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Hydrangeas are budding up nicely all around
this area, but still lots of green veins on yellow leaves. That indicates lime induced
chlorosis and signals that you need to add iron chelates to your soil or pot to remedy. It
will not effect flower colour but increases plant vigour and the size of blooms. Pots of Hydrandeas or any other plant for that matter will see
significant increases in soil temperature if left in sunny aspects after 10 am in the
morning from now on. Soil temperatures in small pots can be as much as 10-15_C higher than
air temperature. This is enough to put plants into crisis mode, so move your pots to only
get early morning sun.
Heat stress on pots and delicate plants in the garden can
be largely prevented by using applications of kelp or seaweed extracts, which are rich in
alginates, that retain the turgidity in the plant cells. Commercial growers also use these
products to reduce the effects of frost in autumn or spring for the same reasons.
If you are serious about water conservation, the first
measure should be to mulch your demanding plants. A layer of 10cm of composted mulch, has
been recently shown by CSIRO trials at McLaren Vale, Virginia, Lenswood and Coromandel
Valley to reduce water use by 60% on vines, almonds, capsicum, carrots, citrus, cut
flowers, cherries and potatoes. |
