Howard Payne's blog : Flowers
Flowers
Your flowers need loving care during their early weeks
of growth in the garden. If you pamper them now you will be rewarded with
beautiful blooms during midsummer. There are several jobs you should perform to
produce sturdy vigorous plants. You can find info about all planet flowers with
garden
plant identification by leaf.
Fertilizing: Most flowers will need some extra
fertilizer after they start active growth unless your soil is very rich.
Observe the color of the leaves. If they become light green or yellow, you
should apply a side dressing of a fertilizer containing nitrogen. Use about 1
pound of 10-10-10 per 100-foot row. Sprinkle the fertilizer evenly around the
plants covering the entire space between the rows. Scratch it into the top inch
of soil with a rake. For quick action, water the garden thoroughly to dissolve
the nitrogen and move it down to the root zone of the plants.
The amount of side dressing you use must be adjusted
according to the fertility of your soil and the needs of your flowers. The 1
pound of 10-10-10 per 100 feet of row is suggested for an average garden soil.
If you have an infertile, sandy soil use 1.5 to 2 pounds. On fertile, loam soil
use only half the suggested amount. If the leaves of your flowers have nice,
dark-green color, you may omit the side dressing entirely.
Plant Height: Low, compact, flowering plants are more
attractive in the flower bed or border than tall rangy ones. Also, tall ones
may be broken during wind or rain storms. Therefore, when your plants are 5 or
6 inches tall, pinch off about 1 inch of the main stem. Several side branches
will develop. These may then be pinched back when about 4 inches long. The result
will be a bushy plant that will produce a large quantity of flowers. This
pinching practice is particularly useful for the taller growing varieties of
aster, larkspur, marigold, snapdragon, and zinnia. Alternatively, you can
select some of the shorter cultivars available to control plant height.
Disbudding: If you prefer a smaller number of larger
flowers than the mass of blooms you get for the double-pinched, compact plant
described above, pinch only once and allow not more than four stems to develop
on each plant. As the stems grow tall, remove the side buds that develop in the
angles of the leaves. This is called disbudding, and it allows the top flower
bud to grow large and have a long straight stem.
Disbudding is commonly done with dahlias and chrysanthemums
and for producing specimen blooms for a flower show or exhibit. Inspect your
plants every few days and remove the side buds as soon as they are a half inch
or more long. They will break out easily if pulled sideways on the stem.
Support: If your plant stems grow tall, tie them with
soft cord to a stake for support. Unsupported stems with a large bloom on top
may be easily broken in windy weather.
Moisture: Your flower garden needs adequate moisture
to promote continued vigorous growth. During periods of drought apply water by
using a sprinkler or special perforated irrigation hose. Wet the soil
thoroughly to a depth of about 5 inches whenever it becomes dry. A light
sprinkling will give only temporary relief, while deep watering allows water to
get to the plant roots where it is needed most.
Aesthetics: During the entire summer remove all faded
and dying flowers. This will improve the appearance of your garden or border
and promote continuous blooming.