TREAT THEM MEAN
20 May 2008

There are some plants that will do better if they are under a bit of stress. Perhaps they have been deprived of nutrients, water or simply kept in a pot that is really too small. Thank goodness there is no R.S.P.C.P. or I would be in trouble.

Plants that are happy with lots of available food will grow and make lots of leaves but that is usually at the expense of flowers or fruit. Plentiful leaves are fine for a cabbage but not a lot of use if you want masses of flower followed by fruit or berries.

One way to encourage flower, fruit and leaf colour is to feed the plants with high potash fertilizer. If the potash (K) percentage is at least two times that of the nitrogen(N) then growth will be restricted and the energy pushed into flower and fruit production.

Restricting water to house plants is a useful way of controlling growth. Only water the compost when it dries out and the pot feels light. Give it a good soaking and then allow it to use up the moisture before re watering.

Some plants appreciate being crowded. Agapanthus should be repotted when the clump of roots are cracking the pot or bending a plastic pot out of shape. Nerines are the same. Leave them to become crowded before thinking of splitting the clump and re-potting. Nerines also prefer to be almost out of the compost with only the lower half of the bulb covered.

Rhubarb will perform better if the fleshy roots have been exposed to a few night’s frosts.

Parsnips will taste sweeter if they get a touch of frost.
If you wish to curtail the vigour of a fruit tree and encourage it to set fruit then root prune it in the winter. Dig a circular trench 3 ft out from the trunk and cut all the roots that are laid bare. Backfill with good compost and allow the tree to re-root.

Bending down young, supple branches of apples, pears and cherries using a string and a heavy weight will promote flower buds and extra fruit.

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