A- Indoors
Light- as much light as possible. Sunny window is best. Turn every few weeks so plant does not grow one way.
Temperature- will tolerate temperatures as low as 50 degress F. (10 C)
Watering- allow to dry between watering. Can be neglected. Suggest watering every 2 weeks with a good soaking. Water stress will show if the leaves start to wrinkle. Underwatering better than overwatering.
Pruning- Generally pinch off the new growth to control the plant’s shape. Don’t want to get long stems between the leaves. The plant grows with opposite leaves. As a branch grows, pinch off the end whenever there are one or two leaves. This way the plant will stay bushy.
Fertilizing- shouldn’t be needed until about April. Then feed with a water soluble fertilizer such as miracle grow or 20-20-20. 1 teaspoon to 2 litres. Use the liquid fertilizer about once a month.
Future pruning- right now the plant is sort of a bush. As the height increases, you could consider removing the lower branches and leaves to make it more like a tree.
Repotting- Next summer, once acclimatized to outdoors, suggest lifting out of pot, putting half to ¾ inch of potting soil in the bottom and re-planting. Then remove a half inch of the soil on top to expose the roots.
B- Outdoors
In summer, it is good to put outside when danger of frost is past (after June 1st through to early October in Southern Ontario.) Acclimatize to outdoor sun by placing in an area with no direct sunlight for 10 days. Then move gradually to full sun.
Plant will grow quicker as the weather gets warmer. Trim regularly. Any trimmings can be stuck in a pot and they will root quite easily.
Watering in the heat of the summer when outside can be as often as every other day.
Fertilize once a month- when outdoors.
See these plants earlier in the summer.
1 comment:
i like plants,
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