photo of my Plumeria I started from seed in August 2009. It hasn't bloomed yet, and probably won't for another year or two. It take 2-3 years from seed to bloom I believe. The Plumeria are native to Mexico and Central America. It is commonly seen in Hawaii for it's beautiful flower landscape.

The Zucchini 'Squash Contender' I planted in a large container was not successful. The leaves were not growing very big, maybe a couple inches, and growth seemed to be stunted. The container itself (light teal colored plastic) was very hot to the touch with direct sunlight. Also after discarding the plants and all the soil, the bottom of the container soil was very wet. This is a common problem with container grown plants in the Florida heat and humidity. When excess moisture remains in the bottom of your containers, it's called the Perched Water Table. Basically the soil is always saturated and will not drain from the bottom.

So I'm making a few adjustments. First, I spray painted the container a flat white to reflect light and reduce heat within the soil. Remember, the darker the container color, the more heat it will absorb. Second, by sitting the container on a couple 2x4's raises it a couple inches off the ground improving air flow as well. Keeping the soil cool is key for optimal root growth and plant strength. And finially, I'm using cut nylon strands from a mop as a wicking system. This nylon material absorbs moisture easily and will wick excess moisture out of the container. I used (6) 14" long nylon strands, with 7" inside the container and the remaining 7" laying on the ground outside the container. The idea is for sunlight to evaporate moisture from the nylon strands as it wicks moisture out from underneath the container.