This is a blog I'm posting in the Chronicle Saturday. I would like to get some feed back, thoughts, theories from experienced tropical gardeners no matter where the location. Thanks!
Rj
Dry Earth and the Tropicals
http://www.chron.com/commons/persona.html?newspaperUserId=rjudd&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckUserId=rjudd&plckPostId=Blog%3arjuddPost%3a2a257214-ecfc-44dd-a8d9-07b5ad3ba3ca&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest
Randy, your article is good, AS USUAL!
you mentioned Costa Rica. Indeed an excellent example of the tropics. It is a very small country but with much diversity. Our position in the Central American Isthmus has coasts along both oceans, a chain of mountains that crosses the Country (Northeast to South west) along with its geological history make Costa Rica a very special place in this planet. A lot of different micro-climates also contribute to a large biodiversity. There was a channel between North and South American, finally Costa Rica was built by the action of different volcanoes. Sedimentation helped to raise our land until it reached 3820 meters above sea level. Eventually there evolved the different Central American Countries and the migration and colonization of animals and plants from North and South America happened as well as the organisms from the Caribbean area. And some new species evolved through the years of being isolated. Our Pacific coast is very irregular with gulfs, bays, capes and peninsulas. On the other hand the Atlantic coast is very straight. A diverse amount of valleys, rivers, savannas, peaks, mountains, islands, among others. So you can find cloud forests, rain forests, dry forests, mangroves, subalpine vegetation, evergreen forests, oak forests, etc. There are more than 12 000 species of higher plants in this tiny Country!
Indeed! In one day I went from the mountain top volcanoes that required a coat it was so cool in the morning, to a variety of different climates and elevations with in the span of hours. I brought back a few rain forest seeds, in fact the Flamboyant poinciana trees in the garden are from Quepos.
Facts about orchids-Costa Rica:
There are more than 1500 species of orchids. They are mostly epiphytes and terrestrial.
The plant of Vanilla can grow up to five meters in length, also there is an orchid that does not exceed three to four centimeters together with roots, foliage and inflorescence.
Another fact, a seed pod might keep millions of seeds. They are very tiny, with no endosperm.
Epiphytic orchids from the dry forest normally have wide pseudobulbs, in order to keep material that can break down in water. Remember that there are harsh conditions in the canopy area= a lot of sun and few resources of water and soil. The orchids also display a strategy in order to be more efficient, those that are in the canopy have roots that can photosynthesize, the tip of the roots are green. So when you get a plant from that kind of environment and you plant it in a pot, please don't cover the roots; anyway, you don't have to add soil either.
That is good advice
We also are in an area with distinct wet and dry seasons and up in the north of the peninsula it is drier than farther south. Our area is more of a tropical scrub forest with a lower canopy and plants that have to be able to live without water for half the year. There is no surface water here at all, the rivers are underground. But, they also have to deal with enormous amounts of rain in the wet season. Drainage is excellent however and I think you have it right in your article, that is the most important factor. There are a lot of epiphytes and orchids here as well, canopy trees are covered with them but they are not as visible in the dry season as they shrink. Within a week of the rains beginning the whole area turns green and things begin to grow. What I have learned is that it is very difficult to plant at the beginning of the dry season and have the plant do well. Even if you water daily, it just doesn't thrive until the rains come.
I've learned the same thing, which is why it's important to have what you want already planted by the dry season.
My string of luck I think is running out this winter, as a cold wet winter is forecasted. It will be interesting to see what survives. I think I will not heavily mulch any of the garden beds to allow maximum drying out and perhaps pull out some of the rarer allocasia/callocasia.
My desired retirement location will be somewhere in Manuel Antonio area...
I live in Atenas, 2:30 hours before getting Manuel Antonio. Beautiful place right now very crowed.
Most planting is best done in the wet season but there are some things you can still plant in the dry, you just need to be careful with them. Around permanent water/springs you get tropical plants that need water all year round. That's why I try to check out habitats where plants come from. It gives you a better idea of what's needed since the requirements of tropical plants can vary considerably, even amongst some of the more closely related ones.
Just a note on Vanilla, I have several plants 18 - 20 metres high growing up palm trees. They do get a lot higher than 5 metres. But since they usually flower from the top, I never get to see any flowers.
Vanilla originated here in Mexico in the tropical Gulf state of Veracruz. They still grow a lot of it there and train it to keep it lower for propagating. Even though that is the only place in the world that has the type of bee that can naturally propagate the orchid, there is greater success if they do it by hand. I have a small one that I'm growing on a wall.
Where they grow vanilla here they put them on short posts so the plants can't go anywhere. A lot of orchids have evolved with one specific insect which pollinates it. It wasn't until a young slave worked out how to hand pollinate the vanilla that they began to be grown everywhere. I've got probably 20 or more plants. Every time a piece gets broken off I just put it up in the trees and off it goes up into the canopy. They look good zig-zagging their way up the tree trunk.
Tropicbreeze, I think that is the best I've ever seen them look. They aren't the most attractive orchid or vine but zig zaging up that tree it looks quite nice.
The last week I got a new book of passifloras. This book has all the information about Passifloraceae from Costa Rica. There are 51 native species in this country. There are some endemics. There is a species of the genus Passiflora that is a tree. It's Passiflora tica. Yes a tree!.
tica= the name tica honors Costa Rica, the country where this species was found.
Distribution: From Costa Rica to Panama.
This book has also information about the natural history of this amazing plants. For those that are interested in butterflies, this book gives you info about species of butterflies and host plants.
Hi all! I saw an episode of HGTV where a couple was looking for property in Costa Rica. WOW! It is sooooo beautiful! Just GORGEOUS!!!!!!!! I was impressed!
Enjoy!
Yes it s very lush. My favorite area is Corvocado National Park. I am Costa Rican, my husband is from New Hampshire. Our daughter was born here in Costa Rica, 15 years ago. Since we are biologist we decided to stay here, because of the richness in biodiversity.
I don't blame you, it is absolutely gorgeous! Like Hawaii, it's "Almost Paradise" hahah! Breath taking!
Jeanne
