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| PLUMERIAS BLOOMS DEPEND ON REGULAR APPLICATIONS OF FERTILIZER | |
| Published: October 03, 2002 | |
QUESTION:My three healthy plumeria plants are several years old. They bloomed beautifully the first year, but last year, and so far, this year, they have not bloomed. I fertilized them once last spring with a slow-release fertilizer. Would more fertilizer help?ANSWER:Lafayette gardener Nancy Rowe who grows plumerias says that the Plumeria Society recommends weekly applications of fertilizer during the growing season, alternating Peters 20-20-20 with a bloom booster (something with a high middle number like Superbloom). Also, she has noticed that some plumeria cultivars take longer to bloom than other. She mentions that her Teresa Wilder cultivar that has been growing for about seven years finally bloomed this yearThe flowers are nothing spectacular. Nice, sort of rose-scented, but fairly standard.Nancy root-prunes and repots each spring, adding a handful of superphosphate to each pot, along with an application of Epsom salt. But, she believes, the key is relentless fertilizing. More on Rangoon creeperKay Durant, Lafayette, writes about the evergreen vine known as Rangoon creeper or apple jasmine (Quisqualis indica): I planted this native of southeast Asia next to a fence. It vines 20 feet or more in either direction. Mine is in full sun, blooms well, smells great at night, and dies down to the ground when the weather freezes. In mid-spring it pops up and gets going. I have two problems with it. So far, Ive not succeeded with cuttings, for which Ive had many requests. The other problem is that its a pain cutting that hard, dead wood out of the fence each year. Pyracantha poisonous?QUESTION:Isnt pyracantha poisonous? I thought it was. The berries are inviting to children because they resemble tiny apples. I know, because I grew up with the stuff!Gail Wildman, Youngsville ANSWER:My references report that its a myth that pyracantha berries are poisonous. The fact is that pyracantha berries are edible and that a number of gardeners make pyracantha jelly to enjoy on their biscuits. My literary friend Chuck Hamsa decided to research this question on the Internet, and came up with the following recipe:To extract the juice, boil a pound of pyracantha berries in cup of water for one minute. Strain the juice through clean cloth. To one cup juice, add one teaspoon lemon juice and one package of powdered pectin. Bring to a hard boil. Add cup sugar and continue a rolling boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour into hot, sterilized jars. I will appreciate hearing from anyone who makes pyracantha jelly, and will be happy to publish a report on the results. |