Laurel Sumac - UPDATE

access the Photo/History page for the Laurel Sumac to see more about this tree

Looking at the photos from last month & this month, you will probably notice a difference in the color of the leaves, which was diagnosed as an iron deficiency, attributable to the pH of the soil being too alkaline (over 7.0) & depriving the plant of the ability to absorb iron present in the potting mix. (the Bouganvillea also suffers from this problem, but more severely)

The Sumac, like many other plants, prefers & needs a slightly  acidic (below 7.0) mix in order to absorb iron & other minerals. There are multiple ways to do this, including using a fertilizer that is manufactured specifically for plants that need a slightly-acidic soil mix. 

As you can see, the leaves are now "greening-up" & the new leaves are coming out green, not yellow, as before. 

Now if someone would teach me how to properly prune this tree to show off it's best features...well, I'll have to work on that. 

Dwarf Pomegranate - UPDATE

 exerpt of most recent entry to the Dwarf Pomegranate Photo/History page

Hard to see from this photo, but the Pomegranate has grown and grown faster than I expected..especially seedling/saplings that have been shipped via USPS or a commercial shipper & been in-transit for several days.

He began sending out shoots within days of root pruning & potting, usually an ordeal that some specimens take weeks &/or months to recover from..

Keeping with the planting-angle that he had when received (see un-boxed photo above) the trunk/main stem is set at an angle & the trunk will develop some interesting curves, I think, as the tree grows.

Also, when he arrived, all of the foliage was on the "front side" of the plant..over the last few weeks, we have been able to start rounding-out the canopy..it's about 50% right now. 

If he continues to grow at this rate, I will have to put him in a full-sized tray, which are, normally, the reserve of older, more established plants.

If you can't tell, I'm very happy with this juvenile & I look forward to watching it grow & develop.

Star Jasmine - 2nd Bloom

The Star Jasmine has decided 'once is never enough' & has put out a new set of blooms..that's twice in 60 days!

I don't know if this is business as usual for this tree, but I'm not complaining.

visit the Photo/History page for the complete Star Jasmine story

Just for Fun - Wk 7

 Dwarf Tomatoes

Nothing to report..still have 2 plants which are flowering..and since fruit comes from flowers, that means we should start seeing fruits starting to form..I'm guessing, but within 30 days or so..

Observation: these plants are VERY sturdy..main stems are trunk-like..easy to see why these bush tomatoes need no staking.

I continue to prune the lower-most branches as it becomes obvious that they are superfluous .

NM Hatch Chilis

Little to report as Chili's continue to mature. These plants are still in 4" pots, except for 1 plant that is older then the rest (earlier start). 

They are all budding & the older plant is actively flowering with little white blooms, that hang down..this is also where the fruit will form, I think.

All of these plants look healthy & happy, although it has been suggested that I put the tomatoes on a tomato fertilizer rather than stick with Miracle-Gro for plants that prefer lower pH soil conditions. (The particular formulation I've been using is for Azealea's, Hydrangeas, etc.)

Let's hope next week we have perhaps small fruit starting to form?

Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) 'Brilliant' - UPDATE

 exerpt from Photo/History page for the Hibiscus ; to see the complete record, click on this link or use the Tree Inventory Menu, on the R-H side of every page

 I think I've remarked more than once about the resilience of this little tree & he has proven it over the last 4-5 months, during which he has endured & survived not only "hard pruning", but a total chop-down to a stump & major root reduction commensurate with a cumulative 60-65% of what we started with, last February.

Today, after yet another root reduction (including the tap root) I was able to repot the Hibiscus into a training pot.

It's been a long road just to get to this stage, which is where most of our specimens begin. To illustrate this, I lined-up the progression of containers that he has occupied since Feb 4 (acquisition date).

 

I was looking for a project when I encountered the Hibiscus on the "50% off" table & so far, he has sure lived up to expectations...now, we get serious.