UK gardening - Daisyless Livingstone daisies

Author

Daisyless Livingstone daisies

Andy Spragg

2007-06-23, 8:25 pm

I planted a bed of Livingstone daisies a couple of months ago, having dug
and enriched the soil. The plants have grown really well - I've never seen
such healthy-looking mesembryanthemums - only fly in the ointment is not
one of them has yet produced a single flower. Any ideas what's going on
here?

Andy

--
spargeatbtinternetdotcom

Life begins at kilofortnight

Bob Hobden

2007-06-23, 8:25 pm

"Andy Spragg" wrote ...
>I planted a bed of Livingstone daisies a couple of months ago, having dug
> and enriched the soil. The plants have grown really well - I've never seen
> such healthy-looking mesembryanthemums - only fly in the ointment is not
> one of them has yet produced a single flower. Any ideas what's going on
> here?
>
Lack of sun.?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

Andy Spragg

2007-06-23, 8:25 pm

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:46:26 +0100, Bob Hobden wrote:

> "Andy Spragg" wrote ...
> Lack of sun.?

Hmm. Yes and no. They get plenty of full-on sun for three or four hours
first thing in the morning, but that's their lot.

Andy

--
spargeatbtinternetdotcom

Life begins at kilofortnight

Dave Poole

2007-06-24, 3:25 am

On Jun 24, 12:29 am, Andy Spragg <spa...@btinternet.com> wrote:

[color=darkred]
> Hmm. Yes and no. They get plenty of full-on sun for three or four hours
> first thing in the morning, but that's their lot.

A combination of nitrogen-rich soil and just a few hours sun will
result in lush leafy growth and few or no flowers. These are South
African plants that normally grow in sharply drained, rather
impoverished soils in full sun all day long. The UK sun is barely
half as intense so any reduction caused by shade is bound to have an
adverse effect. The planting site should be well drained, in full,
direct sun and the soil should be given just a sprinkling of growmore
prior to planting. Unless the soil is clay or very 'heavy', don't
worry about adding organic material, they don't need it.

All you can do now is to wait for the nitrogen levels to drop (it
should leach out with all of this rain) and hope that they start to
bud up before the sun loses its power. You might try to counter the
nitrogen levels by carefully sprinkling Sulphate of Potash between the
plants at about 1oz. per square yard. Water it in immediately to
prevent any burning to the leaves. There's no guarantee this will
work, but if it does, you might end up with a good late summer/early
autumn display long after most Mesems have exhausted themselves.

Andy Spragg

2007-06-24, 9:25 am

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:37:42 -0700, Dave Poole wrote:

> On Jun 24, 12:29 am, Andy Spragg <spa...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> A combination of nitrogen-rich soil and just a few hours sun will
> result in lush leafy growth and few or no flowers. These are South
> African plants that normally grow in sharply drained, rather
> impoverished soils in full sun all day long. The UK sun is barely
> half as intense so any reduction caused by shade is bound to have an
> adverse effect. The planting site should be well drained, in full,
> direct sun and the soil should be given just a sprinkling of growmore
> prior to planting. Unless the soil is clay or very 'heavy', don't
> worry about adding organic material, they don't need it.
>
> All you can do now is to wait for the nitrogen levels to drop (it
> should leach out with all of this rain) and hope that they start to
> bud up before the sun loses its power. You might try to counter the
> nitrogen levels by carefully sprinkling Sulphate of Potash between the
> plants at about 1oz. per square yard. Water it in immediately to
> prevent any burning to the leaves. There's no guarantee this will
> work, but if it does, you might end up with a good late summer/early
> autumn display long after most Mesems have exhausted themselves.

That sounds like it has to be worth a shot, particularly since I have a box
of the stuff in the shed that I've never got around to applying to anything
yet!

Andy

--
spargeatbtinternetdotcom

Kate Morgan

2007-06-24, 9:25 am

snip
> That sounds like it has to be worth a shot, particularly since I have a
> box
> of the stuff in the shed that I've never got around to applying to
> anything
> yet!
>
> Andy

sheds are magic places are they not, you never know what useful things you
will find in them :-)

kate

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

Andy Spragg <sparge@btinternet.com> writes
>On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:46:26 +0100, Bob Hobden wrote:
>
>
>Hmm. Yes and no. They get plenty of full-on sun for three or four hours
>first thing in the morning, but that's their lot.
>
Where the heck do you live? Rest of us haven't seen sun for weeks ;-)
--
Kay

judith.lea@googlemail.com

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Jun 24, 3:48 pm, K <k...@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Where the heck do you live? Rest of us haven't seen sun for weeks ;-)
> --

At the moment is is tipping down, I left the wheelbarrow out last
night, it now resembles a water butt.

Judith

Martin

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:48:57 +0100, K <k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>Andy Spragg <sparge@btinternet.com> writes
>Where the heck do you live? Rest of us haven't seen sun for weeks ;-)

This is the group for blighted gardeners, who let Andy in?
--

Martin

Martin

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:32:21 -0700, "judith.lea@googlemail.com"
<judith.lea99@googlemail.com> wrote:

>On Jun 24, 3:48 pm, K <k...@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>At the moment is is tipping down,

Here too

> I left the wheelbarrow out last
>night, it now resembles a water butt.

Mosquitoes were breeding in our wheel barrow.

On the plus side there has been no mention of hosepipe bans this year or any
need to use hose pipes for some weeks.
--

Martin

judith.lea@googlemail.com

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Jun 24, 4:53 pm, Martin <m...@address.invalid> wrote:
> Here too
>

Where are you Martin?

Judith

Martin

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:57:51 -0700, "judith.lea@googlemail.com"
<judith.lea99@googlemail.com> wrote:

>On Jun 24, 4:53 pm, Martin <m...@address.invalid> wrote:
>
>Where are you Martin?

Back on the other side of the North Sea.
There appears to be no end of the rain in sight.
http://www.meteox.nl/h.aspx?r=&jaar=-3&soort=loop1uur

Are you in France or UK?
--

Martin

judith.lea@googlemail.com

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Jun 24, 5:00 pm, Martin <m...@address.invalid> wrote:
>
> Back on the other side of the North Sea.
> There appears to be no end of the rain in sight.http://www.meteox.nl/h.aspx?r=&jaar=-3&soort=loop1uur
>
> Are you in France or UK?

I'm in the U.K. at the moment, East Anglia but I am making a flying
visit to France on Saturday as my husband is there at the moment
supervising a barn conversion.

I can't get into the garden today so I am having a total day off in
preparation for an enormously busy week starting early tomorrow
morning. It's lovely being able to play on the computer for so long,
I envy people who can post almost all day, where do they get the
time??? Maybe they are retired, roll on retirement.

Judith

Martin

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:15:38 -0700, "judith.lea@googlemail.com"
<judith.lea99@googlemail.com> wrote:

>On Jun 24, 5:00 pm, Martin <m...@address.invalid> wrote:
>
>I'm in the U.K. at the moment, East Anglia but I am making a flying
>visit to France on Saturday as my husband is there at the moment
>supervising a barn conversion.

Soon to be seen on a TV program? :-)

>
>I can't get into the garden today so I am having a total day off in
>preparation for an enormously busy week starting early tomorrow
>morning. It's lovely being able to play on the computer for so long,
>I envy people who can post almost all day, where do they get the
>time??? Maybe they are retired, roll on retirement.

Retired or under employed with access to Internet.
--

Martin

Martin

2007-06-24, 1:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:06:54 +0100, Beryl Harwood <b.harwood@zetnet.co.uk>
wrote:

>The message <g55t73lg6r0m6946fcrul86a81777eefjs@4ax.com>
>from Martin <me@address.invalid> contains these words:
>
>
>
>
>
>Oooo, I like that link! Can you get it in English please?

You could have clicked on the flag or you can use this

http://www.meteox.co.uk/h.aspx?r=&j...&soort=loop1uur

It shows actual rainfall. It is not a forecast.
--

Martin

Pam Moore

2007-06-24, 5:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:48:57 +0100, K <k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote:
[color=darkred]
>Andy Spragg <sparge@btinternet.com> writes

I think that the answer here may be the fact that you have made the
soil too rich. Too much richness in the soil gives lots of leaf
growth and fewer flowers. What ever you do, don't feed them any more.

Pam in Bristol

Beryl Harwood

2007-06-24, 8:25 pm

The message <adat73pq9b8kklva014s8ik7uijjv1834t@4ax.com>
from Martin <me@address.invalid> contains these words:

> On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:06:54 +0100, Beryl Harwood <b.harwood@zetnet.co.uk>
> wrote:

[color=darkred]
> You could have clicked on the flag or you can use this

> http://www.meteox.co.uk/h.aspx?r=&j...&soort=loop1uur

> It shows actual rainfall. It is not a forecast.

Thanks, it is interesting though and you can see what is heading your way!!
Beryl

Andy Spragg

2007-06-25, 8:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:51:20 +0200, Martin wrote:

> On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:48:57 +0100, K <k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>

Hello, K. Still in High Wycombe, about a mile down the road from the house
that you saw a few years ago. If you are the K I think you are, that is.
[color=darkred]
> This is the group for blighted gardeners, who let Andy in?

Sorry, folks, I seem to have ruffled a few feathers by my apparent
implication that we have been getting a few hours sun every morning. What I
in fact meant was that of the hours available to my mesems, sunshine,
soaking up for the use of, only the first three or four are actually
available. After that the house gets in the way, even if non-stop rain
doesn't.

So you see, I'm not trying to cock any snooks. Can I stay and play for a
bit now?

Andy

--
spargeatbtinternetdotcom

Look after the sins of write-commission,
and the sins of read-omission will take care of themselves.

Andy Spragg

2007-06-26, 1:25 pm

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:53:11 GMT, Pam Moore wrote:

> On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:48:57 +0100, K <k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
> I think that the answer here may be the fact that you have made the
> soil too rich. Too much richness in the soil gives lots of leaf
> growth and fewer flowers. What ever you do, don't feed them any more.
>
> Pam in Bristol

Mmm. Re: an answer elsewhere in this thread, does that mean you would /not/
recommend using sulphate of potash? Or does that not count as feeding?

Andy

--
spargeatbtinternetdotcom

Speculate to accumulate;
catabolize to anabolize;
reculer pour mieux sauter.

2007-06-26, 5:25 pm

Andy Spragg <sparge@btinternet.com> writes
>On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:53:11 GMT, Pam Moore wrote:
>
>
>Mmm. Re: an answer elsewhere in this thread, does that mean you would /not/
>recommend using sulphate of potash? Or does that not count as feeding?
>
As a very rough rule of thumb, nitrogen encourages leaf growth, potash
encourages flowers. So if you want to encourage flowers/fruit use a high
potash fertiliser intended for roses or tomatoes rather than an all
round fertiliser.

Second rule of thumb - a lot of things plod along very happily while
nutrients are in good supply, but try to produce seed and disperse their
offspring if local conditions seem rubbish. Doesn't work for everything,
by any means, but a bit of stress (hot dry area, low nutrient, being
potbound) can encourage some things into flowering.

--
Kay

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