Acropoleos 39, 5380 Dherynia, Cyprus -- Tel 00357 99419530, Fax 00357 23829509
In this section we will give brief answers to questions asked by our clients. This will hopefully give helpful information to you that will help you in taking better care of your plants. Here we go then...
1. How often do I water?
Water is a plant's best friend but it can also be its worst enemy. Watering has no specific rules to follow, it depends on many factors; the type of the plant, type of soil, time of year, temperature, position planted. However, a basic rule applies for most of the plants: DO NOT OVER WATER! Check your soil, if it is still wet, do not water. Let the soil dry a bit and then water. By continuously giving them water and keeping the soil wet all the time, not enough air circulates in the root. eventually this will damage the plant. So, water only when your plants need watering. (see below for indoor plants watering)
2. Why
are the leaves turning yellow?
One possibility is that you are overwatering. If they are yellow and you can clearly see the veins in the leaves, they need more iron (Fe). Give them some extra iron which you can purchase at the Garden Center. Hibiscus are likely to need more iron than any other plant.
3. When is the best time to plant?
Mediterranean climate is mild enough to allow planting almost throughout the year. However, it is better to avoid planting when the temperatures are high (usually July and August) and during cold winter months (usually January and February).
4. How often do I water my indoor plants
Check the soil, if it is dry, water. One thing you can do with indoor plants is spray their leaves with water as often as possible, this helps them feed through the leaves and gives them the humidity they usually find in their natural environment (remember that most of the indoor plants in the market come from the tropics)
5. How often should I fertilize?
There are various factors to take into consideration when fertilizing. The type of the plant is the major one, different plants have different needs. We suggest fertilizing once a month during the warm time of the year (March to October) with a general purpose soluble fertilizer. The other option is to use a slow release fertilizer twice a year. Avoid fertilizing during the winter as the fertilizer will probably be washed away by the rain.
6. What is deadheading and why is it done?
Deadheading is the removal of spent flowers in order to tidy the appearance of the plants but above all to encourage the plant to continue flowering.
7. How do I improve soil quality ?
In case the soil in your garden contains too much clay, you need to add other matters in order to improve its texture and make it as good as possible for your plants to grow. To achieve that, you can add compost bough from the garden centre, sand or manure. You have to be careful with manure because if it has not been left for some time for the acids to dissolve, it can cause damage to your plants.