I received some candlestick seeds last fall from one of DG members and now I have a beautiful 6 foot candlestick tree. I had no idea that they grow that fast.
Anyway, I want to know are you suppose to deadhead the flowers like you do many plants so they continue to bloom. The flower bloom is so different from the other plants. I need advise.
Mary D.
Candlestick flowers - deadhead or not?
You will want to deadhead just to stop it from going to seed. There will be literally kazillions of seeds in each flower. Which make for kazillions of seedlings next year. Keep a few to share and perhaps reseed in case your tree doesn't survive a freeze. But get rid of the rest. Been there, done that!! :-D
Thanks for replying - will collect some seeds.
Mary D.
Thanks ceejay, I have a candlestick plant that I have almost killed several times but it must have a will to live. I left it alone and forgot about it and it is now about 6' tall,,, no blooms yet and it may be too late for this season. It is still in a pot. I don't know much about this plant, if it freezes or when it blooms, what to feed it ???? But now I know what to do if it ever blooms !
jana
I'm further south then you, Jana, and my neighbor has one for many many years on the South side of her house and to my knowledge it has never froze - maybe Christmas 2004 when it snowed here but it came back. I was in San Antonio a few months ago and they considered the Candlestick -- tropical. Which means it will freeze so I would bring it in when the temp. drop to freezing. You are alot colder and longer than me. I feed the plant BR61- I spray it and put it in a gallon of water and water the plant. I love that stuff. It should flower with that fertilizer, also,
check if it gets enough sun. Alot of plants just won't flower unless they get alot of sunlight. Mine started blooming in June and though it is making seeds, I see new blooms. I love how the plant's leaves close at nite and open in the day time. It really is a neat plant.
Mary D.
I wouldn't bother with bringing it into the house. They grow 6-8 feet tall and bloom in one season. I never fertilized or did anything special, and it just grew and bloomed all on its own. I had some come up in a bed where none had been before, no west sun there, and they did just fine too. I deliberately pulled them up after they bloomed. Just sow a few seeds in the spring wherever you want them, and pull up the extras that germinate, and you'll have a full plant in no time at all. They are so easy...