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| HIBISCUS GROWERS TELL THEIR SECRETS | |
| Published: September 27, 1997 | |
48 potted hibiscus plants thrive on this regimenQ:My potted hibiscus plants bloom occasionally but arent very pretty? Can you give me some tips for getting them to bloom?A:Ted and Doris Schrade, who grow 48 hibiscus plants along their driveway on Fanny Drive (near St. Pious Church), have tips that have helped them grow car-stopping, eye-popping plants.First, because part of their planting is in full sun and a smaller part in filtered shade, they can quickly point to the superior bloom of those in sun, and there in lies their first tip. Full, direct sun! Next month, in mid-October, pencil-sized stems of their plants will be pruned so that five eyes remain. Smaller stems will be cut back to two eyes. A sealer will be applied to all cuts. Cuttings will be potted. When temperatures go to 35 degrees, and until danger of frost has passed, the plants will stay in a portable green house heated by a kerosene heater. During this period each plant will be given one cup of Peters 20-20-20 diluted at half-strength every other week. Full-strength fertilizing with 20-20-20 every other week will begin when the plants are moved from the greenhouse. At this time the first of three feedings of Ironite, one cup per plant, is will be applied. Ironite will be applied again at the same rate near Memorial Day and on August 15. Magnesium, in the form of Epsom salts, will be applied at the rate of one-half cup per plant just after buds appear, and again around the Fourth of July. Dolomite lime will be applied at the rate of one handful per plant some 4-5 times a year, or when the leaves look yellow. The potting mixture for plants and cuttings is composed of one bag each of pine-bark mulch, cow manure and humus, all purchased at local discount garden centers. Containers, which are built by Ted, are 18x18x18-inch cypress boxes with hardware cloth at the base, each holding about 25 gallons of potting mix. Spraying as needed with Spectracide Bug Stop takes care of most bug problems. Kumquats dropping fruitQ:I have a six-foot kumquat tree planted outdoors in a container. It is loaded with green fruit and has beautiful healthy foliage. I give it 20-20-20 every other week, and it continues to put out new growth and to bloom intermittently. Some of the kumquats are starting to ripen, but they drop off as soon as they turn light yellow. Please tell me why this is happening and what I can do.A:Its normal for a heavily fruited citrus to drop the fruit that it cant hold, and this usually happens after the fruit begin to enlarge in summer. Another possibility is that trees that have been given large applications of nitrogen tend to shed their fruit in favor of vegetative growth, and your plants continued new growth and bloom may be indicators of this condition.Try reducing 20-20-20 to once a month, or apply a slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote once in spring and once in summer. |