Aven Gardening

35 Indoor Wall Herb Vertical Garden Ideas

June 13, 2019 by David Rheem Leave a Comment

Perhaps you have a hankering for fresh herbs for your homemade food dishes? Unfortunately, you might live where there isn’t enough room for a traditional garden. Let that stop you no longer!

To have succulent fresh herbs hanging gently on your walls giving you easy access can be a dream come true, plus it’s simple, affordable, and they will look so stylish that you’ll be wishing you’d done it before now.

Vertical, wall hung herb gardens don’t just look spectacular with your decor; they also have many benefits.

Space saving

Easily accessible

Make an attractive natural decor

Inexpensive

They smell wonderful

Taste better than store-bought

By tapping into your creativity, you could even make a gravity-fed watering system that will use all of the water fed through it keeping your herb garden moist and plentiful. Here are 35 great ideas for creating your vertical wall herb garden.

1. Mounted Mason Jars

Glass mason jars are the best choice, not plastic ones. Try pairing them with an old piece of old barn wood or pallet wood for a cute little herb garden for the kitchen.

2. Wall Box

Mount a box on your wall to keep fresh herbs within your grasp.

3. Pocket Shoe Garden

One of those shoe organizers that hang on the back or front of any door. The pockets are perfect for your fresh herb garden. On a side note, your shoes may finally get organized!

4. Herb Wall

Look around your house, do you see an empty wall? Alternatively, one that is just sitting there dividing rooms? Give it an overhaul by hanging little terra cotta pots on it and planting your fresh herb garden.

5. Curtain Rods

This one already sits in an optimal place for growing, in your kitchen window, providing natural light. Perfection indeed with easy cooking access!

6. Rustic

Rustic furniture and decor give you that ‘at home’ feeling. Wooden pallets make excellent three-tiered planters for your herb garden.

7. Food Cart Hack

Maybe you have a food cart in your pantry? Roll it out and transform it into your fresh herb garden. Works wonderfully for ladies night because you can have that fresh mint handy so that you and the ladies can imbibe on freshly made mojitos!

8. Recycled Bottles

Turn your used plastic bottles into herb gardens. Here you can create a self-watering garden where the first bottles drain into the bottom ones, watering made easy! How’s that for functional use?

9. Framed Herb Garden

This sleek and modern method can turn an empty frame into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, no painting needed.

10. Vertical Pallet Garden

Wooden pallets are used for many things, tables, desks, dressers, and are especially fantastic as vertical herb gardens. Plus, they’re easy to work with, and mounting doesn’t take much time. Use chalk paint for labeling and decoration.

11.DIY Shelf-Style Hanging Garden Planters

DIY projects are all the rage. They offer beauty, functionality, and they can add warmth to your decor. Create your DIY garden planter and add terra cotta pots or recycled bottles to your new shelf for planting. One type of DIY planter is a three-step box-like wooden shelf that is held together by ropes, and making is useful indoors or outdoors.

12. Hanging Metal Planter

Fresh herbs will grow best when you place them in a sunny location. You can create this with a metal cone cut in half and attached to a pole by ropes on either side.

13. Painted Pots

Get yourself some containers you want to use for your herb garden and decorate them with paints to match your decor or your kitchen. This project would be fun for the kiddies to do, enlist their help, they’ll be thrilled.

14. Driftwood

Find yourself a fresh piece of driftwood and hang some little painted or non-painted pots from it for planting your herbs.

15. Galvanized Gutters

These are made to hang from the side of your house with a rope. Feel free to paint them to make them even more attractive for your herb planting.

16. Toolboxes

You can find used tool boxes at the thrift store or inexpensive ones at department stores also. Grab yourself one, two, three, however many you want for your little garden. Please give them a fresh coat of paint, add some containers, and away you go with your herb planting venture. Cautionary note: you might want to get this done before the husband decides he needs a new place for his tools!

17. Fence Boards

Maybe you have an old privacy or garden fence just laying around in pieces? Grab some of those wooden slats and create your herb garden. You probably need a hammer and some nails to turn them in rectangular boxes, perfect for your herbs.

18. Modern and Space Saving

If you have a tiny porch or balcony, try using small banana boxes, shoe boxes, small plastic totes, or another container to plant your herb garden.

19. Hex Wire Wall

This planter can be created by turning hexagon wire netting into a fresh herb garden. With a little imagination, you can make this work for your needs.

20. Buckets on Your Wall

Most people have metal buckets of different shapes and sizes laying around the house or yard. Why not put them to use? Aged metal buckets and even metal lunch pails can be recycled into neat little containers to plant your herbs. If you’re looking for new instead of used, check your local dollar store, they often have stylish buckets you can purchase that won’t break your budget.

21. Wall Mounted Herb Garden

Those extra pieces left over from your last DIY project can come in handy in creating your unique wall mounted herb garden. Tap into your imagination and creativity to see what you can come up.

22. Minimalist Design

This design uses a window sill as a planting location or a flower box. Plant herbs in the flower box instead of flowers, and use small containers on your window sills for your indoor herb garden.

23. Small Cups

Build yourself a wooden shelf or purchase one for your wall. Then add small cups, coffee mugs, even red solo cups to create your fresh herb garden.

24. Ammo Cans

If you happen to be a geocacher, you probably have one of these already. Otherwise, you can find them at army surplus stores as well as thrift shops for reasonably low prices, and they come in several different sizes.

25. Nautical

Even if you don’t have a cottage on the water, used dock cleats make great herb garden planters. Go a little further and decorate them with nautical themes.

26. Self-Watering Jars

Colorful Mason jars are excellent to use for this method. Stick them on your counter or build them a decorative shelf. They’re eye-catching and self-watering, easy peasy! Your herb garden will be the talk of the town.

27. Crates, Crates, Crates

Did we mention crates? Add your beautiful herb garden to wooden boxes in whatever manner you wish.

28. Painted Plastic

Recycled plastic bottles again, but this time you and your kids can decorate them in some fun, pretty designs that will make your herb garden a one-of-a-kind success. You could even paint them to blend in with your walls and make them self-watering!

29. DIY Basket Hanging Herb Garden

Did you kill one of your hanging plants? Don’t let the container go to waste; turn it into space for your herb garden. You could even build a basket out of extra craft materials you may have to lay around. If all else fails, visit your local discount store and see what they have.

30. Macrame Wall Hanging

Small, medium, or large, the choice is yours. Ask the employees at your local home and garden store for such a wall hanging. Remember to continuously water your garden to keep it looking beautiful when using this method, but it’s worth it in the long run.

31. Copper Rack Hanging Gardens

Just what it says, a copper rack turned into a hanging herb garden. These racks can give your kitchen the oomph you’ve been looking for, and your herb garden will look splendid!

32. Makedo Hanging Herb Garden

Never heard of a makedo hanging herb garden? Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated and consists of yogurt containers and can be placed anywhere in your home. Look it up online to see how to decorate with these containers. You will also need string or other material for hanging.

33. Indoor Herb Garden

No need to plant your herbs outside any longer, especially if you don’t have the room. You can grow indoor herb gardens all year round and no worries about climate changes. Plant an indoor herb garden for easy access to fresh herbs and the aroma they will fill your home.

34. Custom Potted Hanging Herb Garden DIY

If you want to make something unique to keep kids or pets away from your garden, consider creating an herb garden that hangs from your ceiling. Research this DIY project and see what designs you can come up.

35. Crooked Pot Herb Garden

Create your twisted pot herb garden to sit on a wall shelf, kitchen counter, kitchen table, the ideas are endless! Put your creativity and imagination to use in planting your fresh herb garden indoors.

Make an impression on your friends and family with some of these vertical herb garden ideas. Not much compares to having fresh herbs available to you all of the time, and any of the items listed here could help you in your planting endeavors. Enjoy!

How to Start Growing Carrots Indoor

June 10, 2019 by Helen Allen Leave a Comment

Carrots grown in your garden contain much more of the ‘good stuff’ such as better flavor, vitamins, and texture. The fact remains that canned or processed carrots do not taste as good as freshly grown by your own hand. All natural foods are much healthier and almost always have a better flavor for your palate.

One of the main complaints that home gardeners have about their carrots is that they do not grow straight. We hope to remedy this situation for you by providing you with the following information on growing carrots properly.

About Carrots

Carrots are called ‘root vegetables.’ A root vegetable is the enlarged and fleshy parts of plants that are used as vegetables such as carrots, rutabagas, and beets. So in other words, they grow underground as opposed to vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers that grow on a vine.

When we think of carrots, we think of them as being orange. However, some types of carrots vary in color. Some are white, yellow, red, orange, and even purple. No matter what color your carrots are, the root is rich in vitamins, fiber, carotene, and sugar.

Carrots are hearty plants that are long-lasting. They prefer to grow in the colder parts of spring and fall. Aside from the ‘roots,’ the leaves of carrots are also edible, though they may taste bitter to some people. Due to their pretty foliage which resembles a fern plant and the vitamins, fibers, carotenes, and sugars, carrots make a beautiful and edible houseplant. One variety of carrots named Nantes is said to be the best for cultivating in a pot. A book entitled “The Bountiful Container” written by the duo of Maggie Stuckey and Rose Marie Nichols gives you more ideas of the other carrot varieties that can be grown in a pot, indoors.

How to Start Growing Carrots Indoors

Beginning the growth of carrots indoors is not all that complicated. Once you know the correct way to begin them, it’s pretty easy after that, and they make your indoor garden attractive because of their greenery. By following the five steps below your bounty of this tasty and healthy root vegetable can prosper before you plant them in the ground outside.

1. Begin with a container that will drain water good that will allow for a least 8-12 inches of soil. Be sure to leave at least 3 inches of room in the pot for your plant to grow. Fill your container with sandy potting soil as garden soil is often too heavy to use for indoor growth. Along with the soil, organic fertilizer is best such as worm compost or another organic compost. Be sure to leave the soil loose but plentiful in your container.

2. Now, set your pot in a large tray that is also deep for catching the water as it drains out. Carrots enjoy light and warmth, so move them to a room that has both. Because carrots like full sun and temperatures from 70 to 80 degrees, a southern or western window will provide the natural light that they crave. Keep in mind that carrots can tolerate the heat as low as 45 degrees, but higher temps will help them prosper more.

It is best to give your carrots at least 8 hours of direct sunlight for growing, even though they will tolerate partial sunlight, their growth will be slower. Keep your container as close as possible to the window for it to get prolonged light.

3. When adding carrot seeds to the soil, add them thickly and directly to the soil. Sowing them down at least ¼ inches will give you the best results, they tend to germinate slower than other seeds do, and do not transplant as well. The seeds must stay moist during their germination period. A quick tip is to water them with chamomile tea. It can help fend off a disease known as damping off that can be fatal to seedlings.

4. Once the leaves of your carrots grow to at least 2 inches, start to thin them out to give the plant room to breathe. It will also help them not to get tangled with other plants while growing. Keep in mind that you do not need to throw away the leaves that you have removed as they can make a nice addition to a salad or to nibble on, no matter their age or size.

It is recommended to thin round types of carrots about 1 inch apart, and the longer variety should be at least ½ inch apart when thinning.

5. Follow the directions on the seed packets after you have thinned out the plants and removed those that will not continue growing. For the remaining plants, let them continue to grow by the directions given if you want them to be full-sized carrots.

Items You Need to Grow Carrots Indoors

Potting container

Drainage tray

Sandy Potting soil

Worm compost or another organic fertilizer

Chamomile tea

Direct, natural light

Temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees

Fun and Useful Ideas for Growing Carrots Indoors

For your container, consider using a recycled metal pail or an untreated wooden crate.

Plant your carrots in their containers every two weeks to keep them growing continuously.

Have your kids join in your efforts. They love to plant things and play in the dirt. Kids will also enjoy re-growing their carrots indoors, and the task is simple for them.

Carrots available at the grocers are not the best for growing indoors. They are too rooty.

Try growing your carrots from scraps. It can be a fun task to undertake. The kiddies will enjoy it too.

Use the carrot tops to regrow carrots, about an inch or so of a carrot top will do.

To start regrowing from scraps, place the tops in a saucer or bowl, then add water that reaches about halfway up the carrot top. After a few weeks of keeping them watered continuously, add them to the soil. Keep in mind that carrots will not actually grow in this manner, but you will be able to watch their flowers bloom, and when the flowers go to seeds, you can then plant them for carrot growth.

9 Clematis Varieties that you can grow on your Garden

June 6, 2019 by Helen Allen Leave a Comment

Clematis is a favorite plant that can vary quite considerably in terms of color and form. There are several different classes of clematis, and it is essential to know which one you have so it can be cared for correctly.

How Will I Know Which Variety I Have?

If you have been given a clematis but have no information about it, then the first thing to find out is what class it is. Different types have different levels of growth from which they start to bloom. Class 1 will bloom on old wood whereas Class 3 blooms will be on the new wood. If you prune the wrong area, then you will not get any fresh flowers growing. Class 2 bloom twice a year, once on old wood and once on new. If you are not sure which variety you have, then you may have to wait until it blooms so that you can see where the flowers are growing.

Varieties Of Clematis By Form

Gardeners will be most familiar with the climbing vines of the clematis, but they can also grow as bushes and shrubs, such as Mongolian Snowflakes. The height that these types of the plant will grow to will depend on the species. You can also get trailing clematis that will produce stems that grow along the surface of the floor, and Mongolian Gold is an excellent example of this.

The following information may be useful in identifying the type of clematis that you have in your garden.

Group One – Spring Bloomers

You don’t need to prune these types of flowers unless space becomes limited. If the wood is old or dying, then it can be removed after the bloom has finished. You can find some examples of this type of flower below.

1. Clematis Montana

This flowers for a period of about four weeks and the flowers are small and white with four petals. It is a climbing plant that usually blooms in late spring.

2. Clematis Aplina

A very fragrant flower which blooms early in the spring. The leafage of the plant is evergreen, and so it will look great in your garden the whole year round.

3. Clematis Armandii

A very fragrant flower which blooms early in the spring. The leafage of the plant is evergreen, and so it will look great in your garden the whole year round.

Group Two – Large Flowered Hybrids

These flowers will begin to bloom in June. You need to prune them when the wood becomes old and is not productive anymore. You can cut it down until there are just a few strong buds left and it will continue to bloom with no problems in the next season. The following plants are examples of this type of plant.

1. Bees Jubilee

2. Nelly Mosser

It produces pink and mauve flowers that have petals 8cm in diameter. If you keep in the shade rather than the sun, the flowers will last longer. It blooms twice a year. The first bloom in May and June will be the most proficient, but there will be another bloom in August.

3. Ramona

This type of plant has been popular since the 1800s and produces blue periwinkle flowers. The blossoms can reach 7″ in diameter. It will start to bloom at the start of the summer and may bloom again in the autumn.

Group Three – Late Flowering Species

This group will not bloom until after June, and they will need to be cut right back every winter if you want them to thrive the following year again. There are many different species of this type of plant and some of these can you found below.

1. Clematis Viticella

It is a very tough plant that can survive freezing temperatures. They generally grow in trees and bushes and can thrive in places where other plants would struggle to build. They can also develop in pots as long as they are large enough.

2. Clematis Texsensis

The plant will produce hundreds of flowers when it blooms. They flower late in the year but can change the whole appearance of your garden. Not only are they very colorful but they all grow in different directions which can create something that looks unique.

3. Hagley Hybrid

If you only have a small garden, then this plant is an excellent choice because it doesn’t take up too much room. It will need to be pruned right back in February so that it can bloom to its full potential from May until September. It is also an excellent choice to grow against a fence.

If you are still unable to identify the variety of clematis that you have, then you may be able to find help online. There are online gardening communities with very knowledgeable members. If you post a photo online, then someone should be able to tell you what plant it is.

How to Grow Kale Indoors

May 30, 2019 by Helen Allen Leave a Comment

Kale is a versatile green that provides healthy benefits all year round. Kale is a part of the cabbage family that offers a variety of nutrients and vitamins. This article talks about how to grow kale in your own garden.

Get Started Growing Kale Indoors!

Growing kale indoors is a relatively simple process. Growing kale indoors protects your kale plants from outdoor pests and overexposure to the elements that may hinder growth.
This household friendly plant takes between 55 and 65 days to reach its full maturity. Micro-kale is considered to be full grown within just a few weeks, and young leaves can be harvested to compliment fresh salads.

Growing kale indoors as very similar to increasing kale outdoors. Since kale requires minimal watering and indirect exposure to sunlight, this makes it an ideal plant to grow for kale enthusiasts year round.
Let’s take a look at some of the requirements for growing fresh kale indoors at any time of year. The main ingredients for successfully growing kale indoors involve providing your kale with the proper nutrition that it needs to improve in the form of container soil and water.
Once you’ve taken steps to provide the proper nutrition for your kale’s growth the next important step to take exposing your growing plant to indirect light for four hours every day, if you follow this daily regimen you will notice your seedlings begin to sprout within four weeks.

6-Step Quick Start Guide to Growing Kale Indoors

Plant your kale seeds in a small indoor growing tray with drain holes.
Place your seed tray in a temperate area that maintains between 60 to 65 degrees.
Once your seeds germinate replant germinated seeds in a 12-inch wide pot
Cover your seeds with fertilizer that is at least as deep as the top of the root.
Water the plants just enough to moisten the soil inside of your indoor pot thoroughly.
Position at least 6 inches away from direct sunlight or plant light to prevent overheating. Your kale seeds will reach their full maturity in 55-65 days!

Ingredients Required for Successfully Growing Kale Indoors

We’ve given you the basics of what it takes to grow kale indoors. Now, let’s take a look at the individual ingredients that are required to build your kale indoors successfully.

Light

Light is one of the essential ingredients that most plants need to thrive. Grow kale in indirect sunlight or via a grow light for four hours per day. The fact that kale plants can be grown in indirect sunlight makes this plant ideal for indoor growing year round.

Soil

Kale plants thrive in rich soil that is high in organic matter with a slightly acidic pH. Choose fertilizers or compost with high nitrogen content to properly feed this nutrient-rich green.

Water

Water your kale plant every few days with just enough water to keep the surrounding soil moist from seeding to maturity.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for kale to grow and thrive is between 60 to 65 degrees. When growing kale indoors is sure to moderate the indoor temperature to accommodate your growing kale plant needs.

Fertilizer

Use 0.5 cups of 5/10/10 fertilizer for every 10 feet of kale that you are planting. Create a nutritious mixture by mixing fertilizer with 3-4 inches of soil. Use compost or other. Related feed with high nitrogen content.

Planting

Germinate kale seeds in a tray to begin the growth process. Transfer your seeds into larger pots that accommodate your growing kale once your seeds have germinated and begin to grow. Select a pot that has a depth and width of at least twelve inches to allow your kale to become unrestricted and avoid repotting for the third time.

Watering

Cover the kale seeds with about 1.5 inches of soil. Be sure to water the seeds just enough to keep them covered with water until they are ready to germinate. If your seeds dry out, your kale plants won’t be able to reach maturity.

Transplanting

Once your seeds have germinated, it’s time to move your seeds to their new indoor home inside of a larger pot. Plant your sprouted seeds in a container that is at least 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep for your plants to continue to grow and reach maturity.

Harvesting

If you are looking for micro-kale freshness, you can harvest young leaves in as little as two weeks to use in fresh salads. To experience the full nutritional benefits of eating mature kale, allow your kale to reach the recommended mature age of 60 to 65 days before harvesting and cooking this delicious green. Harvest mature leaves by removing the larger outer leaves which allow the leaves at the center of the plant to continue growing.

Kale Storage Tip: Store harvested kale for a maximum of 1 to 2 weeks in a moist open container to retain crispness.

Kale Varieties at a Glance

You may be surprised to learn that there are many different varieties of kale available to suit your nutritional needs. Some kales are fast producing and sweet while others are slower producers yet crisp.

Take a look at some of the most common varieties of kale that can be grown indoors.

Hanover Salad

It is fast growing kale that produces earlier than some of its other leafy green counterparts.

Lacinato

A puckered heirloom variety of kale that originates from the region of Tuscany. This strain of kale is also called Tuscan or Dinosaur kale due to its thick leafy green texture.

Redbor

This magenta kale boasts leaves with curled edges that give this kale a mild yet crisp texture and flavor.

Red Russian

This variety of kale has tender leaves that feature purple veins and purple edges. This strain of kale is particularly slug resistant.

Vates

This kale derivative is a dwarf variety that features curly leaves and a bluish-green tint.

Conclusion
Now that you’ve read our handy 6-step guide to growing kale indoors, you are on your way to successfully grow your own indoor kale. Once your kale has decided to grow to the desired size, you may continue growing your kale indoors to maturity or replant your kale outside in a suitable growing environment.

15 Best Organic Insecticide for Vegetable Garden

May 27, 2019 by Helen Allen Leave a Comment

Now it seems strange that people who prefer to grow organic products would want to use organic insecticides to protect their vegetable crops. Some of the insecticides in this list will merely deter insects and other pests from consuming vegetables while others could prove to be fatal. These insecticides will help you to keep the pests at bay.

1. Oil Spray

A simple oil spray will deal with sap-sucking insects, those annoying aphids for instance. Create a do it yourself insecticide spray by adding 1 tablespoon of dish soap to a cup of cooking oil (it works best if it is taken from a newly opened bottle). To use mix four teaspoons of the concentrate with a pint of water.

The concentrate you can store for relatively long periods, and just add water to it when it needs to be used.

2. Baby Shampoo Spray

Despite being gentle to people, the baby shampoo contains things that insects are not partial.

To prepare the spray put two tablespoons of the shampoo into a gallon of water. Do not use the spray in sunlight. Apply the spray thoroughly over all the vegetables and leave it for a few hours before using a hose to wash it off.

3. Use Garlic Spray

Some insects are put off by a strong smell of garlic. Take 10 to 12 cloves of garlic, and a quart of water then mix it up in a blender. Allow the mix to settle for 24 hours then add a cup of cooking oil to it. When you need to spray mix 1/2 cup of the concentrate into a gallon of water. If the mix is not strong enough, you can add a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and blend it into the concentrate. It will need to stand for a further 24 hours before you can use it.

4. Red Pepper Spray

Red pepper powder can be a central part of an effective homemade insecticide spray. Take a tablespoon of red pepper powder, six drops of dish soap and add to a gallon of water. Apply the spray once a week until the insects have gone away.

5. Citrus Oil and Cayenne Pepper

This insecticide can be particularly useful when used against ants.
Add 10 drops of citrus oil, a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a cup of warm water then spray the plants.

6. Tobacco Spray

Insects do not like tobacco, it is poison to them. It was widely used as an insecticide before chemical formulas became widely used. To make the spray add a cup of organic tobacco into a gallon of water and allow it to settle for a day. Use it as a spray once it has gone light brown (if it is still dark add more water).

7. Use insecticide soap to wash plants

This type of soap based insecticide is most effective when used against soft-bodied insects like aphids and mealybugs. The premade sprays are better than homemade versions as they are safer to use on plants. Overall these sprays are mostly safe for plants though they may burn peas.

8. Set some traps

There are two types of trap you can try to protect your vegetables or fruits. For best results put the traps in a fruit tree, as insects find it difficult to resist fruit. Ask a local plant store for advice.

9. Bacillus thuriengesis (Bt)

This insecticide kills the larvae of both butterflies and moths. It is best to use it exclusively against the worms of the Lepidoptera family. Bt is a highly effective insecticide yet it kills all forms of larvae so do not it use in areas or on plants frequented by butterflies and moths that do not eat your vegetables.

10. Use iron phosphate against slugs

There is nothing as effective at stopping slugs than iron phosphate. The pellets contain a substance that attracts slugs and snails. Once eaten the iron phosphate is deadly to slugs and snails but nothing else.

11. Neem oil works

Neem oil is extracted from the tropical Japanese Neem tree, and the oil deters insects from eating and mating. The oil is natural, organic and non-toxic to plants, people and pets. Just about the ideal non-lethal insecticide.

12. Chrysanthemum Flower Tea

These plants contain pyrethrum, and that makes insects immobile. To make your own spray boil 100 grams of dried flowers, put in a liter of water then boil for 20 minutes. Strain the mix then strain before putting a spray bottle. The mix will last up to two months. For an extra kick, you can add Neem oil.

13. Salt those snails

Snails do not like salt; it dries them out and is fatal. It works in an instant. If it is a choice between cabbages and snails, then the snails get sprinkled with salt.

14. Use Spinosad

This bacteria was discovered in Jamaica and allowed sugar cane to grow before being used to make rum. It kills chewing insects so spray when you know bees are not around.

15. Add floating row covers

This concept is simple, place a cover over all your plants so that insects cannot crawl or fly on to them. Insects cannot get through the cover yet light and water can, so the plants get enough nutrients to continue growing. The covers can even protect plants from ground frost as well.

How To Fertilize Plumeria

May 23, 2019 by David Rheem 1 Comment

Plumeria, also known as ‘frangipani’ to some gardeners, is a delightful, delicately colored flower which belongs to the dogbane family of plants. Often grown as ornamental shrubs, plumeria plants are surprisingly hardy for such pretty blooms. They are a tropical species and have no trouble withstanding the harsher conditions of USDA zones 10 and 11.
They thrive easiest in warmer climates. In colder regions, they tend to be brought indoors during the winter as protection from frost. If you’re planning to grow plumeria, we recommend keeping the plants in containers so you can bring them indoors when temperatures start to drop.
Also, make sure to pick up a high-quality plumeria fertilizer. Keep reading for more tips on growing plumeria flowers successfully in your garden.

Picking the Right Fertilizer for Your Plumeria

Fertilizer is essential for plants grown in containers, whether they primarily reside indoors or outside. Plumeria plants need the right combination of minerals and nitrates to grow up hardy and robust. They are phosphorous hungry which means any plumeria fertilizers you use should be rich in this mineral.
When shopping, always look at the middle number on the label. It will tell you how much phosphorous a fertilizer contains. Use the label to pick a product with a low to moderate volume of nitrogen. Don’t forget nitrogen accelerates growth.
If you’re keeping your plumeria plants in containers, you probably don’t want unchecked, uncontrolled growth. The best plumeria fertilizers are those with a relatively low first number on the product label.
While not essential, some gardeners like to top up the soil in the container with Epsom salts. It’s an easy way to rebalance the soil’s PH; plumeria enjoys slightly acidic conditions, but regular fertilization can tip acidity levels too far. Add 1-2 teaspoons of an Epsom salt mixture to your containers once a month.

How to Fertilize Plumeria and Promote Controlled Growth

Fertilization routines are important for almost all flowering plants. They’re essential for plumeria. Weekly fertilization can quickly turn into a big job. While the species is rather hardy, it becomes a little high maintenance when you consider the prospect of continually fertilizing throughout the summer.

We advise fertilizing plumeria plants in containers once a week. Take care not to water too frequently. It will wash away all that nourishment and goodness you’ve spent time adding to the pot.
There’s also a risk of decaying roots if the plant becomes waterlogged. Give your plants ample water but always let the soil dry before doing it again. If you have any concerns about fertilizing the container’s soil in the right way, you may want to consider using a foliar fertilizer instead.
It will get applied directly to the leaves, rather than the roots in the pot. Other than that, use it in the same way as you would natural fertilizer; apply once to your plumeria once a week.

When to Start Fertilizing Your Plumeria Plants

Start your fertilization routine in April. Apply once a week for three months. If you live outside USDA zones 10 and 11, in a region with winter frosts, your containers will need to come indoors for winter.
Stop fertilizing in early August and bring the plumeria inside. If you’re lucky enough to live in a warmer climate, it’s okay to keep fertilizing all year. We recommend using approximately 1lb of fertilizer for every inch of your plant’s trunk diameter. Apply it at the drip line and up to two feet past it.

Fertilizer Choices for Your Plumeria

You can use all kinds of fertilizer brands on your plants as long as they contain the right balance of minerals. Some of our favorites include Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Bloom Booster Flower Food, Dr. Earth Exotic Blend Palm Tropical, and Hibiscus Fertilizer and Grow More Hawaiian Bud and Bloom.
It’s best to pick a fertilizer and stick with that same brand once you see signs it’s benefiting your flowers. Try not to chop and change too often.
You can, of course, look for a fertilizer that is specifically designed for use on plumeria plants. You don’t have to – more generic brands will work fine – but it’s the quickest way to ensure you’re getting a product with the right mineral balance. Any fertilizer you use needs to contain a volume of phosphorous exceeding 50 in the NPK ratio.
Make sure granular products exceed a score of 20 to promote and nourish flower growth in your container plants. Plumeria blooms can be extremely beautiful. They are commonly used in Hawaiian garlands because they’re so vibrant. Yes, if you want to add a little cheer and personality to your garden, plumeria is a great choice.

Plumeria plants require careful, constant fertilization to grow healthy, active and bright. It’s worth remembering this when planning to add them to your garden. Are you willing to keep up with the fertilization routine? Do you have the time and money to top up containers once a week for several months or, indeed, the whole year?
Outside of its fertilization demands, plumeria is a natural species to raise. It is relatively low maintenance as it needs little care to flower providing its soil stays mineral rich. If you give your flowers what they need, at the right times, you’ll be gifted with a bumper crop of beautiful blooms come to the summertime.
There’s nothing like a bright tropical plant to perk up a tired yard and bring a little exoticism to lackluster flowerbeds!