Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the
spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already
have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to
ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants
and you.
From discussions in the previous posts, you now know that the
interior tropical plants that you have set outside are getting more
light and more water and more frequent watering. They want to grow.
Essential to good, healthy growth is the application of nutrients.
You will want to feed your plants. I differentiate between
fertilizing and feeding.
Fertilizing is the application of a product with significant content
of the 3 main nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. To
fertilize foliage tropical plants we use and recommend Plant Prod
15-15-18. To fertilize flowering tropical plants we use and recommend
Plant Prod 15-30-15.
Feeding is the application of a product with much lower content of
the 3 main nutrients. We use and recommend Atlantean Products
Specialty Fertilizer Original Blend. Part of the blend is seaweed
that contains 59 trace elements that are beneficial to your plants
and not included in the chemical fertilizers. The nitrogen,
phosphorous and potassium are present at the rate of 2-1-1.
When tending the tropical plants indoors, we fertilizer at ¼ the
recommended rate, once a month. Every other time that the plant
needs watering we feed at the rate of 7 drops per litre of water. It
may sound more complicated than it actually is. (In fact, you can
download a pdf that I created to more fully explain our application
procedures and the products that we use right here and click on the Nutrient Application pdf.) Note: Do not use
both products at the same watering.
Now, back to your plants that you have put outside. Follow a similar
application procedure as for indoors. The difference will be that
because you are watering more, the fertilizing and feeding that the
plants actually receive will also be more. Set up a
fertilizing/feeding cycle – one time you will fertilize and the
next three times you will feed. Then start your cycle again and
continue. Do not increase the rate of fertilizer nor feed that you
mix. If you apply too strong of a fertilizer, you will risk burning
and stressing your plant. (You cannot apply too much of the
Atlantean Products Specialty Fertilizer Original Blend; however, the
plant will only use what it needs and the rest of the nutrients and
trace elements will just be wasted.)
So let me know what is going on with your tropical plants that you
have put outside for the summer. Next post, we will continue this
series with a discussion about trimming and pruning.
Palm Update
 |
| New Growth |
In a post dated June 7, I showed you a picture of my Neanthe bella palm that I had planted outside at the trailer. It was showing signs of sunburn and stress. As we have since discussed, the palm is recovering nicely, as shown in this more recent pic. The overhanging trees have filled in to provide a nice shade canopy to reduce the amount of direct sunlight hitting the palm. I am encouraged by the new growth.
Angel's Trumpet
We
put 3 Angel's Trumpet plants up at the trailer a couple of weeks ago.
This week, one has presented us with the first of many, I hope,
magnificent blooms. This bloom is 7 inches wide and 13.5 inches long.
The flower closes somewhat during the day and has almost no fragrance.
But at night the bloom opens completely and sends out a very strong and
very pleasant fragrance. When the breeze blows I can easily enjoy the
smell from my seat on the deck. Very special indeed and I'm looking
forward to many more.
And one more thing ....
We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca/featured-plant.php . We are offering all of our artificial ferns at 40% off until Monday, July 23.
Things
are quieter during the summer months, so we want to shake things up a
bit by offering to you exceptional savings on all of our in-stock
artificial ferns. We have Boston Fern bushes in small, medium, large and
extra large. We have also included Asparagus (Springerii) Fern Bushes
and Spray, Maiden Hair Fern Stems and Leather Fern Stems - all at 40% off.
