Host Kim Haworth and orchid specialist Rob Williams debunk the myth that plants such as oranges, coffee, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice can be grown only in tropical climates. They also offer some practical suggestions for growing exotics in your home. If you live in an area where the temperature drops below 50 degrees at night, you should bring your cinnamon tree inside in the evenings. Cinnamon comes from the bark of the tree; the bark is "striped" with a special tool, hence the curled shape of the harvested product (figure A). A coffee plants that forms flowers but no red berries (called cherries, each of which contains two coffee beans) simply hasn't been pollinated. Take it outside and let the bees do their work. Fertilize your coffee tree once a month with an acid-based fertilizer, using a tablespoon fertilizer per gallon of water. The vanilla plant is one of the only edible orchids. After pollination, the plant forms a long bean, which is harvested, dried in the sun and cured for 10 months or so before being sold for a flavoring agent. Vanilla doesn't form a pseudo-bulb, as most orchids do, so to preserve its moisture, it secretes a milky, itchy sap that acts as a defense mechanism. The fragrant allspice tree produces a seed that is used as a spice, particularly in pumpkin pie. The seeds are dried in the sun and ground for use. An allspice tree should be grown much like a coffee tree. The orange tree can be kept inside and pollinated, and you can have your own orange crop in the summer -- even if you live in Alaska! Tip: To move your large, exotic and heavy plants in and out of the house, use special saucers that have rollers attached (figure B). It makes the task a breeze! Note: For a tour of Disney's Epcot Center map, click here , available using  .
RESOURCES :
American Orchid Society
Orchids Simplified: An Indoor Gardening Guide
Model: 0395913276
Author: Henry Jaworski
1997
Chapters Publishing Ltd.
Phone: 617-351-3855
E-mail: chapterj@together.net
Taylor's Guide to Orchids
Model: 0395677262
Author: Judy White
1996
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-351-5000
Email: tradecustomerservice@hmco.com
100 Orchids for the American Gardener
Model: 0761110712
Author: Elvin and Steven McDonald
(August, 1998)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Workman Publishing Co. Inc.
New York, NY 10003-9555
Phone: 212-254-5900
Fax: 212-254-8098
The Orchid Weblopedia
Web site: http://conbio.bio.uci.edu/orchid
6000 South Olive Ave.
Web site: http://orchidweb.org
Ortho's All About Orchids
Model: 0897214242
Author: Elvin McDonald
1999
Ortho Books
Columbus, OH 43216
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