How to take care and keep my azalea flowering
eli_h
14 years ago
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eli_h
14 years agoRelated Discussions
How to take care of my Guzmania Linulata
Comments (2)The water question depends in part on your climate - a plant in Arizona needs more water and needs it more often than one in Florida! In general, keep the soil moist but not soggy, and change the water in the cup and leaf bases once a week; rainwater is best. Fertilizer is not needed. Light - an east window is good, if there is something like a gauze curtain; an unfiltered northern exposure would do. Avoid southern and western exposures unless they are in shade. Guzmanias appreciate a lot of humidity. The soil sounds OK - a fast draining, humusy soil is the best....See MoreHow to take care of a gardenia
Comments (5)This isn't helpful, but you might be amused! Search on garden web for "suicidal gardenia thread." There's an old one that's really funny. On a similar note, I asked a greenhouse here once if they sold gardenias, and they said, "no, we prefer to sell plants that actually want to live." I think they just don't like indoor-type conditions. I live in SE WI, and I have gone to TN (where I'm from) and bought one each summer, only to have it die slowly over the winter. In my experience, they are *much* happier outside. They definitely like humidity. (My sister lived in Georgia for a year or two and the parking lot for the apartment building had a bunch of gardenias that were 5' tall as landscaping. I was so excited, but apparently they were all over the place there. She now lives in Miami, and they are huge there.) I finally bought a large gardenia (in TN)--sold as a landscape plant instead of an indoor plant. I kept it by my sliding glass door that faces west. It actually started to bloom indoors this spring. It's outside now. I think they always sulk and lose leaves when you change their growing conditions--even if it's for the better. In my experience, they like lots of sun and humidity. You can't let them dry out, but you shouldn't overwater either. Good luck!!...See MoreHow do I take care of my new Violette de Toulouse?
Comments (9)That should be just fine -- I've kept a Parma in a pot for several years here in the hot, humid, sunny summers of Washington, DC. The more consistent shade you can give it the better (a larger plant would work well) and needless to say cloudy days are your best friend; be careful to water before it wilts too far without keeping the plant wet all of the time, and always be on the lookout for spider mite damage. If you see evidence of the mites, you'll need to spray the plants thoroughly (especially under all of the leaves), and hopefully you can obtain the correct horticultural spray oil (the summer type, which is even more ultra-refined than the winter version, which can harm plants when sprayed on foliage during the warm season). A second spray will need to be applied one week after the first to kill the newly-emerged hatchlings, and that should take care of the problem for a good while. This is a safe, non-toxic solution to the mites if they occur. I've often taken mine in and overwintered it in the refrigerator once it gets too cold outside (low 20s Fahrenheit over night seem to be their natural limit to avoid permanent damage without some protection), but I have also noticed that keeping the plant enclosed in plastic guards against the desiccation injury that I used to think was simple cold damage. Even putting it into a clear plastic bag with the top left partly open is much better than no protection at all; it's mostly important to maintain high humidity around the plant when the temperature drops significantly below freezing, and I believe this is precisely how cold frames keep the plants happy during the winter's coldest weather, in combination with the added warmth and protection of being rooted in the ground, of course. Stefan...See Morehow to take care my new sod lawn?
Comments (11)Who laid your sod? All those seams from the sod should not be lined up and should have been laid in a brick pattern. It's not a huge mistake, but the reason you lay it in a brick pattern is to keep the sod pieces from shifting. I would not apply any weed n feed products or pre emergents until your sod has rooted together and you can no longer see the seams in the lawn. Once you start seeing the lawn green up start watering it to keep the soil underneath moist and then you can apply a starter fertilizer or a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10. You are better off spot spraying the weeds over using a weed n feed product. The weed n feed product don't usually work all that well and cost a lot more. Just be sure not to spray weeds when the temps are over 85F as it may harm your lawn. Once all the seams are gone you can start using the Scott's Turf Builder for the rest of the season. You want to apply 1 lb of Nitrogen every 4-6 weeks, this will help keep the grass healthy and choke out a lot of the weeds....See Moreluis_pr
14 years agoeli_h
14 years agoluis_pr
14 years agoSusan Heneghan
6 years agoMust add my thanks, too! I have the exact same azalea I bought for Easter decor! I live in Cicago and while an avid gardener , I’ve had bad luck with azaleas. Now I think I know why. Thanks again!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years agoSusan Heneghan
6 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years agoMike McGarvey
6 years ago
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