Expert: Mike Mascio - 6/24/2010

Question
Thanks for reading my question and I hope you can help me. I have cosmos and Shasta daisies that I planted from seeds. They are now out in the garden and growing very fast and have very hardy leaves and my cosmos look more like little trees or bushes but they are not producing buds at all. I think that I may have overfertilized or started fertilizing too soon. I used Miracle Grow bloom booster on them and I don't know if I should have waited until they started blooming before using that or not. Anyway, I just recently pruned down the cosmos to see if the new growth would come in less stalky. Is there anything else I can do the correct the problem that my impatients and overfertilizing may have cause these poor plants. Thanks for any advise you can give me.
Sheila

Answer
I always recommend waiting until the plants produce their first flowers before fertilizing. Otherwise, the plants absorb the nitrogen and produce lush foliage at the expense of blooming.

The good news is that the problem will correct itself. Just hold back on the fertilizing until the plants do produce. Once they do, only apply a fertilizer high in phosphorus at 1 tsp. per gallon every 14 days. Also make sure you mulch the plants with organic matter such as shredded leaves or bark. This will help retain moisture and cool the soil.

I hope this information helps. Please write again if i can ever provide assistance.

Regards,

Mike