Unexpected plant joy from rocky placesBricks, floral foam and volcanic rock all made excellent growi
Unexpected plant joy from rocky placesBricks, floral foam and volcanic rock all made excellent growing media for plants that thrive without soilRecently, while flicking through an almost 20-year-old copy of the Royal Horticultural Society’s The Garden magazine, I was struck by an idea that seemed to open up all sorts of exciting possibilities. The cover was graced not by the typical glossy image of a stately home garden, but by a grainy photo sent in from a member. Having carefully observed how a range of begonias grow in the wild on rocks and cliffs, Mr Durlabh Singh Puri, the owner of a radio repair-cum-photography shop in India who just happened to be a passionate plantsman, had been ingeniously experimenting with growing these popular houseplants on bricks. Yes, regular house bricks, and to striking effect. Thankfully he was kind enough to share his brilliant idea.The potential superiority of porous surfaces to potted growing media is exciting. This could be a game-changer for lithophytic species (plants adapted to grow on rocks), such as African violets, sinningias, slipper orchids and many ficus, whose twin demands of constant moisture and airflow at the roots make them a real challenge in traditional pot culture. After a year of experimentation, inspired by Mr Singh Puri’s early work with bricks, I have found three other materials that will also do the job well.My first experiment came when I saw a local florist throwing away some used floral foam. The porous properties of this synthetic sponge mean it absorbs many times its weight in water, yet the surface is still exposed to the air. I wrapped a 9cm ball of this foam in some tropical java moss (sold in sheets by aquarium supply shops) and tied it in place with thread. I then strapped the bare roots of a slipper orchid to the surface to keep them in contact with the moist moss below, but with their upper surface exposed. Months later the orchids are growing strongly and are on their third flowering.Floral foam is a non-biodegradable plastic, so I wouldn’t buy it, but reusing it as a growing media works well and will keep it out of landfill for a little longer. Florists tend to be more than happy to give it away for free, too. If you can’t get your hands on it secondhand, rock wool makes a good substitute (available online from hydroponic suppliers).Neither floral foam nor rock wool looks great unless covered in moss, so my third step was to try volcanic rock (available from garden centres). This is also porous and can wick water up as high as 20-30cm. I pressed a little java moss into the crags of its surface, leaving some areas exposed for aesthetic effect, then I washed all the potting mix from a Ficus Ginseng and placed it on the surface. To my surprise the lava was porous enough, above a dish of water, to work as a growing media for this small, woody plant.Months later, I found to my annoyance that this technique was already being marketed commercially by a Dutch grower as Life on Lava, with a broad selection of ferns, ficus and schefflera all looking amazing given this treatment. Great minds think alike, I guess! Creating a home-spun version yourself is well worth a weekend experiment if you don’t fancy braving the cold to get your horticultural fix at this time of year.Email James at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter@botanygeeksource -- source link
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