Question: Anthuriums are my favorite flowering foliage plants, but I have a hard time growing them — in planters or vases. Do you have any recommendations?
Answer: Gardeners wanting long-lasting blooms from their foliage plants should consider anthuriums — also called flamingo flowers and pigtail plants. Waxy spatulatelike blooms of red, pink, purple or white can last a month or more. The plants can be used in the home as accents or in outdoor flowerbeds. Tricks to a long life include keeping the plants in a humid location with bright light but out of direct sun. Anthuriums like a soil enhanced with organic matter. Keep the plants moist but not wet. Make sure indoor plants have good drainage from their containers. Fertilize houseplants with a container fertilizer labeled for foliage plants once a month or as directed. Some residents set their indoor plants on a tray of moist pebbles and mist the foliage several times a week. Use a slow-release fertilizer for in-ground plantings. Remove old blooms as needed and protect them from frost or freezes.
Q. I believe my amaryllis are not receiving enough sun as the leaves are weak and floppy. May I cut the leaves off now and relocate bulbs to a sunnier location?
A. Most likely you are correct in thinking the amaryllis are not in the ideal location. Outer leaves could be sort of floppy anywhere but most should be fairly upright when growing in filtered to full sun. Now is a good time to move the bulbs to a brighter spot. Feel free to cut off the leaves and set the bulbs so the necks are above the soil line. Keep moist but not overly wet as the bulbs go somewhat dormant during the cooler months. Most likely some have formed flower buds that are ready to grow and open in late winter.
Plant Doctor: Sometimes a little neglect brings bougainvilleas into full bloom
Q. When do I need to put my Christmas cactus in a dark place? Last year I did it on the first of December and it must have been too late because there were only a few blooms. Does it need to be watered when in the dark?
A. Relocating the Christmas and other holiday cactus to a dark spot is an old tradition but not a good one. All your plant needs to flower is short days. This means no nighttime light between dusk and dawn. Set your plant in a bright to filtered sun location. Make sure it receives no nighttime light — not even a flicker or flash of light. It benefits from the daytime light and should carry on normal flowering. These short day or nights without light should begin in mid-October to have plants in bloom for the holidays.
Q. We need a new lawn. Do we still have time to install St. Augustine sod or should we wait until spring?
A. Residents can install new lawns year-round but the best time is during fall and spring months. The next few weeks would still be a good time to add new sod so it can establish before the possibility of freezes that could affect a growing lawn. If you miss this time, select late February through early May months as good times to sod a lawn. St. Augustine likes to grow during the warmish weather when you control the water and can still make fertilizer applications.
Q. We have added a new planting of ixora. When is the best time to fertilize the plants and what to use?
A. Ixora provided really great summer color and many gardeners have added new plants. If your recent plants arrived green and healthy for planting, they should have an adequate supply of fertilizer for late fall and winter. Start the first feeding in March and make follow-up applications in May and early October. If permitted, you might also make an August application. Use any general slow-release landscape fertilizer with minor nutrients if your soil has the proper acidity otherwise you may need an ixora-specific product. Ixora plants like a slightly acidic soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Soils above 7.0 are too alkaline and cause poor foliage color. Take a soil sample to your local garden center or University of Florida Extension Office to have it tested. If needed, treat the soil as recommended to create the best conditions for ixora. You may also need to apply a minor nutrient product with plants growing in hard-to-change alkaline soils.
Plant your beets when temperatures are in the 60s and 70s to grow the edible leaves and roots. (Courtesy of Tom MacCubbin)
Q. We like beets. How can we produce a good crop in our garden?
A. Use the cooler weather ahead to start your beet crop. Plantings like temperatures in the 60s and 70s to grow edible leaves and roots. If you have never eaten beet tops they sort of taste like spinach. Sow a row or square of this crop with seeds about an inch apart. Beet seeds are in capsules so expect more than one seedling to appear in a spot. Later thin the seedlings to about 3 inches apart. Keep the soil moist and fertilize monthly with a general garden product. Your crop should be ready to begin harvests within 50 to 60 days.
Q. We have lots of fallen leaves we would like to turn into compost. What is the best way to build a compost pile?
A. Mounding leaves in an out-of-the-way area of the landscape is the simplest way to create a compost pile. Over time they decompose and form soil-like organic matter you can add to landscape plantings and gardens. But if you want to be a bit tidy, build a container with cement blocks, used pallets, wire fencing or similar materials to hold the leaves. Speed the composting process along by creating foot layers of leaves topped with a few inches of soil and a scattering of fertilizer or manure. Make sure the pile is moist but not overly wet. If you want to speed up the decomposition process even more, turn the pile monthly until the compost you need is ready.
Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com.
