Hi, I use organic fertilizers on my flowers, herbs and vegetables. My question is- how often should I do this? I know how often I needed to in the U.S. but the temperatures here have stayed over 110 F for weeks and probably will until September. Everything I have read online seems to be conflicting- some say more often, some say less. So for those of you in a hot weather climate (a lot of flowers are native to Texas), what works best for you? Thanks in advance for the help!
It is hard to know for sure how often our native Texas plants should be fertilized in other climates. Texas climate conditions range from the swampy areas of far east Texas to the dry desert areas of southwest Texas. Plants that are native to Texas are acclimated to Texas conditions, they grow in their local soil -without supplemental fertilizing, in our rain or lack of rain-depending on the part of the state they are native to and in our temperatures again depending on what part of the state they are native to. The plants of the far southwestern part of Texas, called the Big Bend area, are more likely to survive in your climate...whereas the ones native to east Texas will not. The most drought tolerant Texas natives might not survive in an arid climate no matter what the feeding schedule is. Drought is a temporary, altho some droughts can last for many years, lack of rain but at the same time the natural humidity level may be high....arid also means a lack of rain but the humidity level is extremely low therefore sucking moisture out of the ground and plants. The summers in my part of Texas, north-central, are normally humid and hot....the last few years have been arid and hot and I have lost many plants native to this part of Texas because of those conditions. In an arid climate, plants that are not native to that particular area and those conditions will suffer, possibly going dormant or dying. If they have gone dormant, feeding is probably going to 'burn' them while the temps are that high. Getting back to your question, I suggest that you experiment with some plants. Fertilize some on an increased schedule and some on a more infrequent schedule and see which ones do the best.
Thanks, Toni. I have esperanza (yellow bell tree) that I am worried about- I read that it grew like a weed in Texas. I have flowers and vines native to Kuwait but for some reason, a lot of the flowers they sell here are native to Texas. I assume the dry areas of Southwest Texas. I broke my foot and even though I have been in a cast for 3 weeks, I am still clutzy on it so it isn't easy hobbling out to water. I was fertilizing twice a week but noticed that though the bougainvilleas seemed to enjoy it- it made them stop flowering. I did some more research and apparently they like to be crowded, dry and not over fertilized. I think I may have killed my esperanza- I hope not. I also read that the jasmines do not like to be wet but in this arid climate, if they are allowed to dry out, they die. My favorite is Duke of Tuscany and that one seems to be very needy as far as water. I tried to go with plants that needed less water- save the planet and all but it has just been too hot. I am taking your advice and dividing them into groups- once a week, twice a week and once a month for fertilizing. Maybe someday I can help someone else trying to grow plants and produce here!
