newbie needs advice how not to kill her plants!

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by oceania, Jun 17, 2005.

  1. oceania

    oceania Member

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    just outside of toronto
    Advice on: Jasmine Tree, Fuschia, Oleander & Clivia for novice

    Hello,

    Last week I purchased four plants:

    1) fuschia
    2) clivia
    3) oleander
    4) jasmine tree (murray p, sorry don't know spelling)

    I live in a high rise apartment building that faces the east. I have all the plants indoors except the fuschia which I brought in yesterday. I've killed just about every plant I've had with the exception of the spider plant and this other aloe vera type plant....oh and my bamboo sticks...lol.

    Anyways, the problem is the fuschia flowers are dying, since I've brought it in and watered it, I see new flowers.
    fullview of fuschia
    close up of fuschia

    The Jasmine Tree smells wonderful and has green leaves but the petal are dropping like crazy and when I look at some of the flowes they're drying out.
    petals falling out
    close up jasmine
    fullview of jasmine


    The Oleander only has one flower that's bloomed and the other spots where it's supposed to flower is kinda dried. 2 of the stems are starting bend over...I guess I have to buy one of those sticks for support.close up of oleander
    oleader full view

    I watered these 3 yesterday for the first time (when the soil was almost dry...I realized I made a mistake with Fuschia by doing this)

    The Clivia seems to be fine but today one of the few flowers on there fell. :( The Clivia isn't in sunshine and I haven't watered it yet because Iknow they should dry out.
    clivia picture
    Last week the weather was hot and humid, this week it has been cloudy, raining and windy.

    I've bought 15-30-15 fertilizer for the oleander and jasmine adn I plan on getting 10-20-10 for the other two and feed them this weekend.

    Please offer any advice so I can keep them alive! I bought all of the plants from a reputable nursery and was told it doesn't need to repotted until next year (clivia even longer).
     
  2. oceania

    oceania Member

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    No one's responded yet :-(

    Well just a little update. The Clivia has lost all 4 of the flowers. The Jasmine Tree has no flowers blooming (the magnificient smell is gone), the Oleander still only has that one flower in bloom, no others have started. Fortunately, none of the leaves are browning/dying...so that's a good sign, right? The Fuschia, I'm kinda worried about...most of the flower have dried up and died there are still 2 left. I'm not sure if this was happening before but I noticed some browning on parts of the leaves...it's on a handful..I'm not sure what that means though. I make sure to keep it wet and in partial shade.

    Can anyone tell me how much water I should give each plant...i.e. a litre each?

    I'm planning on using 15-30-15 fertilzer on all 4 of them this weekend...the directions say to mix w/ 8 litres for large plants and 3 litres for small. I think 3 litres would be way too much water for them...I don't want to drown/over water them. Could any of you recommend something to me, juding from the pics I have?

    Thanks so much. :-)
     
  3. oceania

    oceania Member

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    Also, are there any plants that I could get that will flower every summer (preferably for most of the summer) in hanging baskets for my balcony? If it won't flower every summer, is there some plant that I can get that will bloom at least until now through Sept?
     
  4. oceania

    oceania Member

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    One more question for the night. I'm thinking my Oleander is getting pretty big...will it be ok to hae it in the same pot until the spring or should I be repotting it now....the leaves are growing like crazy...there's 4 sticks/branches/roots (not sure what you call it) 2 of them are going off to the side.
     
  5. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Hey oceania, actually I think your plants look pretty healthy for the most part. I believe the "jasmine tree" is Muraya paniculata. This will be an indoor plant for you (could be put outdoors for summer). It likes part shade, can tolerate dry conditions, I would water it when the soil starts to dry at the surface, but don't soak it, keep on the dry side in winter. It should only need to be fertilized once per year in early spring. The fushia should do well outside for the summer. It can be overwintered indoors and put out again each summer, it likes bright light, but not intense full sunlight. They bloom all summer, not sure why yours would not be blooming now - could be adjustment to moving or change of conditions, too much nitrogen. I think they like to be fed, but use a bloom formula. I don't know much about oleander, also an indoor plant for you, give lots of light. Clivia - don't know much about that one either, indoor, don't think it needs or likes bright light.
    I would caution you on the over use of fertilizer. Many plants don't need to much. For potted plants you can be inducing excessive growth, causing them to out grow their homes. Fertilize gently.

    Hope that helps and gets us started,
     
  6. oceania

    oceania Member

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    Thanks for your reply Eric. I guess I got a bit carried away b/c the Jasmine is budding again!!!! It should be blooming flowers by early as Friday, I can even smell the scent.

    The Fuschia is coming along, all the flowers dropped but I see buds for new ones.

    I put in a support stick for the Oleander, it definitely needs to be repotted next year, it's getting bigger and bigger but still no flowers :-(

    The Clivia is in the same state...no flowers.

    Pier Imports had a sale on today, 50% on fake flowers...I bought Gerberas, Dahlias and Water Lilies...no more fresh cut flowers for me. :-)
     
  7. dusdal

    dusdal Member

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    Hi Oceania,

    Just a quick thought about the fertilizer... Flowering can be related to stress for plants - though not too much, of course, since that might just kill them off! But if you're supplying them with so much fertilizer that they have all the nutrients they could possibly want, they may not feel any need to flower and reproduce themselves. Also, if you got them from a nursery (especially a good one) they might already have slow-release fertilizer added to the pots, and they might not need any extra for quite a while. Maybe you will want to take a look and see if you've got some spherical things in the soil mix - typically they are sort of beige, faded orange, or green.

    Hope that helps!
    Meghan
     
  8. maremosso

    maremosso Member

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    Hello Oceania,

    it looks like you really like tropical plants (except for the Fuchsia, of course).

    I have all (except for the Fuchsia) in my garden in Goa, and they albsolutely demand several hours of full sunshine every day. Needless to say, they are in the ground, not in pots.

    Oleander has a tendency to grow as a spreading bush, but can be trained as a standard. In its natural habitats, it will flower for several weeks a year (summer, lots of sun), followed by a dormant period (winter). As a standard, it definitely needs support. It loves humidity and needs a well drained but always damp soil. Too much fertilizer will make too many leaves and no flowers, in between flowering times it needs to go dormant for a while. Moving the plant to a different exposure will cause stress for a while. Give it a chance to get acclimatized to the new surroundings - meanwhile, no overfeeding.

    Murraya Paniculata also does best with many hours of direct sunshine, but also needs humidity. Again, it has a flowering period (spring in Goa, late summer here in Buenos Aires), but needs to rest in between . Soil should be well drained but moist.

    Clivia - as far as I know, it will only bloom once a year, though the flowers last quite long. In my garden in Goa it flowers around Easter.

    I have no experience with Fuchsia, as it will not grow in the Tropics, and doesn't do well here in Argentina. It's wonderful in Europe, though!

    Good luck!
     
  9. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Hi Oceania,

    You've already gotten some great advice and I agree that your plants look very healthy. I'd like to add that waiting to repot a plant because of a season isn't the best way to go. Potted plants should be repotted when they need it. I think your oleander should be repotted. Take a look at the drain holes. If you see roots then it's time. This site should be helpful.
    http://www.ourgardengang.com/containerpotting.htm

    Here's some helpful sites about fuschia.
    http://www.fuchsiaclark.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
    http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/publications/freepubs/HGA-00333.html

    You should find these conversations about clivia interesting.
    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/safrplt/msg0120161228328.html
    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tropical/msg0512364820979.html

    Newt
     

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