Q: I just acquired a Medinilla plant. I have a cylindrical tall
clay pot that I would like to repot this beauty into. Would like to know if a
deep pot is good for this type of tropical plants even if the medium is
lightweight with bark and perlite allowing adequate drainage. Would appreciate
your advice.
A:Medinillas are very close to epiphytes, meaning they like high air
humidity and very good soil drainage characteristics. Clay pots usually provide
good air circulation, as long as they are not glazed. If you add a lot of soil
conditioner into your mix, like orchid mix and perlite, the tall pot will
provide a good drainage. Tall pot is also great for displaying the beautiful
pendulous blooms!
Plastic pots work well too, as long as you provide a well-drained soil for the plant. If a nursery plastic pot is not pretty
enough, you may place it in a fancy planter; however, make sure never let
the pot sit in water, Medinillas do not like wet feet.
Q: I am a rare plant collector and very impressed with your
plants selection that I can not find in our local nurseries in California. I have
never ordered plants online before and wonder how they make it through the
trip and do you suggest any special care to help plants with recovery?
A: Shipping live plant in a box for several days is definitely a
challenge both for a plant and for a grower. After many years of experience
packing/shipping plants we learned how to make that trip a success. Thanks to
our special packing techniques, breaking during shipping happens very rarely.
However, in order for the plant to recover well from normal shipping stress,
some special attention required from a customer too. You will receive care
instructions with your order. Make sure to follow them thoroughly, otherwise
you may put your plants at risk. These are a few factors to consider that
affect your plant during transit. They may cause the following symptoms of
shipping stress:
1. Lack of light. Complete darkness in a box is opposite to a
bright light that the plant was used to. After 2-3 days it may cause leaf drop.
If this happens, make sure to reduce watering. Less leaves means less
evaporation, and a plant can't use excessive water which may cause root rot.
2. Extreme temperature. Hot summer or cold winter temperatures
may put a tender tropical plant into serious shock. Usually the only time when
temperature may affect the package is when it is left outside on your
doorstep. Watch out for delivery by tracking the package with a number we provide in
shipping confirmation email.
3. Dry air and lack of water. When packing plants, we saturate
root ball and then wrap it tightly in plastic so normally your plant will have
enough water supply for a 3-4 day trip unless there are unexpected delays. In
a special package, the plant usually has enough of humid environment around
the leaves, especially if there are several plants together. However if the
box was exposed to heat it may dry out, and this will cause yellowing and/or
drying leaves. In most cases this is not critical; cut damaged leaves and new
growth will appear soon.
The shipping stress symptoms are normal and once you apply some extra
attention and love, your plants will recover sooner than you think. Be patient,
don't push with too much water or light, keep warm, in bright shade, and do
not fertilize until the plant shows new growth.
Remember to always use SUNSHINE Epi - a natural bio-stimulant that helps stressed plants to
recover quickly!
In the South. It's getting cooler in subtropical areas, and
garden work becomes even more enjoyable. Your garden now is in the most perfect
shape after summer vigorous growth. It is the best time now to run the last
trim before winter, as well as last fertilizer application. Clean up your yard without sweating off,
add mulch to help plants to survive through possible winter chills. Don't
forget to start reducing watering! Remember once temperatures drop below 65F,
tropical plants slow down or stop growing and go into winter dormancy sleep.
Up North. When temperatures drop below 45F, start bringing
sensitive plants indoors or into protected areas. Prepare/cover greenhouse, check
availability of covers (sheets, plastic) and condition of heaters. Plants
indoors will experience environment change, may drop leaves, and need different
care than out in the sun. Reduce watering, check for insects once a week, and
stop fertilizing until spring. Remember to pick the brightest spots for
overwintering your tropical plants!
Enjoy cooler weather, fresh air, and thank yourself for a wonderful work
you have done in your yard!
Q: I have a bunch of Ladybugs in my garden, I wonder if they
eating my plants? Do I need to get rid of them?
A: Ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) is, in fact, one of the
best insects you can find in your garden, it is a natural predator that takes
care of many bad bugs, including aphids. Keep them happy and bring them to your
garden. Ladybugs actually are cultivated as natural pest control, and you
can even buy them for your yard, instead of chemicals!
Ladybug larvae eating aphids:
The wonderful insects that dine only on landscape pests and don't harm
good bugs or plants are called 'beneficials', and ladybugs definitely fall
into this category, but not the way many people think. It's the ladybug's larvae
that are voracious predators of soft-bodied problem insects, especially
aphids.
Photo below:
One of our PeopleCats, "Innocent" Ladybug (a.k.a. Bug)
is wondering who else she can bug next...
