About The Long Island Gardener Expertise Do you know the wrong fertilizer will keep your plants from blooming?
Do you know that too much Nitrogen can kill your grass, even if it does not burn the roots? Do you know that Roses need a LOT of Nitrogen to bloom -- and why is that?
There's some complex chemistry in those plant foods. The secrets behind N-P-K are the key to the ultimate lawn, the the biggest flowers, the most fruits and vegetables. And if you don't get it right, you could be sorry.
I'll show you what you did wrong, and how to fix it.
Experience Homeowner with gardens indoors and outdoors, lawns back and forth. I wrote my first gardening column for our college newspaper, teaching roomates about the right way to feed those windowsills gardens. Today I look for challenges. Organic Fertilizers are the key to proper feeding of all our plants. Can you make your own fertilizer? Some people think so -- but there are side effects. I have been there, done that for 54 years and there is nothing like the voice of experience when it comes to Horticulture and Fertilizers.
Publications Numerous and sundry but only in college did I write about plants.
Education/Credentials B.A., Botany and Mass Communications.
Fertilizer - Arapaho Crape Myrtle Bloom lossby wind and rain
Expert: The Long Island Gardener - 8/6/2008
Question At the end of the 1st full year out of the bucket and into a drought ridden ground site that was regularly watered once or twice per week with 1-3 gallons from July 07 to date, and on Memorial day was circled with 6 Miracle Grow fertilizer spikes, plus one 1 gallon solution of Miracle Grow in late June when the ~8' 4 cane Arapaho Crape Myrtle exploded with bright delicate red blooms just before being flattened and whipped like a paint shaker by a tree felling, cane loosening wind storm which hastened a puzzling early bloom dropping, i. e.,4-5 weeks. Stronger later blooming myrtles are just peaking. Apart from the storm damage, can you explain why this characteristically repeat blooming hardy Arapaho bloomer has slowed to an apparent stop?
Answer Just a suspicion, but are you familiar with the symptoms of Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtles?
Technically, your Arapaho suffered a basic breakdown leading to premature senescence of flowers. You did not mention your location, so I am limited in what suggestions I can make, but if your region's humidity is very high, or if certain other factors are present, Mildew will take over the farm. Winds are very drying when they come without rain and this can stress your Arapahos enough to bring about the semi-dormant state it seemed to regress into.
Lots of research is being conducted to identify causes of senescence in the plant kingdom. As this question in 10 years and I'll be able to write a whole volume on the care, feeding and flowering of these beautiful trees.
