Expert: C.L. Fornari - 7/13/2006

Question
i live in the most north west part of alabama. it was 100 degrees today. I am new at gardening. i went out today and bought  10 potted plants (begonias) and 4 potted impatients.i sprayed and soaked them all with miracle gro bloom booster. i placed the impatients on my front porch and the begonias are on the edge of the front porch.
is this best for them? how often do i need to water them? is there anything else i can do to keep the blooms big and blosoming all summer?

Answer
Vickie,
I'm assuming that the plants are still in their pots - if so, you'll need to water them every day if it's that hot where you are.  Less often on cloudy or cooler days - for the first week or so, lift the pots and see how heavy they are.  Then water and lift again - you'll soon learn to tell if they need water just by the weight, then in the future just pick one up and see if you need to water it.  

The best way to water is to soak the pot once, do all the rest, and then soak all of them a second time...then wait until they are dry, but not wilted, before watering again.

Begonias can be prone to crown rot if the surface of the soil is kept constantly moist, so only water when the soil is dry (pots are light)

Never fertilize a thirsty plant - ignore the labels that tell you to fertilze every time you water - fertilize every other week, only after you water.

Imaptiens are easy and should flower for you well into the fall - just don't over or under water, and don't give too much fertilizer.
all the best,
C.L.