How To Care For Your Tropical Dish Garden

Learn how to properly care for your tropical dish garden with this comprehensive guide. From watering to sunlight, we've got you covered.

If you have a dish garden, the general rule is to follow the guidelines for the plant that requires less water and less sunlight. We try to combine plants that require the same care so that your gift can have a healthy life.

For example, if all your plants in the dish garden are green foliage, it's more simple. But if you receive our Tropical Dish Garden, you will need to water the orchids and the rest of the plants differently. The orchids will be in an individual container so they don't get overwatered.

Generally, we combine orchids with other tropical plants or succulents. Don't be scared to water them because since the orchids are in an individual container, they won't get overwatered.

The two main guidelines are enough sunlight and enough water:

Light: Place your Tropical Dish Garden near a sunny window. At least 4-6 hours of indirect sunlight.

Tropical plants need a lot of sunlight for healthy development. If leaves start to scorch, they're receiving too much sunlight. If leaves start to yellow, bend, or look translucent, they need more sunlight.

Water: Add water every 7-14 days.

Your Tropical Dish Garden won't need as much water as often as your regular plants. Tropical plants like orchids and bromeliads, come from humid places where it doesn't rain as often. Succulents come from deserts where it is very dry. These tropical plants are designed to live without water for longer periods of time. That is why they're leaves are so thick, they keep water in them (kind of like camels) and if you add too much water, their roots rot fast, rotting the entire plant. Wait until their soil gets dry at least 1 inch under the surface to add more water.

How often? It will greatly depend on the plants' surroundings. Humidity takes a great place here because tropical plants absorb humidity and turn it into water! So really feel the soil before adding more water. If their leaves start to wilt and turn yellow, you're adding too much water. If their leaves start to burn on the ends, your plant needs more water.

Don't water at night if possible. Watering in the morning helps prevent disease.

How to know you're doing a good job? If your plants are thriving, their leaves will look shiny and crisp, if they're not happy their leaves will start to wilt and look opaque.

If you want to learn more about each individual plant, these are some of the plants we generally use. Plants are sorted in alphabetical order:

Bromeliad:

Light: Bright, indirect light. In the summer, they can be grown outdoors. Water: The cups should be always full of water—flush the cup with water once a week in order to refresh the water so it doesn't get stagnant. The potting medium should be watered but allowed to dry out between watering. Bloom Time: Most bromeliads flower in the winter. Flower Color: Red, yellow, orange, pink. Cold Hardiness: Most bromeliads are happiest in temperatures that range between 65 to 90 F during the day and 50 to 65 F at night. Fertilize during the growing season every other week to once a month. Uses: Windows, Bright dining & living areas. Attributes: Bromeliads are one of the best tropical plants to grow in your home. They are extremely adaptable, tolerating a variety of home environments. Easy to grow indoors. Beautiful forms, foliage, and flowers. The flowers (inflorescence) last three months or more. Most bromeliads are very adaptable and resilient house plants. Bromeliads can be either epiphytic (growing in air), saxicolous (growing on rocks), or terrestrial (growing in the ground). Most do well in pots and planters that provide good drainage and air flow. Click here to send a Bromeliad in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Flamingo or Anthurium:

Light: 3-4 Hours of Indirect Light Per Day. Water: water when the top inch soil gets dry, about once a week. Bloom Time: year-round, with each bloom lasting between two and three months. Flower Color: Red. Cold Hardiness: Non-hardy 60-85°F. Fertilize once a month. Natural rain forest habitat. With glossy green leaves and rich red blooms, Anthurium is one of the most stunning plants to grow indoors. Also known as flamingo flower or painter's palette, it will add a touch of luxury to an indoor space. Attributes: Attractive foliage. Great for containers and as indoor plants.

Orchids:

Light: Low Light - 1-2 Hours of Indirect Light Per Day. Water: Really check the soil before you add more water, let it get dry, wait in between 7-10 days every time you add more (it depends on the humidity of the environment, so touch the soil at least 1-2 inches deep and check if its dry and it needs water). Bloom Time: spring-summer. Flower Color: multicolor. Cold Hardiness: Non-hardy below 60°F. Uses: Windows, Bright dining & living areas. Attributes: Beautiful moth like flower. Best growing orchid for the home. Grows in a bright window, with little sun. Great gift for holidays. Fertilize during the plants active growing cycle. Check out our blog How to Water and Get Your Orchid to Re-Bloom for more specific details. Click here to send an Orchid in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Pink Wave:

Light: 1-2 Hours of Filtered Indirect Light Per Day. Water: Only when soil feels dry. Bloom Time: Sporadically, usually July to August. Flower Color: Yellowish-white or reddish, flowers are insignificant. Cold Hardiness: Non-hardy below 65°F max temperature 80°F Fertilize every month. Uses: brighten up your home, windowsill, or office. Attributes: Easy to grow. Fast growth. Native to Tropical rainforests of South America, principally Peru Sensitive to strong, direct sunlight and will quickly suffer from leaf burn.

Polka Dot:

Light: Indirect bright light. Water: Keep soil moist, but not wet, do not let stand in water. Bloom Time: No Flowers. Flower Color: No flowers. Cold Hardiness: Keep your plant in a room with an average air temperature of 70° to 75°F and a minimum humidity level of 50%. Fertilize every 6 months. Uses: Bright windowsills, desks, and tabletops. Attributes: Colorful foliage. Native to South Africa, Madagascar, and south east Asia. Their spots often merge into larger areas of color.

Snake Plant or Sansevieria:

Light: 4-6 Hours of Indirect Light Per Day. Water: Requires minimal watering, every week or when the soil feels dry. Depending on air humidity snake plants might not require water for months. If the leaves start turning yellow and translucent, you are overwatering. If they turn wrinkly and soft, you are underwatering. Find the ideal balance depending on their surroundings. Bloom Time: No Flowers. Flower Color: No flowers. Prized for Foliage. Cold Hardiness: Non-hardy below 50°F. Fertilize during the plants active growing cycle. Sansevieria, known as mother-in-law’s tongue or Snake Plant, is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants. The Sansevieria is among the most common and hardiest houseplants. Uses: Offices, Bathrooms, Low light dining & living areas.

Attributes: Provides a vertical accent to home décor. Tolerates low light. Sword-like leaves. Requires minimal watering. Click here to send a Snake Plant in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Succulents:

Light: around 6 hours of indirect sunlight per day. Water: Add around 4oz (1/2 cup) of water every 10-15 days or more; wait until the soil feels dry. Depending on the temperature and humidity of their surroundings this will vary greatly. Bloom Time: some might bloom during spring-summer, other in midwinter. Not all varieties of succulents have blooms. Flower Color: the ones that bloom are multicolored. Cold Hardiness: Non-hardy below 40-30°F. Fertilize once a month during their active growing cycle (spring). Beginning in the spring when temperatures start to warm up and the fear of frost is over. If your fertilizer is in liquid form, make sure your succulent needs water before adding the fertilizer and strictly follow package guidelines (they might rot if you don't). Remember, the most important aspect about succulents is the lack or excess of water you provide, find a happy balance depending on their surroundings and they will live a happy and long life. Check out our blog 5 Steps To Water And Take Care Of Your Succulents for more specific details. Click here to send Succulents in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Every plant is different and as the days go by, if you pay attention, you can start to notice if the plant is happy or not where you placed it or if it needs water more frequently.

Now that we learned all these tips on how to care for your Tropical Dish Garden, I hope your plants start to thrive! Remember, no over-watering, and enough sunlight, those are the two main tips when taking care of tropical plants.

If you have any questions or need advice for a specific plant, let us know in the comments bellow and I'll do my best to help you.