new to this - and suspect i'm making a big hash of it!

Hello,

I'm new to gardening but this year I decided to give it a go in containers on my patio. I've planted up loads and I posted a question the other day in the trees forum because my pittosporum had suddenly started losing leaves and someone suggested it was due to overfeeding. I'm not sure if that's the problem with that particular plant but in one of my planters i've got a honeysuckle and clematis (arctic queen) and I suspect i have overfed them. I used those miracle grow tablet things and followed the recommended dosage (at least i think i did!) plus i've been giving it a liquid feed each week. The new leaves on the clematis are brown at the very edges like they have been burned and it should be in flower by now but isn't. I do water it every day deeply in hot weather (less so today as bristol has been raining) with a hose.

I've tried to remove the tablets but i don't want to disturb the roots too much (I couldn't find the tablets as they are too far into the container). These plants have only been potted for a couple of weeks but i'm wondering now if i should repot them in case they die off or is this an even bigger no no??? I suppose i've learned that not all plants require the same amount of food as my dwarf crabapple seems to be doing very well on the same feed. I dont' even know if its acceptable to have both honeysuckle and clematis in the same container?! I have read conflicting advice on how clematis likes to grow and i'm just stabbing in the dark here.

Oops, sorry didn't mean to ramble on so much - I'm just so frustrated at not having a clue! . It's not all bad as some of my containers are positively blooming but if anyone can advise on the clematis / honeysuckle, I'd be very grateful.

 

You are overfeeding your plants, clematis and honeysuckle will grow fine together, but they need enough room-what size of container have you put them in may I ask?


Unless you have put them in too small a pot then leave them there and completely drench through the planter-you need to get that weekly liquid feed diluted.



And don't feed them again-the slow release granules are plenty enough without additional chemical feeds.


Plants obtain food through photosynthesis, I feed my plants with a little boost with Fish Blood and bone( which are in the soil and in the planters) twice a year, once in very early spring and once in Early Summer-and that's it. They don't need it. You will attract pests and disease by overfeeding your plants, at the very least you reduce the flowering by increasing foliage.


I do understand why you do it, you care for your plants-and nothing is worse than starved and deficient plants struggling by in a neglected pot, but you aren't neglecting your plants.


Honest-trust them.

 

Hi PatioP and welcome.

First, I know nothing about Pittisporum or Honeysuckle and not much about Clematis. However I am not convinced that you are over feeding them. I feed all my pots once a week (when I remember) and sometimes give them the Osmacote low release fertiliser tablets as well. I have never had any signs of overfeeding. I never feed my plants in the border as they get all the minerals they need from the soil. but plants in pots have no source of minerals other than by feeding.

I think the main symptoms of overfeeding are that you get too much growth. This can be detremental because it makes plants bigger and floppier than you want. Also as you approach winter too much growth means that they are ill prepared for a cold winter - they are too soft. And as lollipop says by being too soft it can encourage pests. But that doesn't seem to be the symptoms that you are describing.

I am not sure about your problems, but I have been having problems recently. The leaves on some of my plants have been going either yellow, or purple at the edges. This is caused by cold weather and plants that are not properly hardy or hardened off. This may or may not have any bearing on your problems.

 

Hi,

Thank you both very much for responding. I really do feel as if I am flailing around here! Most of my plants are in 40x40cm planters, which I think (hope) is big enough. The trees are in bigger ones.

I have not been that consistent with the feeding (mainly because as I've been buying new plants i've been discovering new feeds). All of my plants were planted with bonemeal but only the honeysuckle / clematis and the dwarf malus have the tablets (as well as their weekly feed).

I will definitely calm down on how much i'm giving them as i can't see what else would be causing these burns at the edge of the plant. It's got a nice sunny location and it's well watered. I also took note that the roots need to be planted deep and in the shade for the clematis.

I don't do things by halves - in the last month I've decided I want a garden AND taken on some ex-battery chickens, so BIG learning curve but great fun and all on a concrete patio in the centre of Bristol! :D

 

When you say you don't do things by half - you have exactly the right idea. At the end of the day gardening is all about experience, and getting stuck in is the best way to get that. Also I find forums like this help a lot, there is lots to be picked up from other people, and sometimes it just gives you the incentive to do a bit of Googling of your own where you always learn something new.

Plants in pots are usually in compost. For long term pots, such as for trees, it can be a good idea to incorporate some garden soil as well. Compost slowly decomposes into smaller pieces with time. And the smaller particle size means that it won't drain as well after two or three years. The addition of soil, which won't degrade in the same way will help the drainage. Soil also has nutrients and minerals that compost doesn't have. It also adds weight which can stop plants being blown over. So a 50% compost 50% soil mix would be good. But don't worry about it, plants are very tough things and will thrive under a wide range of conditions.

 

I must admit I am guilty of a bit of over feeding myself.

For basket and tubs (containing annuals) I use the slow release tablet feed and then also miracle grow them once a week, 2 scoops per watering can and each basket or tub gets a watering can full each.

For the shrubs in the borders I use the mirclegrow feeder that attaches to the hose and do that about once a week also. I have never seen any signs of doing any of the plants any harm though.

You are right though PeterS ....... its all about learning

 

You are far from flailing about, and I think everyone probably overfeeds at first-it comes from caring.

Gardening is a healthy mix of common sense and luck, I haven't ever killed a plant from giving it too much food-too much water? absolutely, but not too much food, you just make it more susceptible to disease and pests. Lay off a bit-and if you have a digital camera post up some pics so we can geta good look at what may be wrong-there are plenty of clever peeps here who can give advice on a specific problem.

 

hi patiop i would just like to add, my climbers etc are all in pots i only use 1 scoop of feed to my waterng can and also iff you water your plants in full sun the leaves can go yellow or brown best time to feed is first thing in morning before suns out depending were your sun rises and in the evening after suns gone down, hope this helps also like you i feed mine once a week. hope this helps

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Very helpful. I'm away for a long weekend but when i get back (assuming the b/f hasn't killed everything off - he's really not into it), I'll post some pics and you can see what you think.

 

patiop your welcome have a nice weekend away, look forward to seeing your pics keep my fingers crossed b/f hasnt finished them off haha