A: Flowers in containers need a steady source of additional fertilizer! You’re watering your pots more often than your plants in ground – you just have to – and each time you water, you lose a bit of soil fertility out the drainage holes as it rinses out.
Flowering plants in containers can be fed a granular fertilizer regularly, but water soluble fertilizers start working the moment you apply them, and are the fastest way to correct your poor color. Use ferti-lome 20-20-20Â for most plantings, or Carl Pool BR-61 for some of your heaviest flowering plants like hibiscus, plumeria, bougainvillea, and plumbago. Apply these fertilizers every 7 to 10 days throughout the summer.
Improvement will be rapid if you do so.
Burton specializes in diagnosing and solving plant problems. If you have a question for Burton, please email him at burton@covingtonnursery.com and include photos showing the problem.