General Questions on Flower Garden

Dear friends
Do share any queries related to flower gardeining here. Also if anyone is planning to grow flowers please share it with us. Its always wonderful to hear about everyones plans.

hello,
i am having shoe flower at home. for every summer season there are white patches formed and as weell many red ants are found due to which the plant dies.
this is a great problem for me every year and i have lost many different colors of shoe flower plants and vrishi because of this . pl do tell me some remedy.
bye
deepa

Hi all,

Anyone tried out planting sunflower? I am going to take that risk inspite of the height.

And, also have planted cosmos too; there is a small tray with a tablet made out of coconut fiber. If you pour in warm water, will automatically increase in size. Though the price is little high, a good way to grow up the plants for the initial stage particularly in north east.

Thanks AC for starting this topic.

Rgds.

Originally Posted by deepavenkatesh

hello,
i am having shoe flower at home. for every summer season there are white patches formed and as weell many red ants are found due to which the plant dies.
this is a great problem for me every year and i have lost many different colors of shoe flower plants and vrishi because of this . pl do tell me some remedy.
bye
deepa

You did not mention if you fertilize or spray etc..
hope this helps :)

Sparse foliage

Apart from insect infestation or the general poor conditions that result from undernourishment, the most frequent cause of sparse foliage is insufficient sun. Site hibiscus in maximum sun.

Crinkled leaves

Check for aphids or leaf hoppers on the undersides of leaves. Large colonies of aphids can suck the life out of leaves before they are noticed. Remove the affected leaves along with the offending insects. If the infestation is severe, try spraying.

Deformed and sickly foliage

If it is possible or likely that your hibiscus has been exposed to systemic insecticides, it will quickly sicken. Hibiscus do not tolerate systemic chemicals, such as maldison, which are absorbed by the plant. Good feeding and watering may help it recover.

Yellow leaves

Yellowing of leaves at the base of branches and stems occurs naturally as the hibiscus sheds old foliage. If yellowing occurs higher up the stem, especially at the growing tips, it could indicate magnesium or iron deficiency -trace elements easily added to the soil. Alternatively, the discoloration could be a sign of over-watering or over-feeding with chemical fertilizers, in which case suspend both. Yellowing is another sign of exposure to systemic insecticides.

Yellow leaves with green veins

Yellow leaves with green veins are a clear indication of iron deficiency. Apply a good feeding of compost and manure, and scratch in kelp meal or seaweed. Iron chelate is often recommended specifically to target the deficiency. Dig this in lightly -never pack down tightly around the stem. Mulch, kept clear from the base of the stem, can also help.

Other leaf discoloration

Brown margins might be windburn, in which case watering and light feeding can restore health. Persistent and prolonged windburn, indicative of a windy climate to which hybrids may not be suited, is a problem that might be best solved by replacing hybrids with wind-tolerant coastal species.
Salt toxicity also shows up as brown leaf margins. Treat with generous watering. Leaves that turn brown at the tips, purple at the edges, and become brittle could indicate a lack of potassium.

Frost damage

Once frost has damaged your hibiscus, there's nothing you can do. If severe, the plant may not recover at all; if light, it will struggle back of its own accord to produce new growth in spring. Do not prune affected parts until the weather has warmed and new growth is established. If you live where frosts can be expected every winter, you may consider pot culture to enable you to move the plant to shelter each year.

Weeds

Any weeds growing around a hibiscus are competing with it for nutrients. Remove them. Remember that the feeding roots of hibiscus are very close to the surface, depending on the same top few inches of soil occupied by weeds. The easiest way to keep the area weed-free is to thoroughly clear it before covering with a layer of mulch; the mulch will keep the weeds at bay.

Lawn encroachment

When hibiscus are sited in a lawn, an area of about 3 square feet (1 square meter) should be kept clear of competing growth. Mulching will deter the grass from encroaching again.

Lichen

Gray, green or silver lichens occasionally establish themselves on old mature trees. They won't bother the hibiscus but may bother the gardener. It would have to cover and smother the whole shrub before harming it. However, if you want to remove the growth, scrub it off with a scrubbing brush or apply Bordeaux paste in winter.

Ants

Many ant species are valuable predators. They only invade hibiscus if there's something there for them to feed on, and although the odd ant may be attracted to nectar, ants in large numbers are usually after the honeydew excreted by aphids or mealy bugs. Deal with the aphids and the ants will go too. Moisture is an ant deterrent -they increase in dry places -as is pyrethrum spray. Banding the base of the hibiscus stem with Vaseline will prevent ants from traveling further up.

Poor flowering

Few flowers in an otherwise healthy plant may result from too much shade, or, if sun is adequate, from excessive nitrogenous feeding which promotes leaf growth at the expense of flower production. Bud damage may also be a cause.

Buds but no flowers

If your hibiscus are under attack from borers or beetles penetrating the buds before they open, the ground will show the evidence. The treatment of removing all buds, both from the bush (including the tips of branches) and from the ground below, and burning them, followed by insecticidal spraying, should reduce the problem, but may not eliminate it.
Bud drop can also result from lack of water during warm sunny weather; it is important not to let hibiscus dry out.

Flowers appear late in the season

The most likely cause of late blooming is sun and temperature -not enough sun and not warm- enough temperatures.

Blooms change color

The hybrids sold today are the result of years of intensive hybridizing, of crossing one with another, and often backcrossing again to achieve desirable attributes. As with many such "manmade" garden plants, dominant features of parent plants or earlier ancestry occasionally appear after they have been bred out. Sometimes hibiscus revert to colors of an earlier form; sometimes they'll revert from double to single, from ruffled to unruffled, or from overlapped or windmill single to plain single. This happens most often out of season, while true-to-type blooms can be expected in summer and fall.

Originally Posted by Ami

Hi all,

Anyone tried out planting sunflower? I am going to take that risk inspite of the height.

And, also have planted cosmos too; there is a small tray with a tablet made out of coconut fiber. If you pour in warm water, will automatically increase in size. Though the price is little high, a good way to grow up the plants for the initial stage particularly in north east.

Thanks AC for starting this topic.

Rgds.

I have planted sunflower seeds indoors. they have all sprouted and so far good :)
I think you are talking about peat pellets Yes they are very useful for beginners.

Hi all

Yesterday I bought a Tulip Flower Pot (Rose colour) from WalMart....But I dont know how to maintain it. But want to grow more & more flowers in our balcony (we are in second floor & our balcony is facing the north direction and facing the road side).

Pl let me know the process of manuring, watering the plant....

Originally Posted by ssubhasr

Hi all

Yesterday I bought a Tulip Flower Pot (Rose colour) from WalMart....But I dont know how to maintain it. But want to grow more & more flowers in our balcony (we are in second floor & our balcony is facing the north direction and facing the road side).

Pl let me know the process of manuring, watering the plant....

You have already bought it in a pot, for now, just leave as is. Water when soil gets dry. soil should be moist to touch. Also read the small tag of instructions that came with it.
When the temps start to warm up, you will see so many more plants and flowers for sale in all stores. buy the ones you like and enjoy :) all they require is water and fertilizer like miraclegro will work. you can even buy liquid fertilezer too.

Originally Posted by anandchitra

You have already bought it in a pot, for now, just leave as is. Water when soil gets dry. soil should be moist to touch. Also read the small tag of instructions that came with it.
When the temps start to warm up, you will see so many more plants and flowers for sale in all stores. buy the ones you like and enjoy :) all they require is water and fertilizer like miraclegro will work. you can even buy liquid fertilezer too.

Thank u soo much AC ma'm....

The tag shows the following details : (am zero in gardening......pl help me)

- Part Sun
- Water - Medium

Now the temperature outside is 1 degree celcius....I jus kept the pot in my balcony....is it ok ? or shall i keep the pot inside our home ?

That is good to note down that you have already given a try. Mine was done by just yes., Yes you are right abt the name.

My mom gave me kozhakattai mandharai poo seeds last year when went to Chennai. Hope it will come here too. Will let you know once done..

Rgds.

Originally Posted by Ami

That is good to note down that you have already given a try. Mine was done by just yes., Yes you are right abt the name.

My mom gave me kozhakattai mandharai poo seeds last year when went to Chennai. Hope it will come here too. Will let you know once done..

Rgds.

Hey Ami...

nice to see another NJian here!!

So how do you manage the winter.. All goes inside our home, but do you have specific light setting or anything?