Hi everybody, got a small outdoor container garden going on in Auckland, NZ. I'm a gardening noob and am having some problems with only 3 of our many plants...
Would much apreciate it if you could have a look at the pictures, and let me know what you think might be wrong...
The very wilted looking Swan Plant - not enough water? too much water?:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4127721732_2aa90fe23a.jpg[/img]
The brown looking palm or something - not enough water? too much water?...
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/4126950015_e1606d7dc3.jpg[/img]
The not so great looking straw berry plant that we got a couple nice strawberries off of:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2552/4127722168_7e3bf52ece.jpg[/img]
Cheers! Thanks in advance...
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gardenNoob
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- Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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applestar
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Welcome to the forum. 
You have some lovely containers.
Glazed ceramic containers do hold moisture, so you do need to be wary of overwatering. Do the first two black containers have drainage holes?
Also, the soil in the Swan plant (I had to look it up -- I'm SO happy to see that it's a food plant for Monarch caterpillars! My kids and I raise them to butterflies and release them after tagging them every year ... but I digress) looks a bit overly organic and humusy. Asclepias fruticosa is described as a roadside plant originally from Arabia and South Africa, so if it's anything like A. tuberosa, I suspect that it prefers gravelly/limey well drained soil kept on the dry side. (If this container doesn't have drainage holes, I really recommend you move it to one with, or even to an unglazed clay container.)
The 2nd photo, the soil looks heavy to me. Does the water seep right into the soil when you water? Also, I'm not positive, but it looks like some kind of a Dracaena, maybe draco? If it is, it also needs extra well-draining soil on the dry side. I believe they also prefer shade. Could it possibly getting more sun than it needs? It doesn't seem to belong, grouped with the Swan and the strawberry.
As for the strawberry plant, from the elongated leaf petiole/stem and flower/fruit stems, I suspect it wants more light than it's getting right now. You'll probably get more fruits then as well. The plant itself looks healthy otherwise, though.
Hope that helped.
You have some lovely containers.Glazed ceramic containers do hold moisture, so you do need to be wary of overwatering. Do the first two black containers have drainage holes?
Also, the soil in the Swan plant (I had to look it up -- I'm SO happy to see that it's a food plant for Monarch caterpillars! My kids and I raise them to butterflies and release them after tagging them every year
... but I digress) looks a bit overly organic and humusy. Asclepias fruticosa is described as a roadside plant originally from Arabia and South Africa, so if it's anything like A. tuberosa, I suspect that it prefers gravelly/limey well drained soil kept on the dry side. (If this container doesn't have drainage holes, I really recommend you move it to one with, or even to an unglazed clay container.)The 2nd photo, the soil looks heavy to me. Does the water seep right into the soil when you water? Also, I'm not positive, but it looks like some kind of a Dracaena, maybe draco? If it is, it also needs extra well-draining soil on the dry side. I believe they also prefer shade. Could it possibly getting more sun than it needs? It doesn't seem to belong, grouped with the Swan and the strawberry.
As for the strawberry plant, from the elongated leaf petiole/stem and flower/fruit stems, I suspect it wants more light than it's getting right now. You'll probably get more fruits then as well. The plant itself looks healthy otherwise, though.
Hope that helped.
