Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Day 62 Watering Plants at Night

Another easy change. Water should go to the roots, not evaporation. Hence, I may get to water less.

I have quite a few plants around my place. Two African violets, an English ivy, a couple of tropical looking things that I picked up at Ikea, a philodendron, an azalea, a majesty palm, my herb garden and giant pot of rosemary, and then there's my gardenia tree.

This tree has given me more trouble and stress than any plant I have ever owned. It is a difficult specimen, preferring acidic soil, just the right amount of water and light, and perfect temperatures. The reward for all of this? Gorgeous, utterly fragrant pure white blooms against dark green glossy foliage. I love this tree beyond reason. Which is why I am super stressed right now that the leaves are turning yellow (no, no drainage problem) and while it is covered in buds, the buds bloom slightly, turn yellow, and die.

Time for some research. I will not lose this plant.

5 comments:

mudnessa said...

Doesn't sound like you will have this problem but be careful when watering in low light. I watered my potted pine tree I use as a Christmas tree one night and poked my eye really bad with one of the big needles. Not fun and now I try and do early evening waters instead of late night.

Toria said...

When our gardenia leaves start turning yellow, I sprinkle some epsom salts around them. It has some trace elements in it that gardenias need. I think you can make it into a foliar spray as well, but I've only ever used it solid & watered it into the ground.

Kim from Milwaukee said...

Yes, epsom salts are great for plants, and you may want to try putting used coffee grounds as a mulch, since it's acid loving. I've never been able to grown ivy until now, because I've been dumping my leftover coffee in the pot, and it's growing like crazy!

Little Green Penguin said...

Thanks Kim! These are great ideas. I don't have a coffee maker, but I wonder if Starbucks will give their used coffee grounds. Better than spending money on epsom salts.

Allie said...

I always put used coffee grounds on my plants too, and when I have tea bags, I just open up a used bag and stick those on as well.