Chilly lily needs recovery time
My formerly big and beautiful purple leaf crinum lily has shriveled from the freeze. Will it come back and what is the best care?
Your crinum lily can be big and beautiful again, but this bulb is going to need some recovery time. Expect the leaves and maybe upper bulb portions to be severely damaged. Major pruning is likely needed to remove most of the leaves back into the bulbs. Some bulb portions may brown and shrivel, too, and can be left to decline until the outer portions loosen enough to remove. After a month or more of warm weather, the bulb should regrow leaves and maybe offshoots to renew your plant.
The nasty cold appears to have killed my crotons. Should I cut them back and if so, how low do I go?
Give crotons a month or more to start their recovery before you perform major pruning. Regretfully, the plants always seem to die back further than expected. Damage normally starts as lost leaves and then stems gradually turn brown. The extent of the injuries depends on the amount of cold received by portions of the plants.
Pruning to remove obviously dead portions could begin at any time. Final pruning can occur when you see new shoots from among the stems. After a severe freeze, the final pruning may be at or close to the ground. Don’t give up on your plants as some have been known to wait until early summer before making a recovery.
As suggested in the January garden schedule, I started tomato seeds to have transplants by March. When do I separate the seedlings and add each to a small container? Also, when should I fertilize?
Allow the seedlings to produce the first set of true leaves and then transplant each to a section of a cell pack or small pot. These true leaves usually mature about two weeks after seed germination. First the seed leaves are produced and then the true tomato plant-looking leaves.
Start fertilizer applications a week after seed germination. Mix a general purpose liquid product at half the recommended rate to use once a week at the time of watering. After the plants produce two to three sets of true leaves or are making rapid growth, they can be fertilized twice a week. Keep the seeded containers warm and make sure the plants have a full sun exposure as soon as germination begins.
Our dracaena plants, growing on a screened porch, were not protected during the freeze. Other than starting over, what should I do?
While you probably won’t have to start over with new plants, the older damaged ones are likely in need of a revival. Expect the upper canes to be severely damaged and may need pruning close to the soil. Dracaena plants often need a few weeks after the cold to continue their decline before the healthy portions can be determined. Prune the affected cane portions back to the totally green sections and wait for new shoots to develop. Keep the plants warm and in bright light. Maintain a moist soil and apply a slow-release fertilizer when growth is noted.
The fronds of our foxtail palms are brown. Will the palms grow back?
Many residents have been looking for replacement palms due to disease susceptibility of commonly used species. Foxtail palms have been a great addition except for their hardiness. Other palms being selected with hardiness issues include the majesty, royal, coconut and similar types that add the tropical Florida look but can be affected by temperatures of freezing or below.
Luckily, foxtail palms are a bit hardy being damaged by temperatures of 29 degrees or below. What residents now notice is a discoloration and eventual browning of the fronds. Most likely the recent temperatures were not of long enough duration to affect the bud within the trunks. Expect to lose older fronds and maybe the ends of new growths before the foxtail palms make a recovery. Other cold-sensitive palms may totally decline.
I have an amaryllis growing in a decorative container from the holidays. What is the best way to care for the plant?
Amaryllis are spring bloomers in Florida and your plant needs time to recover from producing its forced holiday flowers. These bulbs normally require a year to grow before opening new blooms.
One option is to keep an amaryllis in a container. When new growth begins around March or April, give the plant a container one size larger. Add a slowrelease fertilizer and find your plant a filtered sun location within the landscape. Keep the soil moist during the warmer months and drier during the late fall and winter. Continue fertilizer applications in May and August.
A plant left from the holidays can also be added to the flower garden. Find a full to filtered sun location. Set the amaryllis in the ground so the neck of the bulb is exposed. Then add a thin layer of mulch, keep the soil moist and apply a slowrelease fertilizer.