DUST ON THE BIBLE

Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Today's Featured Plant
Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Read the full profile of this plant .

Q&A: Passionflower as a Houseplant

Question: I would like some information on how to keep a passionflower vine (Passiflora caerulea) as a houseplant. What container size is sufficient for this vine? What should I grow the vine on?

Answer: Passiflora caerulea has flowers with intricate structure but despite the delicacy of the flowers, there's nothing delicate about the plant. It is a rampant climber and can outgrow its welcome if not cut back hard each spring. Provide your plant with average household warmth and give it the sunniest spot available. Keep the soil moist during the spring and summer months and reduce the frequency of watering during the winter (when the plant grows slowly). Mist the leaves occasionally during the growing season and repot in fresh soil each spring. Depending upon the size of your plant, you can probably start out in a 1-gallon container. Provide a trellis support, or soft strings for the tendrils on the vines to grasp as it grows. Passiflora is quite adaptable and will happily climb wherever it can get a foothold.

Q&A: Using Soaker Hose

Question: I plan to water my raised bed vegetable garden with a soaker hose. I have been unable to find out how long to run the water to deliver enough water to my plants. I would like to know what is a good duration time to start out with and understand that I will have to adjust it to suit my conditions. My soil is loam and the vegetables will be tomatoes, peppers, beans and herbs. I am currently planing on 1hr in the morning and 1hr at night. Please let me know if this is correct. Also should the soaker hose be buried?

Answer: Try burying the hose just an inch or two below the soil surface. Then run the hose for an hour. Then carefully dig a hole, and see how deep the water has gone. It's likely you will need to run the hose for a few hours to get enough saturation--you want the plants' entire root zone moist. I would run the hose for a few hours as necessary in the morning, and forego the evening watering. Generally, it's a good idea to water thoroughly less often, than water a little continuously. Light waterings won't penetrate the soil, so roots will tend to stay too shallow.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Tip: Plant Wildflowers

In warm winter areas, plant spring and summer blooming wildflowers. Till the area removing any grasses and perennial weeds, broadcast the seed by hand, and lightly cover the seeds with soil. Keep moist if the rains don't come.

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