i am continuing to pretend this is summer. i just went off several times about the temp last night! its absurd that i am wearing hoodies in july. good sleeping weather though.

The aberrational cold weather did not affect us but did hear about it. Actually, been very pleasant 80-85 days, 62-68 night range. Expecting more heavy rain on Thursday but 80's. But don't see hazy, hot, HuMID in the extended forecast and that is unusual for early August--almost autumnal. You need to expect the unexpected though. I am sure the weather will roast for you soon enough!

I just fertilized yesterday. Usually, I feel inspired when we head into an extended period of sunny days (that means 2-3 days in a row here.). Figure less gets leeched out by heavy rain and some gets into the plant. Hoping for a better end of the season than from March-June (too WET and overcast!)

Hi Toni!

I have a confession...I'm a chronic under feeder. Never at full strength and not nearly as often as recommended. I know my plants could perform better for me if I was more attentive to this but I tend to procrastinate so these are the consequences and I accept it.

The lows you are describing are here to the north and the east of you as well,but I wouldn't let it stop me from feeding...after all the daytime temps are still warm enough to make for happy plants and even though it's overcast,the clouds let through enough light that photosynthesizing a little lunch shouldn't be too much of a problem so I wouldn't hesitate...unless I was putting it off again! LOL

I'd kill for some cool days ;-)

Toni, it's the opposite here...I watch the temperature climbing into the high 90F's, and I fret about fertilizing when the plants are stalled from the heat.

Yesterday and today, we've been swamped in smoke from some gawdawful fire burning in Oregon (Medford, I think), as well as a fire down near Fresno. Anyhow, while the smoke is terrible, we have had two days in the upper 80F's...a welcome respite. It's 86F right now at 6:10pm.....

Josh

Toni, being in the same area I know exactly how you feel! The pools are deserted here, there is no sun and it is shockingly cool, I think we had a high of 65 one day. No need to fear though, it looks like we will go back into the 80's soon. But I personally miss the 90's we had, hopefully they will come back!

Hi Toni!

Don't be afraid to fertilize, though you can certainly make your solution weaker. Remember, even though it's cooler, days are still long. Daylength is a critical factor (THE MOST CRITICAL) in stimulating growth activities. I don't blame you for being conservative...I would, too....but do keep up with it.

Toni, I'm just a few miles from you and even without fertilizing our garden is growing well. You should just take care of everything as you normally would.

Don't miss the heat at all. I hope the rest of the summer is like this!

Morning All,

Sradleye. Yep, wearing a hoodie in July is unheard of!
Wearing winter clothes in July, day & night is absurd!

I try being optimistic, but autumn/winter weather is overwhelming. I have SADS...to think, I'll be depressed twice in one year IS depressing.
Don't get me wrong. Autumn is a beautiful time of year. Leaves are colorful, a certain 'school days' scent in the air.
Oh well, guess those of us who are not winter people have to live with it.
Just think, only 8-months until spring. :)

NJ...85F days and 68F nights sound wonderful.

I love T-storms, especially at night. Even day time T-storms are nice, 'every-so-often.'
But day after day of clouds is another thing.
Today is no different. Woke at 7:30..okay, I thought, it's still early, maybe the sun will shine by 10-noon. No such luck. It's drizzling and sunless.
It's 71F so far, but they're claiming 80F w/isolated T-Storms. Tonight, 64F. More rain.
Except for Fri, high 78F and T-Storms, the remainder of the week is supposed to be in the 80's w/sun! Hope they're right this time.

Do you honestly think IL will be roasting soon? lol. July and Aug used to be the hottest months of the year...What happened?
Could it be from chemical usage? Spraying poisons over fields, in the air, etc.

Like you, 'probably,' the hotter the temp, the higher my energy.

Oh, that's another problem With all the rain we're getting, will fertilizer wash out? Would that not be wasteful?

Nj, would you happen to know the name of your Palm. I love it!
I have a palm that resembles yours, but NOID. I bought a few palms from a, 'now-gone,' online nursery called Botanical Treasures.
Palms were small, potted in cone-like-shaped paper.
IMO, palm reminds me of a desert-palm, non-tropical.
So, do you happen to know its variety?

BTW, your palm is 10-times larger and in better shape than mine. :)

Asleep. lol.
Like you, I'm a procastinater. But, even when energy is low, I motivate myself, and get fertilizing over and done with.
Hey Asleep, we could cheat..sprinkle pellets on soil, lol. Actually I fertilize with various ferts depending on plant.
Fertilizer spikes aren't worth the time or money.

You're better off fertilizing half-strength. Manufacturers want consumers to use more, so they have to buy more.
They don't care about our plants...their priority is $.

Most brand-name fert directions read, 'example,' two-teas, once a month, or one-teas, twice a month. Guess it depends on those who enjoy fertilizing opposed to, um, laid-back people. :)

Although cloudy, perhaps plants outside can be fed, but I feel bad for indoor African Violets. They're probably starving. "feed me, feed me!"

Josh. I feel so so bad for people who live west. Not because of the heat, but the roaring fires.
Are they still burning?
Don't know if you believe or not, but each night I say a little prayer for the fires to end.

Josh, have you lived in CA all your life? If so, were fires as bad, say 20, etc years ago?
I recall people, 'possibly conspiracy theorists' say, they believed people were intentionally starting brush fires to draw attention. Just wondering.

Hope you and others out west remain safe, and those awful fires end.

Josh, I haven't been watching the news much these days. Way too upsetting.
That''s the reason I didn't know if the fires were still in progress. I pray they stopped and western states remain fire-free. For good!

The smoke alone is horrible.

Danny, you're funny. WHAT?
In the first thread you said, 'I personally miss the 90's.'
In post two you wrote, 'Don't miss he heat at all. I hope the rest of the summer is like this.'

ROFL. Which is correct? Heat vs cold?

Yep, they're predicting 80's, which is fine with me. 60's in July is too cold. Jeans instead of shorts weather. Blah.

BTW,. someone, 'can't recall thread name, an oldie,' was looking for you. Think it regarded Philos.. Did you see the thread?

Hi Rhizo! Days were longer, but since the day after the first day of summer, it's getting a little darker, a minute or two each day.
Also, because it's been cloudy, 24/7, it doesn't matter if it's 10am or 5pm. Clouds blend in until bedtime.

For instance, it's 12:40pm..If we didn't have clocks, it could be 10pm. Even my birds are confused. lol

Oh well, hope the weather-people are right about the temp. 80's!

Thanks for replies, gals and guys. Toni.

Hopeful, I am mostly frequent the palm forum, sometimes citrus, conifer, trees, shrubs, houseplants once in a while. My goal has been to get more and more of the plants OUT of the house. So, over the years, I have gotten involved with more plants that can take some degree of cold and either protecting them or planting them in the ground. ('Houseplants' that are now on there own for several seasons planted outside include...Podocarpus, Canary Island Ivy, Aspidistra, a few palms, and a hardy gardenia.)

Yes, the palm in the picture is Butia capitata (Pindo Palm). I purchased it a mere few years ago on eBay--small. It spent its first Winter in my basement under florescent then left for the great outdoors (Winters in the garage along with a few other Butias, Queens, Dates, Washys, Oleanders, and Citrus). Have not primarily grown them in the house so can't say how they would be as a 'houseplant'. They do grow fast! What do I have left in the house as houseplants?...cacti and succulents (good thing this year), often have put these out too for the season but they would have drowned in this dreary summer! also left inside is Chinese Evergreen, ZZ Plant, and one Diffenbacia amoena. That's it.

Wasn't me that wrote that Toni, it was "delreytropical". I never miss the heat.

Nj. I stopped by the Palm forum. I used to visit palms every so often.
Thanks for the name. I'll Google, see if there are smaller Butias then compare.
Do you consider Butia a tropical or desert palm?

I wish 90% of my plants could be kept outdoors, year round.
The year before last, except for 2-weeks, most would have survived. Last winter, was terribly cold.
A few perennials and M. Basjoo died from the cold. I pray this winter is warmer than last.

Let's see, plants I keep indoors. Sansevierias, Aglaonemas, Calatheas, AV's, Philodendrons, Palms, Scheffleras,...oh too many to name. lol.
This year I placed a few Calatheas/Stromanths outside, but there's darn ants all over the shelves.

How tall is your Podocarpus? Do you find Podo's to be slow-growing?

Ohhh, hardy Gardenia!!! One of my favorites.

The only plant you keep in the garage that doesn't do well as a house plant is Queen. Remainders do fine.
Oleander needs a cool, semi-sunny room. If one can provide cool temps and a south window, O blooms in winter. .

Thanks again.

Danny, I apologize. Between my darn eyesight, and darkness, lucky I can read anything. So sorry. :)

Did the sun pop out about 6:30pm? I can't believe it. Wish it'd been bright all day.

A few minutes before 5, 'when I make dinner,' I fell asleep on the chair. lol. Autumn effects in July.

Have a great night..gonna watch a movie. Take care, Toni

Hey, Toni!
There are always fires burning it seems, and we've had many lately...mostly grass fires from idiots with cigarettes. We had a big one two weeks ago when a vehicle was being towed and a metal rim was dragging on the road! Then, today, a fire caught from some dumb kids using those gas-bomb things to kill gophers in a dry, brushy field...that was less than a mile away, but it was put out quickly.

I've lived in California my entire life, and I can honestly say that the fires have always been bad. And, yes, people do set fires purposefully, especially down south when the Santa Ana winds kick up. Those sick people ought to be dragged into the street and shot, in my opinion.

Summer in California has always been smoky. Lightning starts fires in the mountains, and this was recorded by Indians and early settlers alike. In fact, the smoke used to be much worse. Now, however, we do control burns and we have quick response teams, so things aren't as smoky as they were in the 1800's.


Josh

Pellets!!

Toni you're a GENIUS! ...With all the rain and the worry of wasted liquid fert...pellets was the answer all along!

I soooooo gotta get me some of those!

Thanks Toni! :)

I fertilise houseplants every four weeks - I've recently become convinced it's best to keep going all winter rather than stopping, though at a weaker mix.

Hopeful, I don't know about Washingtonia as a houseplant--can be dangerously prickly, as with P. canariensis (Canary Island)---that one and a few others can take out an eye!

As for the Oleander, I am not one to go to hysterics over poisonous plants and their cats in the same house (I think most of the most common houseplants are toxic to some degree) but but that one is quite toxic.

Citrus can be tricky indoors but best for he house is definitely KUMQUATS and Calamondin (itself a kumquat x mandarin hybrid, I believe).

Butia (Pindo) is a subtropical species that can take some cold in Winter. It is not a desert species and likes its water (as do most true desert palms, so they grow over aquifers, e.g., Palm Springs) As I said, while it was smaller, it did terrific in the basement under lights in Winter, but it soon becomes a tree and gets upgraded to your largest tubs!

The Podocarpus is about 6-7 feet now. It seems a strong vertical grower and that is good because no horizontal space unless it grows into the pathway. Fatsia japonica too will overwinter outside in Zone 7 but unfortunately, the deer LOVE them to death. That is one problem you do not have to worry about with houseplants in the house. BTW, I observe that most of my tropical houseplants that summer outdoors are not eaten by deer (betting that a lot of the tropicals have evolved degrees of toxicity), except...
hibiscus. They love hibiscus flowers, leaves...

(Nagami Kumquat in photo)

This post was edited by njoasis on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 10:33

Morning,

Darn touch screen. I wrote out an entire post, and some stupid, little flying bug was landed on my screen. The entire post gone!
Warning..don't buy Touch 'SCREEN/SCREAM' computers

Josh,

Long ago, and oh so far away, um, forget it. I went to Los Angeles. At the time, I didn't know about smog or water pollution.
Upon arrival, I thought, what clean air. Blue, sunny skies. So unlike Chicago.
The ocean was beautiful, unlike spooky Lake Mich.

When heading east, going downtown, one couldn't see the tall buildings due to smog.
The EPA resolved that problem. The EPA and once indurstries moved overseas.

At least the last two fires weren't all that bad, but I bet people panicked.
I agree, those who start fires should be shot. Along with other criminals!

It irks me when smokers toss cigarettes out the window, but it'd really pisses me off when I see people dump ashtreys in parking lots.
It'd be much worse in hot climates, known for fires.
Heck, drag them to town, call the sheriff, and hang 'em. Or smoke 'em.

Seriously, people should start using their brains.

Asleep...me a genius? A novel concept. lol.

Power to the Pellets! :)

JS. My theory...like humans, etc, plants sleep. People do not eat while asleep. Well, maybe some do, but I'd bet the majority doesn't.
So, like humans who don't munch during sleep, neither should plants. Sleep to plants equals dormancy.
Plants halt growth..but once they awake, they're hungry and need nutrients to survive. Just my opinion. To each his own, right?

I'm gonna send this now before something else happens..BRB.

Nj. Many of my plants are SHARP. My Pandanus would grab your skin, just walking by. Darn, man eating plant!
One Pachypodium, which is not only heavy, has 4-5" thorns. Then there are Euphorbias!

Your are right about Washingtonias though. I once had Wash or Chinese fan Palm..it was thorny. Or whatever the sharp points are.

Regarding poisonous plants. To be honest I don't know what to believe. lol.
My friend sent 5-6 long-haired, pure white kittens to a couple. The kitty's died. The woman said they ate Poinsettias.
Now about Poins. A newsman once ate a leaf on the news, to proove Poins were not toxic. He did this after a study done by 'x' university.

But, I have birds that fly around. They usually stay in one room, but if frightened by a loud noise, they take off.
My birds landed on plants before..Heck, my one guy ate an entire Coral Berry which is toxic.

The same friend w/the cats raised Cockatiels. (years later.) One of her guys ate Hedera Helix. He didn't get sic, and was alive and well for years to come. HH is toxic.

The problem w/Oleander, all parts of the plant, leaves, roots, flowers are poisonous, so I didn't want to take a chance with my feathered guys..

Que Sera, Sera. :)

Thanks for Pindo info. If I post a pic, do you think you can make an ID? Remember, it's young. Not as nice or large as yours.

Long ago, I had a baby Podo. It grew so slow, 'indoors,' I neglected its care..Poor Podo is in plant heaven now. :(

Gosh, I wish Fatsia was hardy here..especially variegated Fatsia. Such a beautiful plant.
They're difficult over-wintering indoors. Mites like them, too.

Don't have to worry about deer during winter, but in summer! lol
Actually we put up a fence..still, small, plant-lovng-critters munch on my plants..ESPECIALLY Citrus.
Last summer I watched a squirrel not only knock down my kumquat, but eat the darn fruit!
Birds nibble too. Now there's a rabbit and chipmonk hanging around. Don't know if Bug's can reach my plants..hopefully not.

Nice Kumquat..I see buds...soon to be fruit.

Here's my Kumquat, pic taken last year.

{{gwi:95105}}

Thanks everyone..have a great day..Toni

Nice Kumquat!

Toni, we don't chew food while we're sleeping, but our bodies continue to metabolize nutrients while we sleep. Plants are the same.


Josh

Hopeful,

Yes, if you post a pic, I can identify a Butia.

Where did you get the Pandanus? Is it veitchii (the variegated one)? I haven't seen them sold for decades!!

Yes, Podicarpus does grow faster in the ground--you might have underpotted yours. Remember, some of our houseplants really wanna be TREES. Bay laurel never grew for me in a pot. Big difference if put in a bigger pot or the ground! (See below pic.) Animals won't touch it even in mid Winter--too aromatic I think. Have three like it, want to make a hedge.

Fatsia will get eaten if I leave it out so I protect it in winter. My only hope would be to get it tall enough so they couldn't reach it. That is what I did with Aucuba japonica (more deer food).

Why are deer not an issue for you in the Winter, only Summer?

Your kumquat is pretty--mine is tall, trying for bushy. The local wildlife leave my Citrus along basically, but I did catch a glimpse of a squirrel running off with a kumquat right off the plant!

Regarding fertilizing, most of the plants I grow tend to be big feeders...
Bananas, palms, citrus...etc.. Still, I tend to be conservative with feeding.
I use MiracleGrow (mostly the one for the acid lovers), but only very, very rarely feed...bromeliads, ferns, cacti and succulents, anything Mediterranean (herbs mostly--they like poor fertility soil).

Peace out.

Toni, evergreen plants don't "go to sleep " or dormant. They have a bazillion cells to maintain; they continue to photosynthesize and respire; their roots continue to grow ; some have to fend off insect pests or diseases. ALL of that takes a great deal of energy even though the top growth has slowed down. There's no good reason to cut off the only source of fertilizer that a containerized plant has.

Outside in the ground, plants still have access to the natural minerals in the soil. In containers (and in our warm homes), we need to continue to provide conservative, but regular applications of some kind of soluble fertilizer.

Deciduous woody plants go "dormant " in the short days and colder temperatures.....but even they continue to undergo plenty of out-of-sight physiological activities.

I hope that this makes sense.

I had a couple of thoughts reading through this thread. I think the mitigating factor that determines whether or not the plant uses fertilizer, i.e. is dormant or not, is light/day length, not temp. So even if the weather feels like october to you, to the plants it's still midsummer.
Also, I don't worry about season and dormancy so much for tropical houseplants, because most of them are native to the tropics where they have the same light, temp, and day length all year. And living in the house or office pretty much duplicates those conditions.
That being said, I've had good results fertilizing only once a year, for plants in low light, to four times a year, for plants in high light. And I use a good fert with trace elements at the recommended dilution. Usually. When I actually use the schedule I recommend to others.

Howdy Josh,

True, but plants, like our bodies matabolize at a much slower rate when sleeping.

Also, 'Josh, not meant to argue soil, okay?' but that's the reason my tropicals,, 'not succulents,' are planted in rich, black soil and other mediums for drainage.
Black soil contains nutrients.

You might not agree, but I still luv ya, :)

Nj...I bought, green Pandanus at Home Depot, 1990. Well, the darn plant grew tall and WIDE. Wide as in 7-8'.

Which reminds me. I have a plant that is either variegated Pandanus or Pony Tail. I'll post a pic of that guy, too.

Once a week junkmen, 'that's the only name I can think of,' drive down our alleys, to collect, well, junk. lol
Last autumn while hauling plants inside, I heard their trunk, ran up to their trunk and asked if they took plants..they did. So, I gave them the Pandanus.

The Podo I had was about 5" tall. lol. One stem, probably a rooted cutting. It arrived bare root.
I can't name the nursery on GW, otherwise they'll delete this post.

Wow, your plant is nice..vivid green, extremely healthy foliage.
It'll make a nice hedge. Will you keep them trimmed or grown tall?

I wish Fatsia was hardy here. I imagine leaves are huge when grown in-ground.

Funny...when I bought my second house plant book, and saw Aucuba, I really wanted one. Back then, pre-internet days, finding Aucuba was like finding oil in the back yard.

Oh, sorry about the deer statement. We have deer but they can't get in our yard now that it's fenced.
We're close to the woods..Coyotes even roam by. 'Not often though.'
Most people call them wolves. lol. That rumor started last spring. A woman was walking her Poodle. The coyote grabbed, killed and ran off with her Poodle.
So, people started saying be careful for the wolves. lol.
Deer 'usually' stay in the woods, but I hate when they cross busy streets. The speed limit on one street is 40mph, but most people, including myself, drive 50-60.
If I were a police-woman I'd know where to hide..lol.

Yeah, those darn squirrels are kumquat munchers. lol.
Forget grapes.
We have an old arbor. I planted grapes, three times..they died the first two tries. I said, okay, one more time. Third time was a charm, but the birds and squirrels got to the fruit before we did..Guess they don't mind eating unripe grapes.
I dug up grapes and planted, 'duh,' Hummingbird Vine. BIG mistake..that's one of the most invastive plants ever. It grows everywhere!
I have to laugh. One day I read a thread on Amazon about riddin Hummingbird Vine. Posters are so funny, they get angry writing about that plant. lol.

Ah, fertilizing..The sun finally came out..Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, unless we get T-storms, they're not to sure about yet..if it's sunny, plants will get fed.
I should have started today..At this rate, I'll be done by Sunday. lol

V to you, too...Take care, Toni

Hopeful, having the Aucuba prevents me from buying and KILLING yet another croton! :)

Why is that?

One general principle I have about fertilizing is to never fertilize a plant that is struggling for some reason (shock, root damage, etc.). It just seems that some people want to throw fertilizer on a struggling in hopes of fixing things when it just makes things worse. Aren't most commercial mixes rich enough to last several months even w.o. feeding?

(P.S., Hopeful, The gold dust Aucuba resembles some of the croton varieties. Just have not been successful keeping Croton long time especially over the winter indoors.This is my Aucuba j. about seven feet. You can see that he deer prune the bottom but can't reach the top. I don't really mind because there are ferns growing beneath and animals never eat those. (Shower is on the other side, so it is well-watered. Especially attractive when it is covered with red berries!)

Rhizo and Ficus, I didn't see your threads.

Rhizo. I understand what you're saying, but...... lol.

Until 'X' or so years ago, I not only repotted plants throughout the year, 10am or 10pm, but fertilized whenever the mood struck, 10am or 10pm. Winter, spring, summer and fall.

But, holding back fertilizer during winter is something I sense.
Do I have scientific proof..nope. But, it's something I feel.

Rhizo, please understand, I'm not telling anyone to do as I do. People will fertilize, repot, or whatever one does with plants when they want.

Outdoor Fir trees are evergreen, yet they stop growing during winter months. The same applies to Holly and Euonymous. sp.

It's true outdoor, in-ground evergreens obtain nutrients through soil, which is the reason I pot tropicals in fertile, black soil..'and other amendments.'

If a leaf or stem falls in a bag of black soil, before you know what hit, the stem/leaf takes root.
More roots in the bag than stems I've tried rooting in water or a rooting mix. lol.

I'd probably feel different if we lived in a warm, sunny climate, but IL is terribly, depressingly grey. Unless there's snow, something we rarely see anymore, so the skies are dark.

Hope you understand... :)

Hi Ficus. Haven't see you in ages.

Are you saying, it doesn't matter whether you fertilize once or four times a year? Either way, plants end up with the same results? Depending on low-high light plant.

Yes, light is the issue.
This summer is unnatural. It's felt like autumn most of July. No sun to speak of, and very cool to cold temps.

Normal summers, temps, at the minimum remain in the 80's, and several weeks @ 90.

So, light is the main reason I hesitate fertilizing..worse when nights dip in the 50's..one night 40's.

Guess I pretty much care for my plants the same way I care for mysef. When days are cold and gloomy, my energy level decreases to an all time low. I hardly eat..and feel like napping most of the day.
Of course, my reasoning is very un-scientific, unless you're a believer in ESP, telepathy, etc. lol.

I see you're in z9/10. Would you say it's sunny most of the year?

Nj. I argee, a plant that is stressed should not be fertilized.

Ever hear people say, my plant is dying, so I added more fertilizer or although the soil is wet, I watered more. lol

I do use SuperThrive when a plant arrives or doesn't look well, but forget the fert.

Wow, nice Aucuba. They're beautiful. I'd loving seeing Aucuba with ripe berries.

You're right. Not only is there a Croton that resembles Aucuba, but a Dracana, too. I don't remember Dracs name, but common name is Florida Beauty.
Ever heard of this Dracaena?
I have two, small Drac, Florida Beautys. One has the yellow dots, the other is variegated on top of the dots, BUT neither grow..Can't recall the exact date, but they're 5 plus years old. I don't get it.

You must have a huge garden. lol.