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oregongrape

Growing Salvia Clevelandii in a Container

OregonGrape
11 years ago

I'm planning on growing a Salvia clevelandii 'Alpine' sage in a container. They occur naturally on rocky hillsides in full sun in the chaparral country of SoCal, along with manzanita, yucca, and ceanothus. These salvias like hot, dry summers and are very drought tolerant. They'll grow in a variety of soils (clay, sand, decomposed granite), provided that the drainage is excellent. Some people have had success with growing these in our thick clay soils up here, but they're iffy in this region. (Most likely because, even with good drainage, our clay still retains a ton of water.) Hence my plan to use a container. I plan on potting with a mixture of "cactus mix" potting soil and gravel.

I have two questions: (1) How should I "feed" this plant? After a while, the nutrients from the potting soil will be spent. I will "pot up" to a larger container and add fresh potting soil at some point, but one can only do this so many times. Is there a type of slow-release fertilizer that will work well with Salvia clevelandii? (2) Approximately how often will I need to water this plant if I place it in 6-7 hours of direct afternoon sun? When these plants are in the ground, the watering regimen is about 3-4 times a summer for the first year, and then no supplemental water afterwards.

Thanks in advance for your help.

This post was edited by OregonGrape on Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 2:47

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