are you supposed to removed spent flowers? (pinching). Is a brug considered a blooming tropical? If so, at the hibiscus show I attended recently they told me using bloombooster was a big NO NO for blooming tropicals, to use fert. w/ high 3rd number instead. any comments?
I'm sure it's been asked before, but...
You can remove the spent flowers, but you will not get any seeds if the bees and moths have blessed you with pollination. And, I believe that Monika recommends a fertilizer higher in N and K than P. P being the middle number. Hope this helps you :)
hum, well then that would be consistent with what that person told me. Of course I had to go buy fert. for blooming tropicals and P is the highest, followed by N and a low K.
Do not tell anyone this, but I use what ever fertilzer I have around!!! Brugs are heavy feeders and I figure if one is lacking in something, I go thru them so fast, I will catch it with the next go round. One thing I have noticed is brugs are not picky.
All the ones in the ground, I use the cheap 16-16-16- or 20-20-20 sold at HD. I just toss a handful every month under them. I figure they can take what they want. My brugs planted in the ground are just HUGE and very happy!! I also toss epsom salts and gypsum.
Don't worry Kell, your cyber-secret is safe w/ me....
It has been suggested, because I live in the Delta, and in a former pasture, that I should not disturb the already rich top soil with fertilizer. Everyone that comes to my garden, is fascinated by the rich, black dirt, which looks like the world's best potting soil. I do not want to damage what is here naturally, but they use fertilizer on our rice, cotton and soy beans, so I'm not quite sure why I would not need fertilizer here, except that I do realize the 'fields' have been farmed over, and over, year after year, and, basically, my property has never been 'planted', with exception of my infrequent gardening. I'm going to talk to the county agent, yet again...
Then foliar feed Sherry if you want a little boost. I love foliar feeding.
Kell what brand of foliar spray do you use?
Thanks, Kell!! I do foliar feed and I'm going to start doing it more often - my local pals also suggest that I foliar feed too and I have several products that are supposed to be good. I do want a boost, a bud boost, whew!! I just realized yesterday that the likely reason I didn't have pods earlier last year was because I removed the spent blossoms so quickly. I stopped that late in the season, but too late to have a pod. I hope I remember to duct tape my hands when it's pod time this year!!
I have a dumb flower question regarding the fertilizer. I hear the the P is the nutrient most associated with blooms so I am confused why a smaller p would be advantageous?
Jazz...I just did a search and this is what I can up with on a post about phosphorus...by monika...
To quote " For instance too much of phosphorus in the soil prevents the pick up of others nutriants such as potassium or Iron. Fertilizers for ATs should not have more than 10 % of phosphorus."
I am sure there are more posts out there talking about this very same thing, but this is the only one I located.
Hope it helps!
I use Miracle Grow a lot and a one called VF 11 that I love. I bought Peters last year but I never noticed the growth spurt after I used it so I stopped. I love to foliar feed, I love the activity of it. I have no clue way. LOL
Sherry, I found on most brugs you can gently tug at the skirt of a spent bloom and the ugly part will pull out leaving the calyx and the new pod that is forming. It makes the plant look neater.
Kell...what kind of a sprayer do you use to foliar feed? Just a little hand held bottle or a larger sprayer or a hose-end sprayer?
I do the same with the spent blossoms and it doesn't disturb the new pod that is forming.
Good to see you again!
Thanks, Kell!!! I did figure that out last year, after it was too late for pods to mature. You can bet your bippy that I will do exactly as you described this season!!! Margie, I have a small pump sprayer, 1 1/2 gal I think - big enough not to run out and small enough that I don't need a front end loader to move it around with me...
If I do the whole yard with Miracle Grow I use the Miracle Grow sprayer hose end sprayer. But more often than not I just do my brugs and annuals so I use a hand sprayer. I went thru so many of the ones you buy at HD that when I found the Gilmour one, I fell in love. It does not break after a few uses. And it holds a lot more.
Kell, when you do your 'whole yard', you consider that a foliar spray, don't you?? When I foliar spray, I generally do it with the Gilmour sprayer like yours - I love mine too. Not too heavy but not so little that I have to fill up so often. I never thought about spraying with a hose, because I have my slug DE around the brugs, the ONLY plants that slugs bother here. ...
I use a hose end sprayer for foliar feeding. I fill it with 32 oz of whatever I'm using from ferts to insecticide to liquid fence. Connect to the hose, then set the dial to the correct mix per gallon of water and away I go. In years past I've used tank sprayers, but they're so heavy and a real pain to haul around. I used a Gilmour Hose End Sprayer last year, but I was constantly unplugging it. Now I have a Hudson brand that was around $5-6 at Lowes. I love it!!!!!
Sherry, I foliar feed my Medina Hasta Grow, Liquid Seaweed, Molasses, etc. The plants seem to really like it!
Gretchen, what time of day do you spray?? I hate going out early, but I bet that's what you are going to say, lol! I have vowed not to buy another product this growing season, unless it's an emergency, so I'm going to find something on my shelf and spray away...
Yes, Sherry. I point the MIracle Grow feeder at the foliage of all my plants in the yard and let go. I satuate them. They really seem to love Miracle Grow.
I do not generally use bug spray in a hose end sprayer. I always end up getting it all over me. I can't remember when I used a hose end sprayer besides the MG one. I always had a horrid time like Gretchen did with the Gilmour one. I have a low frustration level. LOL.
I will use the Gilmour hand sprayer if I need to get a few plants with Neem oil. I prefer the Bayer soil systemics so I do not get myself covered.
I am not Gretchen, but in cas eyou want to know Sherry, LOL, I try to spray early enough that the rose foliage dries before dark. However, I am a late starter most days.
sherrylike, I'm with you. I have so many magic potions to make grow, kill, etc etc. I've promised DH I will use all I have BEFORE buying another thing.
That does it, I'm going to try to spray with a hose, again. I've never done it correctly, I don't think, I never know if it's set right and i don't want to kill everything I've planted - I've been known, in one fell swoop, to defoliate a whole side of my garden...
Hose end sprayers are a good thing.
The most chaotic sprayer season I had was a couple of years ago when I was following the Jerry Baker regime, hardcore. Looked like a mad chemist out there and plus I was doing 3 other yards for beer money so I was mixing in 5 gal buckets.
Of course a couple of main stays in JB's recipes are beer and cheap whiskey. Some crazy things happened those summer evenings...
lol lol
Judy
This message was edited May 10, 2005 10:47 AM
oops I have no idea why it kept posting my message... I have NOT been drinking.
This message was edited May 10, 2005 10:48 AM
I'm going to collect all your postings, put them in book form and sell them on eBay .....
lol lol
Judy
dare you! /gggg/
This message was edited May 10, 2005 1:20 PM
A totally new attitude in gardening..... lol lol
ok, I just thought of another justification for my 'beer gardening' approach.
Since brugs bloom at night ... then I can never let my "Bud Light" go out, huh?
ROTFLOL!!!
ROTF, that is funny, Blaine, lol, you are the brug forum derby winner of laughs, the Galloping Gardner!!!!
Sherry -- sorry to be so late in responding, but I usually spray in the early evening, when the sun starts to set and there is not as much "burn" risk. It gets too hot, too early in the a.m. here. In fact, I'm getting ready to go spray tonight. Ugh, I hate it, but my brugs are already looking like Swiss cheese!
well, it appears somebody gave me a good tip. if you read the linked thread, Monika seems to favors using fert. w/ high 3rd number.(April 20, 2002) I guess it is better to use high 3rd # for flowering tropicals. I will try this and see what happens.
thanks for all postings and I will not pinch spent flowers as recommended herein.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/230961
Keep that "Bud LIght" burning 8ft---------:):):):)
Thanks, Gretchen!!! I'm going to spray mine in the evening too but not sure what to spray - thus far, my bug situation isn't as bad as last year, but I've used a systemic, dust, mosquito chunks and DE - I think that is all. I'm thinking I'll use dust again and maybe figure out what to spray, I've seen no bugs and no signs of slugs, but something is doing it, tho I have ragged leaves and holes from the wind, tiny sticks and small hail. I hate spraying too, but like you, I have no other option and will have to wait until tomorrow night, since we are going to a wedding reception and dance tonight and I don't want to smell like fertilizer and bug killer, lol!! Do you happen to know what bug makes hibiscus leaves look like spider webs??? Spider mites?? If so, they are only on the hibiscus, so maybe that's not a bad thing since they are getting ready to bloom...