Category: Home & Garden

Light intensity is one of the most important contributors to the success of your greenhouse. Too much light can cause the plants to dry out, while insufficient light will deprive them of essential energy and stunt their growth. These seven tips will give you total control over the light intensity in your greenhouse and create an ideal environment for your precious plants.

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First and foremost, you need to know what type of light intensity your plants prefer. The general rule of thumb is an intensity of 20 to 40 watts per square foot for greenhouses or indoor gardens, but there are exceptions for certain species. These are some of the common plants that prefer light with high, medium, and low intensity:

• High light: Succulents, sunflowers, cosmos, ficus, monstera, lantana, marigold, geranium, salvia, sedum, fruit and vegetable plants

• Medium light: Ferns, palms, ivy, violet, begonia, alocasia, dracaena, calathea, anthurium, aspidistra, maranta, philodendron

• Low light: Snake plant, spider plant, peace lily, anthurium, aglaonema, fittonia, nephytis butterfly, zamioculcas, pothos

If your greenhouse is all about growing food, you need light fixtures with high intensity. When sun-loving fruit and vegetable plants don’t get enough light, their leaves turn yellow and fall prematurely. Their flavor and nutritional value will also suffer from light deficiency, leaving you with a bad crop. The proper light intensity increases the chance of a good harvest.

• Incorporate Full-Spectrum Bulbs

Natural sunlight includes all colors of the rainbow, which is why it’s usually better than artificial grow lights. However, full-spectrum light bulbs are viable alternatives to sunlight. They also possess the entire light spectrum, mimicking the sun with a balance of warm and cool light all plants can enjoy.

Your greenhouse doesn’t have to use full-spectrum bulbs exclusively, but they should be the primary fixtures. T-5 bulbs are the most popular full-spectrum models because they use less power than typical incandescent lights and last longer. You can also incorporate these types of grow lights that play specific roles:

• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs): The most energy-efficient type of grow light, requiring 60% less energy than other bulbs and coming in both red and blue colors.
• High-pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs: A type of high-intensity discharge (HID) bulb that emits strong red light to encourage flowering and budding.
• Metal halide bulbs: The second type of HID bulb that emits blue light to stimulate bushy plant growth.

You should make a point to avoid incandescent and fluorescent grow lights. They have poor energy efficiency, tend to overheat quickly — which can burn your plants — and don’t last as long as LED or HID lights.

• Determine How Many Lights You Need

Next, you need to determine exactly how many lights your greenhouse needs. You can always adjust the number later if you get it wrong on the first try. Start by calculating the greenhouse’s surface area, then compare the number to how much surface area each fixture can cover. Wattage is usually a strong indicator of a light model’s surface area coverage.

However, just because your lights have high wattage doesn’t mean you should cover the whole greenhouse with them. Too much power can overheat the place and burn your plants. That’s partly why LED and HID lights are the best options. Their low energy consumption allows them to shine at a low temperature while covering a large surface area.

• Adjust the Light Placement When Necessary

Once your light fixtures are in place, you must closely monitor and adjust them when necessary. You’ll have to move them as your plants get bigger, but you must also consider the season and weather conditions. Here are some general guidelines for how far away your lights should be:

• 100-200 watts: 8-12 inches away
• 200-399 watts: 12-20 inches away
• 400-599 watts: 20-30 inches away
• 600+ watts: 30+ inches away

You can experiment with various distances and record each plant’s response for the best growth results. When a plant looks like it’s trying to stretch toward the light, bring it closer. If it appears scrunched up and shows abrasions, move the light farther away. It could take months to discover the most ideal distance, but gardening is slow work.

One effective way to control your greenhouse’s light intensity is by using shading devices. Climate screens are excellent choices because they reflect and diffuse sunlight to keep greenhouses cool and prevent overheating. They’re also available in different light transmission levels, allowing you to control light exposure down to the exact percentage.

Similarly, greenhouse shading paint is becoming an increasingly popular choice. This method can be optimal for eliminating light pollution from external sources in communities that are heavily lit at night. Black paint can be used to absorb extra heat, while white can be used to reflect it away as needed.

• Create a Lighting Schedule

Now that all your light fixtures and shading solutions are taken care of, you need to create a consistent lighting schedule. Even the most sun-loving plants need a break every day. You should only provide eight to 10 hours of full-spectrum light daily and make incremental changes based on the plants’ response.

For example, you might have to increase the full-spectrum light exposure time in winter when days are shorter. Make a point of mimicking the amount of natural sunlight each day, but always err on the side of caution. Keeping your plants in the dark for an extra hour is better than overheating them

• Change the Lights as Your Plants Grow

As your plants grow and mature, they develop different environmental preferences. You might have to change your grow lights to accommodate these needs.

For example, if you invested in high-pressure sodium bulbs with red light, you’ll eventually have to swap them out for full-spectrum bulbs or metal halide bulbs for that extra blue light. Remember — plants prefer more blue light when they’re young, while fully mature plants prefer red light that helps with flowering and seed production. 

Take Full Control of Your Greenhouse

Light is one of the trickiest parts of gardening. When you think you’ve figured out the ideal environment for your plants, they start drooping or showing burn marks. You won’t have to deal with these problems anymore. With the above light-intensity tips and tricks, you can take complete control of your greenhouse and unlock its full potential.

Author Bio

Jack Shaw is a freelance writer specializing in home improvement, gardening, and caring for the outdoors. He’s the senior writer of Modded.com, and has contributed his advice through sites like CAD Details, House 2 Home Organizing, Log Cabin Hub, and more.

Finished Reading

Born Again Dirt by Noah Sanders

An Agricultural Testament by Sir Albert Howard

Landrace Gardening by Joseph Lofthouse

The Contagion Myth by Thomas S. Cowan and Sally Fallon Morrell

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Book 1 of 8) by Edward Gibbon

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Book 2 of 8) by Edward Gibbon

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Book 3 of 8) by Edward Gibbon

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Book 4 of 8) by Edward Gibbon

A Soil Owner’s Manual by Jon Stika

Comeback Farms by Greg Judy

Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown

Keeping Bees with a Smile by Fedor Lazutin and Leo Sharashkin

Balanced Beekeeping I: Building a Top Bar Hive by Philip Chandler

Balanced Beekeeping II: Managing the Top Bar Hive by Philip Chandler

Handling Sin by Michael Malone

The Rooted Life by Justin Rhodes

The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil by Dale Strickler

Soil Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis

The Wheel of Health: The Sources of Long Life and Health Among the Hunza by Dr. G. T. Wrench

For the Love of the Soil by Nicole Masters

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Book 5 of 8) by Edward Gibbon

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome

Metabolical by Dr. Robert Lustig

Satyricon by Gaius Petronius

Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb

The History of Early Rome by Livy

Dissolving Illustions by Suzanne Humphries and Roman Bystrianyk

Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

Less: A Visual Guide to Minimalism by Rachel Aust

Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus

De Agricultura by Cato

Don’t Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk

The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Coppice Agrofrestry by Mark Krawczyk

Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson

The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker

Aeneid by Virgil

Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples

Becoming Orthodox by Peter Gilquist

The Holy Bible (NKJV) by God

Started then Ditched

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens


The Barefoot Beekeeper by Philip Chandler


Holistic Management, Third Edition: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment by Allan Savory

Who isn’t transfixed by an avenue of lime trees leading to the green shade of a sitting area, or by a path meandering through low ground covers and into a birch grove? What about the tightly shaped boxwoods that contrast so well with the soft, flowing plant around them? These are architectural plants—ones whose structures give the garden a strong sense of design. They might include deciduous trees with a branching structure that creates year-round interest, or evergreen shrubs whose flowers highlight soft, mounding foliage. Well-considered architectural plants can elevate a garden from ho-hum to “Oh my.” The best of them can replace garden art, serving as a focal point for a collection of plants that needs something extra.

Many architectural plants are large, but they don’t have to be. On the list that follows, I’ve included smaller plants for smaller gardens. Whatever the size of your landscape, be sure to keep these structural plants in scale with the rest of your garden. A sweep of plants in a large garden could fill a bed 10 or 20 feet wide, while in a small garden (or small garden bed), the sweep might be just 3 to 5 feet wide. Contrasting leaf textures and colors combine with structure to make these plants stand out. Architectural plants are important enough that I’m always looking for good ones to use alone or in combinations. Here are a few favorites that can work in a variety of situations.

‘Ivory Silk’ lilac

Name: Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’

Zones: 3–7

Size: 20 to 25 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to light shade; average to moist, well-drained soil

‘Ivory Silk’ lilac gives the lie to the notion that architectural plants can’t include lilacs. Not your grandma’s lilac, ‘Ivory Silk’ raises the bar. Though it has the fragrant, creamy white flowers and soft, rounded green leaves that make lilacs so popular in spring, its sturdy, well-branched tree form and reddish bark ­also make a strong statement in the winter garden. ‘­Ivory Silk’ matures at 20 to 25 feet tall, so the wind easily moves its lovely lilac fragrance throughout the entire garden. It has few pest problems. Place it at the end of a path or in front of a dark background, where it will surely draw you into the garden to explore further.

‘Robust’ male fern

Name: Dryopteris × complexa ‘Robust’ (syn. Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Undulata Robusta’)

Zones: 4–9

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Partial to full shade; average to moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter

‘Robust’ male fern will not be ignored in your garden. A stately fern growing up to 4 feet tall and wide, it gives a tropical feeling to shady beds. It can naturalize in woodlands, but it also looks good massed around groves of trees and as a base for rounded, smooth-textured shrubs. Rainy climates like mine don’t faze this plant, since it prefers moist soil all year long. Evergreen with thick, wavy-edged fronds, it grows fast and is pest free.

‘Evening Light’ Japanese snowbell

Name: Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’

Zones: 5–8

Size: 6 to 15 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to light shade; consistently moist soil

‘Evening Light’ Japanese snowbell is a beautiful small tree. When it blooms in early summer, its dark purple foliage sets off its drooping, bell-shaped white flowers on dark stems. As summer wanes, the leaves turn yellow with purple edges, eventually dropping to reveal hundreds of seed pods on bare branches. The open structure of the tree stands out against the winter sky; plant some low, flowing grasses or loose-structured shrubs under it and you’ll have a bed that works every day of the year. It grows in sun or partial shade but looks best if it is kept out of the hot afternoon sun. With good moisture all year long, it will grow to 15 feet, and it requires little pruning.

Lemony Lace® elderberry

Name: Sambucus racemosa ‘SMNSRD4’

Zones: 3–7

Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; adaptable to most well-drained soils

Lemony Lace® is an exciting new elderberry. I’m not sure how a bright yellow-green can be subtle, but in this lovely layered shrub, it is. Dissected yellow foliage touched on the edges with burgundy will stop you in your tracks. Elderberry often has pink flowers, but the clustered white flowers on Lemony Lace® are easier to use in combinations. They appear before the leaves in spring. In autumn, birds feed on the red berries, but deer usually leave the plant alone. Prune early in the plant’s life for good winter structure. This medium-size shrub is happy in sun or partial shade. When centered in a planting bed, Lemony Lace® contrasts nicely with tall tree trunks or coniferous backgrounds.

Bowles’ golden sedge

Name: Carex elata ‘Aurea’

Zones: 5–9

Size: 18 to 30 inches tall and wide

Conditions: Partial to full shade; average to wet soil

Bowles’ golden sedge, a vibrant evergreen sedge, is a great plant to mass along a pathway or around a taller group of deciduous plants such as hydrangeas. It prefers filtered shade and good moisture but can take some drought. Its bright, yellow-green blades grow to 2-1/2 feet, with spikes of black flowers thrust above stiffer leaves. Bowles’ golden sedge has a subtler spike than yucca, but it makes an impressive statement in the landscape. Unlike Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9), it is evergreen, and the extra advantage of good flowering gives it an edge.

‘Winter Gold’ winterberry

Name: Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Gold’

Zones: 4–8

Size: 5 to 8 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average to wet soil

Winterberry has been on my architectural plants list for many years, and now a new cultivar, ‘Winter Gold’, is making designers rethink the winter landscape. Striking pink-gold berries appear on ‘Winter Gold’ in late fall, mellowing to golden yellow as winter sets in. Clustered tightly on bare stems, they bring bright color and texture to a sleeping garden; think of honey-colored grassy foliage and golden berries in the low winter sun. These female plants will produce berries more abundantly if there’s a male winterberry tucked in nearby. A wide hardiness range and good tolerance to sun or partial shade make it broadly useful. Showcase winterberry in a group of wispy grasses or perennials that die back in winter.

‘Carol Mackie’ daphne

Name: Daphne × burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’

Zones: 5–8

Size: 3 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Partial shade; moist, rich, well-drained soil

‘Carol Mackie’ daphne is one of my favorites. Though considered semi-evergreen, it retains its leaves in my Zone 8 garden. Fragrant, small, pink-white flowers cover the plant in spring and usually repeat in fall. Its compact habit makes it an excellent focal point in a small shade bed, where its flowers and variegated leaves light things up. Because of its diminutive size, it could be planted in mass or individually in a perennial bed for winter interest. ‘Carol Mackie’ is adaptable enough to take poor soils and more sun than other daphnes. It’s easy to grow, and it doesn’t need much pruning to hold its shape.

‘Sunsation’ magnolia

Name: Magnolia × ‘Sunsation’

Zones: 5–8

Size: 20 to 25 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter

Magnolias are one of the many flowering trees that are integral to good garden design. ‘Sunsation’ magnolia is a recent cultivar, with amazing branching structure and even more amazing flowers that cover the tree from April to mid-May. Each petal on these large golden blossoms is marked with purple-red blush at its base—think sunrise on a branch. The tree’s upright, pyramidal habit rises to 20 or 25 feet, and it thrives in either sun or partial shade. Use it in the center of a garden bed, or as a focal point for an entry bed. ‘Sunsation’ magnolia grows best with regular watering.

You don’t need to be intimidated by the idea of architectural plants. Think of how a beautiful front door or a window that frames a view can enhance the structure of a house as a whole. Architectural plants will do the same thing in your garden. Their presence and structure help you appreciate all the wonderful color and texture around them. Easy to incorporate, these lovely plants will give you years of pleasure. Plan, plant, and enjoy!

The Art of Using Architectural Plants

Once you’ve chosen the right plant for that key spot in your garden, it’s important to get the details right. Here are a few things to consider.

1. Keep them separate.

These are focal points in the garden; make sure other plants don’t overwhelm or detract from them.

2. Keep them tidy.

Because they draw the eye, architectural plants should be consistently deadheaded and pruned.

3. Frame them right.

Think about the background and foreground when planting. These will change throughout the season, so you need to plan for it.

4. Keep site conditions appropriate.

All plants in the same area should grow well in the same conditions. Don’t try to use an architectural plant that wants a dry, sunny location in a shady, moist spot. Even if it looks good at first, its chances for long-term success are limited.

Susan Calhoun is the owner and principal designer at Plantswoman Design on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Photos, except where noted: millettephotomedia.com

Illustrations: Elara Tanguy

Sources:

• Bluestone Perennials, Madison, OH; 800-852-5243; bluestoneperennials.com
• Dancing Oaks Nursery, Monmouth, OR; 503-838-6058; dancingoaks.com
• Nature Hills Nursery, Omaha, NE; 844-849-2966; naturehills.com
• Sooner Plant Farm, Park Hill, OK; 918-453-0771; soonerplantfarm.com
• White Flower Farm, Litchfield, CT; 800-503-9624; whiteflowerfarm.com

In 2023 we grew more than 2500 lbs of food in about 5265 square feet.

This is less space then many backyards.

We accomplished this feat on land we just began to work, without any help from fruit trees or existing crops. If we could do this on a brand-new garden – what could be done on a long-term space?

Years ago, I interviewed the Helvenston’s – a couple growing food in the city. Instead of being praised, they were harassed!

We need to change our mindset.

We regularly read about how we don’t have enough farmland… yet we have tons of land being intensively managed for lawns and landscaping that could easily be converted to food production.

What Could Be Grown in a Small Yard? South Florida Edition

Down in South Florida, millions of people live in a climate that is wonderfully suited to massive food production. Rainfall is good and freezes are incredibly rare.

Coconut palms and mangoes grow readily and can basically be ignored after planting.

Yet yard after yard is covered in St. Augustine grass and ornamental landscaping, with the occasional inedible palm or toxic oleander.

Billions are spent on keeping up appearances, with elaborate sprinkler systems and ChemiGrass services coming by to spray poisons and fertilizers on the grass, and expensive lawn crews wheeling about on zero-turn mowers.

The owners of these artificial ecosystems spend their cash on their lawns and ornamentals, then go to the grocery store and spend lots more money on their produce.

Those payments could be consolidated if they only thought it through!

You have a tropical rainforest climate – why not use it?

Why not plant tamarind and starfruit, cassava and yams, bananas and plantains, acerola cherries and ice cream bean trees, sweet potatoes and dasheen?

Most of these are so easy to grow that it’s almost embarrassing.

You could be eating fresh organic food from your backyard on a daily basis for little more work than taking care of your worthless patch of St. Augustine grass.

South Florida could feed itself, but instead, it imports almost all of its food. Even small spaces can be very productive.

I’m not talking about trying to grow a raised bed full of lettuce. I’m talking about growing with the climate and planting the plants that love the sand, the heat and year-round growing.

I mention South Florida because it is familiar to me and it’s easy to imagine what could be done there, because I’ve done it, in The Great South Florida Food Forest Project.

What About Home Food Production In the Rest of the United States?

South Florida is by no means is it the only place that you can grow most of you local food in an urban setting.

Many communities in the United States are built on what once was prime farmland, later parcelled off and sold to developers. The ugly suburban sprawl of Laverne, Tennessee consists of endless stick built homes, covered with cheap vinyl siding, selling for far too much money due to the proximity to Nashville.

Yet if you bought one of these houses much of the soil beneath your feet is excellent for all kinds of crops.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, cabbages, not to mention chestnuts, mulberries, persimmons, pears, pecans, peaches, plums, apples, and blueberries.

Our two medium sized pear trees in Tennessee produced a hundred and fifty-three hundred pounds of fruit per year between the two of them, in perhaps six hundred square feet of space.

They grew beside the road at the edge of our property, and needed almost no care.

Why plant inedible ornamentals when you could plant food?

If you have less time, plant perennials, and especially trees, if you have more time, add annuals, if we put the same amount of effort growing food that we put into lawns and landscape, we could eliminate a large portion of our grocery bill. There isn’t a lack of land, there is a lack of will.

Your Yard Should Be an Asset, Not a Liability!

We no longer view the soil, particularly urban and sub urban soil, as an asset.

Our yards are liabilities.

Gardens and fruit trees are assets.

We have been trained to consume, not to produce.

We are big babies, suckling at the corporate teat.

Starting a garden or orchard is almost free, especially if you start from seed, barter for plants, or beg for cuttings.

I once took a cutting from a friend’s fig tree and rooted it. Two years later it was as tall as me and producing figs. Ten years later, it’s still producing figs.

Can you see how the soil is an asset?

If there is a societal break down, or even just some cracks in the thousands of miles of supply lines required to stock your local piggly wiggly, the lawn people are gonna be hungry.

People have all sorts of excuses as to why they don’t plant food.

Family-Based Agriculture is the Bedrock of Society

Modern Americans are fundamentally disconnected from the entire history of the human race. Agriculture is the bedrock of civilization, alongside the family unit. A man, a woman, their children and a piece of land for growing food. That’s the fundamental unit right there.

There will be a point when the current rich consumerist, modernist, individualistic paradigm will fail and local, family and community agriculture will reassert itself.

Now is the time to fill our backyards – and even front yards – with food so that we don’t have to scramble later.

And even if it takes a hundred years for the current system to fall, what do you have to lose?

You gain homegrown apple pie and roasted chestnuts.

And who knows? Maybe the ChemiGrass guy will get a job planting urban orchards.

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We’re back today in Harriet Robinson’s beautiful Maine garden, today exploring her collection of irises:

I started collecting irises when I joined the Maine Iris Society about 12 years ago. I joined not so much for a love of irises as for the fact that this group had a lot of experienced gardeners as members. My iris collection grew facilitated by swaps from members, door prizes at meetings, and purchases at auctions and sales. I began to love irises, especially siberians which fit nicely with other perennials, historic bearded irises that are less frilly than modern ones, and Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB) and Miniature Dwarf Bearded (MDB) irises which bloom earlier and are easier to transport to flower shows. I now grow SDB irises as edging plants, other median (especially Intermediate Bearded, IB) and Tall Bearded, TB, irises in 4 dedicated iris beds for a selection to take to our yearly flower show. I grow siberians with other perennials in mixed gardens, and a collection of hybridizer Currier McEwen’s (the father of the modern siberian iris) siberian irises in dedicated beds.

Here’s an example of SDBs used for edging in the beds in front of my house. ‘Tiny Beacon’ is the MDB in the foreground next to SDB ‘Inviolate” and then ‘Rainbow Rim’ and euphorbia ‘Bonfire’. I particularly like the bright yellow ‘Cache of Gold’ beyond the steps but enjoy placing all of them with color combinations in mind. (The troughs on the front steps contain rock garden plants.)

The largest of my bearded iris beds has a mix from recent to historic irises and blooms for 5 or 6 weeks starting with IB and ending with TB. Among my favorites in this bed are ‘Code of Honor’, an IB introduced in 2013.

Yellow ‘Coronation’ from 1927 is a great grower and keeps flowering for 3 weeks or more. Here it is with TB ‘Shipshape’ from 1968, a Dykes winner, the highest award the American Iris Society gives.

The small iris bed was the first one I put in and includes mostly historics. ‘Stepping Out’ (1964) (purple and white) and ‘Blue Sapphire’(1953), both historic Dykes medal winners, are in this bed. The lower purple and white to the left is ‘Frosted Velvet’, a 1988 Miniature Tall Bearded, and the lower yellow to the right is ‘Kaleidoscope’ from 1926.

I have a small area dedicated to hybridizer Bee Warburton. Her granddaughter has given me a selection of Warburton SDBs and IBs. Pictured are the IBs after the SDBs in the front row finished blooming. This bed is an extension to a long border. My preferred mulch for bearded irises is pine needles which help some with weed control.

I began collecting hybridizer Currier McEwen’s siberian irises for a small public garden near me. As the goal of the collection grew from collecting a representation to trying to find all of the extant ones, I had to add large beds to my garden to contain up to 100 cultivars. This is a work in progress as I continue to seek the ones I am missing. ‘Sally Kerlin’ (registered in 1968 and introduced in 1970) was McEwen’s first registration and has the first place (lower right) in these 3 long beds. This iris is one of the very first ones I planted in the pool garden long before I had any idea I’d have a collection of just McEwen cultivars. It remains a favorite of mine.

‘Snow Bounty’ (1973) is front and center here with others in the collection around it.

My current favorite McEwen is ‘Romantic Lady’ (1984).

Other favorite siberians include ‘Dirigo Indigo’ (2004). It is a wonderful companion to peonies, cranesbill geranium ‘Brookside’ and amsonia in the pool garden. It blooms later than most of the Siberians in the pool garden.

‘Swans in Flight’ (2006) is the first siberian to win the American Iris Society’s top award, the Dykes medal. Here it is with peonies in the pool garden on a clear day that shows of the White Mountain view.

Have a garden you’d like to share?

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Propagating bromeliad pups is both fun and rewarding, allowing you to easily fill your home with beautiful plants.

In this post I’ll guide you through the entire four-step process, from picking the right time for propagation to separating the pups and potting up the babies.

I’ll also list the supplies you’ll need and share my tips for success, so you’ll be fully equipped to propagate bromeliads like a pro.

What Are Bromeliad Pups?

Bromeliad pups are baby plants (aka offshoots) that grow around the base of the main one. Although they can appear at any time, they usually begin to form when the mother is coming to the end of its life cycle.

Sadly, most bromeliad varieties die after flowering, but propagating the pups means you’ll have lots of new babies to enjoy.

You can do this by either by removing them from the mother once they’re large enough, or allowing them to grow after the main plant has died.

Related Post: How To Care For Bromeliads: Complete Growing Guide

When To Propagate Bromeliads

The best time to propagate bromeliads is when the pups are around ⅓ to ½ the size of the mother. This is a good indication that they’ll be able to survive on their own. But exactly when you choose to remove them is a matter of preference.

If you leave them attached to the main plant, they will continue to take nourishment from it. As a result, the offsets will mature more quickly.

If you choose to remove them when they are on the smaller side, however, you may find that the mother will devote her energy to producing even more pups. This means more plants for you in the future.

Related Post: Bromeliad Flowers: When, How Often, & How Long They Bloom

How To Propagate Bromeliads Step-By-Step

Here are the supplies you’ll need – and the simple steps to follow – to safely separate the bromeliad babies from the mother.

Supplies Needed:

Step 1: Remove plant from pot – Start by carefully removing the mother from its pot, as this will make it easier to see where you need to cut. If your bromeliad is growing outdoors, dig it up.

Step 2: Loosen the rootball – Use your fingers to gently loosen the rootball. If the roots are very tangled, I find metal chopsticks are great for working out the knots.

Step 3: Cut off the pup(s) – Use clean, sterilized clippers or a sharp knife to separate the babies from the main plant. Cut each offshoot off at the point where it is attached to the mother.

Step 4: Repot the mother – If the mother bromeliad is still healthy after propagating the pups, repot or replant it. If you’re lucky, you may be rewarded with even more pups. But if the parent has died, simply discard it.

How Long Does It Take Bromeliad Pups To Root?

If you take the time to ensure that the warmth, humidity, and light conditions are correct, it should take around 4 weeks for the bromeliad pups to root.

You’ll know they’re rooted when you start to see new growth. You can also test them by tugging on the pups gently. If they have roots, then they shouldn’t move.

How To Pot Bromeliad Pups

Use a container roughly twice the size of the baby and fill it with potting soil or a fast-draining mix. Then, plant the pups at the same depth they were in the original container, taking care to cover all of the roots.

Finally, place the pot in a warm location with plenty of bright, indirect light, fill the pup’s center cup with water, and keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy.

Related Post: How To Water Bromeliads The Right Way

Propagating Bromeliad Pups Without Roots

Even if your bromeliad pups don’t have roots, you can still propagate them. That’s because they are epiphytes and get their nutrients and moisture from their central cups. 

Potting them up, however, can be a little more challenging. Since there’s nothing to anchor them down, it can be tempting to push them into the soil quite deeply.

But instead, I recommend you prop them up with wooden stakes, as this will allow them to develop roots without the risk of rotting if they’re planted too deep.

Alternatively, you can tie the pup to a branch or corkboard, which mimics how it would grow in its natural environment.

FAQs

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Acrylic sheets have a wide range of applications across multiple industries. They have unique properties that make them ideal for various functions.

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Custom acrylic sheets can be produced to fit their purpose. Usually, they contain synthetic polymer acrylic for maximum durability, versatility, and functionality.

Below, we’re going to cover the main uses and applications for custom acrylic sheets.

Indoor and Outdoor Business Signage

Outdoor signage is a highly effective way to increase brand awareness and strengthen brand identity for businesses. Whether you own a retail store, construction business, or marketing company, you can invest in custom-made acrylic sheets to promote your brand and reach new customers. 

You can choose to get LED lighting integrated into your outdoor acrylic signs to stand out above the crowd and catch people’s eyes. For indoor signage, you can use acrylic sheets for point-of-purchase displays to enhance product visibility and increase sales.

Retail Merchandising

On a similar note to business signage, custom acrylic sheets are widely used by retail stores in product displays. They have a bright and transparent appearance that allows customers to see products clearly while providing a secure and tamper-proof environment for the products.

Acrylic sheets are commonly used for jewelry stands to provide a protective but clear barrier between expensive products and customers. Due to their high visibility and ability to allow natural light through, acrylic sheets can enhance the appearance and appeal of shiny jewelry, increasing sales for retailers and jewelers.

The Construction Industry

Custom acrylic sheets are commonly used by successful construction companies. Although they block out the sun’s ultraviolet rays, they still allow lots of natural light through. They are also lightweight but strong, making them ideal for use in tall constructions, such as domes or skylights.

You’ll also find acrylic sheets used commonly in greenhouses, where they provide a protective layer to keep plants from harsh weather conditions. Their ability to maximize light transmission makes them perfect for housing plants that require sunlight to grow.

The Art and Design World

Due to their customizability, acrylic sheets are great in the art and design industry.

Artists and designers can customize acrylic sheets by cutting and shaping these sheets to create unique, intricate sculptures. Aside from looking great, these sculptures are durable and sturdy due to the strength of acrylic sheets.

Manufacturers also choose acrylic sheets when making photo frames instead of using traditional glass. Acrylic sheets are lightweight but still shatter-resistant and scratch-resistant, so they’re easier to transport and hang on the wall than glass photo frames.

Automotive Uses

Custom acrylic sheets are common in the automotive industry, particularly in the manufacturing of headlights. They are lightweight, strong, and weather-resistant, and each of these properties makes acrylic sheets the perfect material for use in vehicle headlights.

Many convertible cars have acrylic sheet windows. Again, it’s the lightweight and durable properties of acrylic sheets that make them a popular choice for car manufacturers. They are clear and promote better visibility for drivers, increasing road safety and enhancing the driving experience.

Aquariums and Fish Tanks

Acrylic sheets are lightweight compared to traditional glass, yet they provide the same level of versatility, strength, and clarity. It’s these properties that make custom acrylic sheets a popular choice in the construction of aquariums and fish tanks.

Tanks made with acrylic sheets enable a clear view of the marine life inside, enhancing the customer experience in public aquariums and making an at-home fish tank more exciting and appealing.

The Medical and Dental Fields

Hospitals, primary healthcare practices, and dental surgeries are filled with acrylic sheet products. 

Medical facilities will use large custom acrylic sheets to provide protective barriers between healthcare professionals and patients when needed (such as if a patient is in isolation with a highly contagious medical condition). Patient’s IV drip chambers may contain acrylic sheets to allow medical professionals to clearly see how much fluid is in the chamber to increase the quality and accuracy of patient care.

Acrylic sheets are common in diagnostic imaging equipment, such as MRI and X-ray machinery, to provide a barrier between the patient and the device or improve patient comfort and safety. Medical display screens may contain acrylic sheets for enhanced clarity and durability, and healthcare professionals may use protective acrylic sheets when providing wound care for patients.

Dental prosthetics, such as dentures, night guards, and retainers, may contain acrylic sheets. Because acrylic sheets can be easily shaped to fit each person’s mouth, they provide maximum comfort and effectiveness for dental patients.

We’ve been growing cassava in USDA zones 8 and 9 for years now. One of the biggest issues with growing cassava in a climate with frosts is maintaining a good supply of cassava cuttings you can use to start new plants the next year.

Today, we’ll look at the methods that worked and didn’t work on our homesteads, both in North Florida and in Lower Alabama.

How to Store Cassava Cuttings Through Winter

We’ve been growing cassava since 2007, when we lived in the small town of Frostproof, Florida. I got my first cuttings from Ralph Stuck, who got his from the retired Indian missionaries living in his mobile home community across the street from Lake Reedy.

He showed me how to plant cuttings upright in the soil, and we proceeded to plant a big patch of them in the fireant-infested white sand behind our mobile home. They grew well and gave us plenty to eat, and it was then that I really understood the survival potential of this staple tropical crop.

It was pleasant in flavor, versatile, full of calories, and it thrived in fireant-infested white sand!

Over multiple years of experimentation, we learned more about how to grow cassava. We experimented with planting it in Tennessee (it froze to death), growing it in pots indoors (it died), growing it in North Florida, where the winter cold would occasionally hit the teens (it froze, but grew back from the ground in spring), growing it in mounds of tropical clay down in the Caribbean, planting it on its side beneath the soil, interplanting it with sweet potatoes (which works great when the spacing is wide, but greatly reduces sweet potato yields when the canopy closes) and planting it in open areas of new food forests.

One excellent characteristic of cassava is that the roots can remain in the ground for a good period of time after reaching harvestable size – and they aren’t a seasonal crop, meaning that you can plant cassava whenever you like and expect it to produce a decent harvest about 9-16 months later.

This is a little complicated by winter in regions with frosts, since the cassava plants quit doing much of anything once the temperatures drop below the 70s (F); however, in the spring the cassava resprouts and continues enlarging its roots until they reach harvestable size sometime that summer or fall.

The biggest issue with growing cassava in zones 8 and 9 is that any cold weather below 32 degrees is capable of taking off the entire aboveground growth of the plant. Since new cassava plants are propagated by cuttings, this is a bad thing! You want that aboveground growth so you can plant more cassavas!

Fortunately, cassava canes aren’t to difficult to keep alive through the winter if stored properly. Now let’s cover the methods that have worked for us and some that didn’t.

Burying Cassava Cuttings in a Box

A Cuban family in the Ocala area shared that they “bury cassava canes in a box” in the fall, cutting canes before the first frost and bundling them into a box which is then buried in the soil.

I’m not sure if it’s a cardboard box or not, but I tried the method by burying cassava canes in a sandy hole lined with straw and covered over the top with a tarp and it worked.

Some years later I tried the same method except I buried a trashcan full of cuttings in a pile of construction sand. That failed, as the trashcan got filled with wet sand and the canes rotted in the ground. I think the main reason for this was the combination of lots of winter rain and colder conditions. When I dug up the canes, they had started to sprout and then had been eaten by various molds and rot.

My current method of keeping cassava canes in a box is to line the bottom of a big plastic bin with some grass clippings or hay/straw, then lay canes on their sides inside of it, packing the bin until it’s almost full, then topping it off with another layer of mulch before closing the non-airtight lid.

This keeps most cassava cuttings alive, except when the box freezes, as we had happen during last December where even my closed-in porch went below 32 degrees.

Fortunately, about half of the cuttings still survived, so it must not have frozen all the way through.

Keeping Cassava Cuttings in Water

One year I decided to cut cassava cuttings into about 4’ segments and then put their bottom ends into a bucket of water in my greenhouse to keep them alive.

This was a failure.

The bottom portion in the water rotted into slimy mush.

Don’t keep cassava cuttings in water.

Keeping Cassava Cuttings Against a Tree, Brazilian-style

Last year, a viewer shared a method of keeping cassava canes in a bundle against the side of a tree, as they do in regions of Brazil that experience light frosts.

We tried it and had a few canes survive.

I am convinced it would have worked better if we hadn’t received multiple overnight lows in the teens with almost three days of weather where temperatures failed to rise above freezing. You can see how we did in this short video.

It was surprising to see any cassava cuttings survive!

Planting Cassava Canes Beneath the Ground in Fall

One method that worked in North Florida was planting cassava canes horizontally in the fall, about 4-6” deep, where you want them to grow in spring.

New shoots would emerge around the beginning of April and rapidly grow as the weather warmed.

However, we tried this in the wet, rainy, cool winters of Lower Alabama zone 8b and they mostly rotted in the ground.

Keeping Cassava Cuttings in a Black Trash Bag

My friend Rick successfully overwintered cassava cuttings by putting a bundle of them in a black trash bag and stowing them in his garage through the winter.

In the spring, they were covered in long, pale shoots and were ready to grow.

There was no rot on them, and most survived just fine. Just don’t wet them and don’t let them freeze!

Planting Cassava Canes in Pots

Now we always plant at least a few cassava cuttings in pots as a backup to our other methods of saving cassava canes.

Take cuttings that are about 8-12” in length and stick them bud-side-up in one-gallon pots of soil, then keep them in a non-freezing location and don’t overwater them. We keep ours in the greenhouse.

We just cut up a bunch of canes…

Then pot them up. We much have 200 pots of cassava in the greenhouse right now.

In the spring, we simply transplant the now-growing plants into the ground.

Conclusion

I’m sure there are more methods for keeping cassava cuttings through winter. In most of their common range, winters are tropical, so those of us that experience frosts have to do a little extra experimentation to learn what works. Once you’ve figured out how to keep the canes you need for spring alive through the cold, you’ll be well on your way to growing tons of this excellent staple.

As for the stumps left behind after we cut our cuttings, we mulch them with leaves, hay or straw so they’ll spring back into growth when the weather warms.

Each of those mounds of old hay is covering a cassava plant.

If you have any more questions, please leave them in the comments section below. Also, my Florida gardening books have plenty of information on growing cassava. This crop is a long-term survival food storage bank right in your backyard – I highly recommend growing it wherever possible.

I cover it extensively in my Florida gardening books, and also talk about it in the newsletter:

Florida Survival Gardening: https://amzn.to/3NchEil

Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening: https://amzn.to/3Nau2zm

The Huge 2nd edition of Create your Own Florida Food Forest: https://amzn.to/3Rs08ZY

The South Florida Gardening Survival Guide: https://amzn.to/3uNkZOE

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Thanks for reading – this post gives you a good overview on how to keep cassava cuttings through the winter, so there’s no excuses not to push the zone and grow some cassava of your own.

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We visited Harriet Johnson’s Maine garden last week, but just focused on what she’d planted in a space that had previously been an in ground pool. She mentioned to me that she had other garden spaces too, so I asked if she’d let us visit those as well… happily she agreed, and today we’re getting a tour of the space she calls her fence garden:

These photos of the fence garden were taken in 2021 through 2023. Some things I didn’t rephotograph this year and other things looked better previous years. While the pool garden with fill (sandy loam) did well this past rainy summer, the fence garden in my native clay loam soil was not as happy and I lost some of the yarrow I have grown without problem for 30 years. This border is about 40’ long and faces south. Because of its size I am able to grow some tall North American native plants that flower in late summer. I also can design with color repetition because this garden can be viewed as a single element unlike the immersion experience in the pool garden. The fence encloses the back yard including the pool garden, raised vegetable and iris beds, and a small shady area. The fence is important to the design of the area providing a western boundary to the fields beyond and the distant hills and mountains.

Color starts in the fence garden with tulips (Tulipa hybrids, Zone 3 – 8) and daffodils (Narcissus hybrids, Zone 3 – 8) in mid May for a yellow and red combination. An old forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia, Zone 5 – 8) matches the yellow daffodils. The photo was taken from the pool garden, a slightly higher area located on leveled ground.

In late May or early June the lilacs (Syringa species and hybrids, Zone 3 – 8) bloom behind the fence, a hedge of six older Syringa vulgaris cultivars (only three are showing in the photo). Another island bed elsewhere includes three species of lilacs for early, middle and late bloom. I deadhead the fence lilacs after bloom so that they will not detract from the border’s flowers as the season progresses.

The June peak bloom as seen from near the top of the border. The larch (Larix sp., Zone 2 – 7) was originally planted as un upper extension to the garden and since then the Warburton iris collection has been planted above it increasing the length to all the useable space before the gate. The rhythm in the long picture is provided by yellow yarrow ‘Moonshine’ (Achillea ‘Moonshine’, Zone 3 – 8), mostly unknown peony cultivars, and Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s ears, Zone 4 – 8).

Still the June peak bloom, looking in close at the bottom corner. Here a blue veronica (Veronica sp.and cvs. Zones 4–8)contrasts with peony ‘Mighty Mo’ (Paeonia ‘Mighty Mo’, Zones 3 – 8). Yellow yarrow ‘Moonshine’ contrasts with purple Salvia ‘May Night’ (Zones 4 – 9). I do not know the name of the light pink peony.

In late June or early July the rose blooms on the fence. I think it is American Pilar rose; it was given to me as a layering with the name ‘pilar rose’. The purple clump is Campanula glomerata (Zone 3 – 8). It is gorgeous but I had to reduce it drastically since this photo was taken because it wants to take over the whole garden. It is a challenge when it spreads into other perennials. On the right near the fence is Siberian catmint (Nepeta sibirica, Zone 3 – 8).

From another angle (and another year) this early July scene shows Nepata sibirica (Siberian catmint) on the left, Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (yellow yarrow) on either side of Hylotelephium ‘Frosty Morn’ (Zones 3 – 9, formerly called sedum), and an unknown Erigeron to the right. The catmint will bloom through most if not all of July and August. Later in July this border makes less of a statement while the nearby pool garden bursts with color.

The most interesting plant in the fence garden in mid July is Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’ (Culver’s root, Zone 3 – 8). It is a pollinator magnet as is the globe thistle nearby in the garden’s bottom corner (not in picture).

In the middle of August other native plants begin their run including Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium dubium ‘Little Joe’, Zones 3 – 9), the pinkish flower behind the white phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zone 5 – 9) to the right of the photo. Above the Joe Pye weed the dark purple Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ (Zone 4 – 8) is finishing its season of flowers. To the far right the structure of the ‘Fascination’ flowers remains as it goes to seed. The straight species of culver’s root is white, blooms a little later than the cultivar, and is visible in front of the tall yellow flower behind the fence, an old fashioned flower called Golden Glow (Rudbeckia lanciniata ‘Golden Glow’, Zone 3 – 9). Besides the clumps of phlox, some ‘David’ and some ‘Fuji’, Siberian catmint and ‘Frosty Morn’ continue to make their presence known. The small annual marigolds are growing in the front while Sedum ‘Ruby Glow’ is the low plant in the front center.

In early September the garden peaks again. The tall purple flower is Vernonia noveboracensis (ironweed, Zone 5 – 9) flanked by Joe Pye weed. To the right is a pink hardy chrysanthemum, likely Chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis’ (Zone 5 – 7).

October is aster month. New England aster ‘Purple Dome’ (Symphytotrichum novae–angliae, Zone 4 – 8) was just starting in the previous picture and is now in full bloom. Three clumps of ‘Wood’s Blue’ aster provide rhythm. Joe Pye weed has turned maroon as it goes to seed. The last of the white phlox shed their petals. The lamb’s ears have been deadheaded. The pollinators they supported are now enjoying the asters.

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It’s amazing how well this works:

It’s not enough to get you through a Northern winter, but it would extend the season quite a bit. Here in Lower Alabama, it’s often enough to avoid having to use an electric or gas heater.

We’re up to about 40 barrels now. I think that’s enough, but there are sometimes freak cold events that may stretch this method beyond its capacity. We’ll make sure we have a backup just in case, but so far, so good. It handles the upper 20’s just fine.

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Yesterday I finally tallied up our pork yields from the two pigs we butchered on Monday of last week.

Our total yield was 449 3/4lbs, from two pigs which weighed a combined weight of 682lbs at slaughter. Our friend Holly weighed each package after we sealed it and before it was put in the fridge. Some of the cuts were noted, others weren’t, but we got the info we really needed on yields.

We were able to save 96 3/4lbs of fat, which should render into 12 gallons or so of lard. We put it through our meat grinder before freezing, so it should give us more final lard yield than just chopping it into pieces and cooking it down.

This is how we used to render fat into lard or tallow:

Now, Rachel uses her pressure cooker instead, adding the fat to it and letting it cook down overnight. She then uses a ladle to scoop it out and strain it into mason jars for storage.

The yields on pigs are really good. They were less finicky than rabbits and took overall less effort to process than a comparable amount of Cornish Cross chickens.

The meat is also excellent. We made our own fresh breakfast sausage and it’s incredible.

We’re so pleased with the ease of keeping pigs and the amount of meat we got, we’re looking to buy six more piglets this week.

This project has moved us significantly closer to food self-sufficiency. Now we need to figure out how to grow enough to feed the pigs, in case we can’t get what we need from the local restaurant waste stream!

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