About Diana Hamilton Expertise I can answer questions related to flowering and non-flowering house plants, and herbs. I do not know very much about cactus, orchids and bonsai
Experience For 20 years I owned a florist where I sold cut flowers and all types of house plants and accessories and gave advice to my customers.
Publications I have not had any writings published but I have presented gardening programmes on television, showing viewers how to care for their plants, giving them ideas on suitable plants, discussed problems with experts in different fields and given practical demonstrations on growing seeds, planting tubs and hanging baskets, watering, feeding, pruning etc.
Education/Credentials I am completely self-taught
Awards and Honors I have exhibited plants and flower arrangements in many Flower Shows winning many prizes.
I have had a Somona succulent for about 4 or 5 years now, which has been producing bright peachy-pink flowers throughout the year, and in larger numbers every Summer. This spring I noticed some new flowers that were a really pale pink, mixed with white... And all the new flowers that have started to bloom since then are even more pale and more and more white. The plant has been in the same sunny window for a couple of years now, and the leaves are not faded or bleached - just the flowers. Do I need to fertilize more often? Could you tell me why this might be happening?
Thank you,
Monique
Answer Dear Monique,
I wonder if it is possible for you to send a photo of your plant and the botanical name?
The usual reason for colours fading is lack of fertiliser. The main components of plant fertilisers are nitrogen for leaves, phosphates for roots and potash for flowers. Potting compost usually contains enough nutrients for a couple of months but after this a fertiliser must be used during the growing season - feeding is then stopped or greatly reduced during the dormant period.
My preferred fertiliser is in powder form which disolves in water but you could use a liquid fertiliser or sticks. But whichever you choose make sure that potash is included.
