Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Loropetallum Chinese..
Recent happening in the garden..
Today I managed to sneak outside with camera to capture some pictures.. just noticed my loropetallum chinese covered with captivating sizzling pink flowers…its so lovely. The plant just had the first pruning last month and within a week it bloomed profucely.. how delightful..
Monday, December 8, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Enjoy the Red Hot bloom
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Busy Week In The Garden
Below are my newly built raised garden bed. This was actually a pretty big garden project done last couple of weeks... Newspapers were laid over the entire area as a lining to stop weeds by preventing light from reaching the grass. Soil, manure, compost were added to amend the soil and fill the bed... Second picture shows one of the raised bed filled with ground orchids and impatiens with them. (ada lagi 4 batas kan di kerajakan... ngalih kali ah..)
What's blooming today? Asters! This is the first time I started Asters from seed...they are doing very well... sweet colour & beautiful bloomsTuesday, May 20, 2008
Reply to nature lover
General tips to yield a good looking petunias
Petunias require a location where there is plenty of light. If they are getting spindly, they might not be getting enough direct-sun. I recommend you to expose the plant so that it receives 4-5 hours of morning sunlight. The plant will wilt and die if expose to excessive heat. Make sure you place them to a spot where they get some afternoon shade.
When sowing seeds, do not use garden soil as it will not yield good results. Sow them in a moist, well drained medium. Commercially prepared seed & potting mixes work best like HORTI seeds & potting mix, free from weed seeds and diseases. They can be easily obtained at our local supermarket dept store like Supasave, Hua Ho or Soon-Lee Megamart. It contains vermiculite and peat moss to prevent drying out. You may try ‘BVB peat moss soil for sowing seeds which is available at AE Enterprise at Sg Liang or Kilanas Branch.
If you grow the standard garden petunias which mostly grows upright, pinch them back when they are six inches tall, to encourage the formation of side shoots. Pinching helps to produce a well-branched, compact plant and bushy. Do not pinch wave or trailing petunias.
Standard petunias require diligent dead heading. Remove faded flowers, including the portion below each flower where seeds will develop to prevent seed maturation and encourage repeat blooming. In order to keep the plant look fresh and healthy you have to dead head to guarantee neat plant that flower profusely. I do these to my petunias! If they get really leggy, shear them back. Picture below shows my grandiflora has been sheared. It may take a couple of weeks for them to start looking good again!.
Do not allow the soil around the plants to remain excessively wet for several days, as this can lead to stunted growth and increase the risk of disease. Petunias don’t like wet feet nor do they like to dry out. Only water when needed. Hanging baskets dry quickly and need more frequent watering depending the volume or size of soil, wind and other conditions. You need to check your pots often to see if they need to be watered.
Fertilizing depends on the product you use, read the label direction. You may use organic fertilizers like ‘baja amina’ or inorganic chemical fertilizers – ‘baja biji merah or hijau’ according to the instruction lables, taking care not to place them close to the stems and avoid applying to the foliage. If used carelessly can burn the plants! I like to fertilize my petunias with with water soluble fertilizers, easy to handle and simple to apply, so keep them well fed. Finally, keep an eye out for whitefly and aphids, if they become a problem, use a recommended brand of insecticide. Usually I treat them with ‘‘malathaion 57’, apply when insects are present. Don’t forget to deadhead and removed any damaged flowers or leave, this will reduce the spread of any pest or diseases that may rise.
Okay, so that's it for now, if anyone has more finely-tuned tips specific to petunias, it would be great if you could aslo share them. I hope you enjoy reading these brief tips and happy gardening!!
NO PETUNIA IS CARE-FREE