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| I heard they are heavy feeders. What should I give them? I bought a new one this year and it's huge and has many blooms and my others bloomed, as usual, but they aren't big and don't bloom very well. Maybe because I don't "feed" them?
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| I feed mine cottonseed meal in September. Maybe I should do more? Lots of water is even more important for them to do well. I can't keep up sometimes. |
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| wow, never heard of cottonseed meal. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Sat, Jun 18, 11 at 0:34
| Like all other plants, astilbe "feed" themselves. That's what photosynthesis is all about. What you do need to supply is a good source of soil nutrients, so planting in a well-amended, organic soil is recommended. And if in much sun, mulch the area surrounding the plants well also -- this will help to conserve soil moisture, which is even more important for good growth. Astilbes hate overly dry conditions. If you use a nutrient-rich mulch like compost, no additional fertilizer is required. |
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| Location, watering, soil, root competition, cultivar or other things might be the difference for lack of bloom. You could try pure alfalfa pellets from feed store sold as horse feed not rabbit feed that has salt & more added. A small handful per plant with more for larger plants. Scratch into mulch a bit away from the plant or it will stink... a lot... especially in the heat of summer. I've read that Astilbe like an October feeding to increase before overwintering. Last August, I picked up $1 'Vision in Pink' Astilbe in 3 gal sized containers that looked dead, but I suspected just went dormant because had become dry in pots. Once home I soaked them well from the bottom up, cut back some of the browned foliage, but not all. Kept in part sun/shade & watered well by soaking pots in buckets 1-2x a week when soil was dry 1" down. By Labor Day new growth covered the plants, so removed the rest of the brown. In early Feb. I planted out while still dormant in compost enriched soil 2' apart. I added alfalfa pellets & topped with more compost as mulch. Now they're a mass of foliage in the middle of a large bed as background for other woodland plants. If all I have later this summer is foliage I'll know it was too much of a good thing. I'm hoping for a huge pink show by my mid-Aug. birthday. My earlier blooming Astilbe planted last spring in a sunnier location & fed alfalfa pellets last fall are showing buds, so hoping for a good show. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Jun 18, 11 at 19:42
| since i moved out of suburbia.. to the county.. on mineral sand.. i have fed NOTHING .... and they all prosper ... plants are not children.. they do not need to be fed ... in another post.. you talk of amended soil .. that ought to do any plant for a decade or so with no additional care from you but water ... simply the best thing to do.. is add an inch or 3 of compost across your whole garden yearly .. building the soil.. and you can skip all the chemical and organic foods .. it simply a waste of money ... scotts and the other sellers have simply brain-washed you into spending money that is not requisite .... and i think i told you the same about spraying your yard for bugs and fungii ... you are really making all this a lot harder and more expensive than you need too ... just build your soil thru compost.. and you will need.. literally.. little or nothing else ... except the darn water bill .. lol unless you just like spending all that money ... i really wish you all the luck in the world with this garden .... no matter how crabby i may sound about it ... you are an inspiration in your enthusiasm ... you make me feel guilty i dont work that hard in my garden ... nor worry ... and trust me.. i was EXACTLY like you back in suburbia ... and come to find out.. its a heck of a lot easier than i ever thought it was ... in this case.. do as i say .... and as i did .... ken |
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| As someone else said, water. Last year when NJ (and every where else) had that really hot spell, I was watering a full watering can, twice a day. |
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| Also, mine get lots and lots of shredded leaves to eat... |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Sun, Jun 19, 11 at 4:07
| I've never fed any of my astilbes and they're growing fine. One in particular actually has grown to the size of a medium shrub and produces dozens of blooms each year. It's planted on a slope where it gets a few hours of midday sun and it's triple the size of others I bought and planted in shade around the same time. I tried to keep them all watered during last summer's extended drought but even daily watering didn't keep them from turning crispy/crunchy. I thought they were goners but all are up again this year, lush and plump with lots of flower plumes. Either my attempts to keep them hydrated last year paid off or else they went dormant and the 8 ft. of snow that fell over winter rejuvenated them. I can't be certain but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth--just enjoying them and dumping a bucket of rainwater on each one this year whenever I can. |
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| thanks guys. I was asking because the other 3 astilbes I have never did great and the new one (Vision in Pink) looks so good and I want it to stay that way. The soil they are in is not ammended and full of roots. It's the only garden bed I have that I didn't use a tiller on and ammend the soil. It's also my only shade bed (so far). That's why I asked because I know the soil it's in is deplete of any nutrients. I have been good about watering it as it will tell me when it needs it. It's blooming beautifully now. It's in a bed where most other things don't need any attention - hostas, hydrangeas, heuchera, sweet woodruff, black eyed susans, a few evergreen shrubs, and a bleeding heart... so I'm not used to paying much attention to that area. Thanks again and I'm going to top dress it with some compost and hope it will like it. |
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