This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under
GDPR Article 89.
Re: Heliotropium arborescens
It is likely that Mr. King is getting blackened tips and spindly growth
on his heliotrope because of too little sun, as Michael Bailes suggests,
or bacterial infections in the plant (which nothing can be done about
except to throw out the plant) or too much fertilizer (which something
can be done about). According to Tovah Martin in her wonderful book THE
ESSENCE OF PARADISE (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1991, ISBN
0-316-54845-6), “sun is the primary requisite for ikeeping heliotrope on
hand” (the name means “turner towards the sun”) ... Too much fertilizer
will produce similar results, with blackened leaf edges to boot. To
avoid these hazards, feed your heliotrope with 20-20-20 once every three
weeks in spring, summer, and fall. In winter, give it a monthly
half-strength-diluted feeding if you are growing in a greenhouse. In a
window, don’t fertilize between November and early March.” I have always
found Martins advice superbly useful, since it was born from her many
years as manager of Logees Greenhouses.
Rand B. Lee, Freelance Writer & Intuitive Consultant
Founder and President, The American Dianthus Society
Founder and President, The North American Cottage Garden Society
505-438-7038
randbear@nets.com
"It is only when the prisoner realizes he is in for a life sentence that
he begins to
decorate his cell and make friends with the guard." --Chogyam Trungpa
Other Mailing lists |
Author Index |
Date Index |
Subject Index |
Thread Index