1. Do some plants just die for no reason? This is my first year planting anything and some plants are doing awesome (spacemaster cucumber, bell peppers, finger carrots, and regular and cherry tomatoes) while other things have died (lettuces, some herbs, and blueberry). I can't really work out what went wrong on the dead ones. I followed all directions. The only possible thing I can think of is too much sun (Florida sun with zero shade). But even the blueberry (sunshine blue) was supposed to be good with lots of sun.
2. I bought some fish emulsion today but it was in one of those containers you connect to a hose. I'd rather put some in a watering can since I just have a few containers and don't want to hose down my patio with fish, lol. Any idea how much to put in the can and how often to use it? The directions don't say anything about watering cans. (Note: I did put some miracle grow plant food in the soil when I planted everything per the instructions of the lady at the nursery)
3. Since my blueberry bush didn't make it, is there anything else I can plant in that pot? It's 50/50 potting soil and peat moss so it's pretty acidic. The weather is very hot with a ton of sun.
4. Lastly, I am really liking this container gardening. What are some other plants (veggie, fruit, flower, leafy, etc) that would do well in full on sun in hot Florida weather?
Thanks!
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rainbowgardener
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No plants don't die for no reason. There's always a reason and in order to do better next time, you need to figure it out. Every plant has a certain set of conditions it likes and a range it can tolerate. That includes amount of sunlight, amount/ frequency of water, nutrients, soil acidity, etc.Mirrasi wrote:1. Do some plants just die for no reason? This is my first year planting anything and some plants are doing awesome (spacemaster cucumber, bell peppers, finger carrots, and regular and cherry tomatoes) while other things have died (lettuces, some herbs, and blueberry). I can't really work out what went wrong on the dead ones. I followed all directions. The only possible thing I can think of is too much sun (Florida sun with zero shade). But even the blueberry (sunshine blue) was supposed to be good with lots of sun.
2. I bought some fish emulsion today but it was in one of those containers you connect to a hose. I'd rather put some in a watering can since I just have a few containers and don't want to hose down my patio with fish, lol. Any idea how much to put in the can and how often to use it? The directions don't say anything about watering cans. (Note: I did put some miracle grow plant food in the soil when I planted everything per the instructions of the lady at the nursery)
3. Since my blueberry bush didn't make it, is there anything else I can plant in that pot? It's 50/50 potting soil and peat moss so it's pretty acidic. The weather is very hot with a ton of sun.
4. Lastly, I am really liking this container gardening. What are some other plants (veggie, fruit, flower, leafy, etc) that would do well in full on sun in hot Florida weather?
Thanks!
Commonest reason for lettuce to die would be too hot, too sunny, and/or too little water. (The hotter / sunnier it is, the more water it needs.) Depends on what herbs, but if you are talking about things like oregano, sage, thyme, lavender, rosemary, commonest reason for them to die would be too much water and/or too little sun.
The blueberry likes sun, but depending on where you got it from, it might not have been adapted to full sun and might have needed to be hardened off gradually. Otherwise, I don't know what happened without more information, but they do need plenty of water, but not water-logged.
Re the fish emulsion, it's not an exact science and it would be hard to hurt your plants with it unless you REALLY overdid it. I'd just put a tablespoon or two of it in your watering can and stir. If you have outdoor cats or raccoons, I'd cover it up with some kind of mulch with its own smell - pine needles or cedar chips or something. Otherwise the animals will often dig up your plants to try to find the fish they know is there!
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applestar
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- Let's see, it might be too late in Florida, but if daytime temps stay in the 70's I think you might still be able to plant potatoes IF the container is big enough (size of a 5 gal bucket or more). you would empty about half of it, put down a piece of sprouted potato cut to about chicken egg size ("seed potato") with one sprouted eye on it, then cover with a couple of inches of potting soil. Then as it grows, keep adding back the soil. (one option might be to start the seed potato in air conditioned indoors just until the sprouts start to grow, then you should be able to put it outside)3. Since my blueberry bush didn't make it, is there anything else I can plant in that pot? It's 50/50 potting soil and peat moss so it's pretty acidic. The weather is very hot with a ton of sun.
- Strawberries can take acidic soil. Be sure to get everbearing or day neutral variety suitable for hot Florida so you will get fruits all season rather than just in spring.
- Maybe, if not too acidic, young figs or dwarf citrus that are small enough for pot culture could begin their initial growth in this pot, but eventually, they'll need a big container like 20-25 gallon.
- You could try rooting a pineapple top in this pot.
- For flowers, how about Indian azalea?