Q. I sent you some pictures of my trumpet vine which I
planted as a small plant this last spring.
The plant has barely grown and the leaves have developed red spots all
over them. I believe it has a 2 gph
emitter and watered three times a week for 20 minutes.
planted as a small plant this last spring.
The plant has barely grown and the leaves have developed red spots all
over them. I believe it has a 2 gph
emitter and watered three times a week for 20 minutes.
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| Red spots on leaves of trumpet vine. |
A. Thanks for giving me such good irrigation information.
From this I can estimate you are giving the plant about 7/10 of a gallon each
time you water, three times a week. This is probably enough water for this
plant when it is small but it will not be enough as it gets larger. If you
cannot increase the number of minutes, then I would add a second emitter at the
base of the plant.
From this I can estimate you are giving the plant about 7/10 of a gallon each
time you water, three times a week. This is probably enough water for this
plant when it is small but it will not be enough as it gets larger. If you
cannot increase the number of minutes, then I would add a second emitter at the
base of the plant.
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| Drip emitter at base of trumpet vine |
Trumpet
vine is a hardy plant and thrives in most of the country where the soil is good
and it gets plenty of water. It loves the heat. In fact, this plant can grow
like a weed, extremely aggressive and in some places become invasive.
vine is a hardy plant and thrives in most of the country where the soil is good
and it gets plenty of water. It loves the heat. In fact, this plant can grow
like a weed, extremely aggressive and in some places become invasive.
I don’t
think we have to worry about invasiveness here. It is not a desert plant so it
will need a little bit of extra care.
think we have to worry about invasiveness here. It is not a desert plant so it
will need a little bit of extra care.
I see
these red spots on leaves a lot with our fruit trees, particularly peaches. To
me it is a sign of stress. There are two things that you should concentrate on
to get this plant up and going and these focus on soil improvement and
fertilizer.
these red spots on leaves a lot with our fruit trees, particularly peaches. To
me it is a sign of stress. There are two things that you should concentrate on
to get this plant up and going and these focus on soil improvement and
fertilizer.
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| Red spots developing on leaves of peach due to stress. |
This
plant would benefit from improved soils sold applying a thick layer of surface
mulch is going to make a big difference. I don’t know what kind of soil
improvement you made at the time of planting but this is a plant which would
benefit from a lot of compost added to the soil at planting time.
plant would benefit from improved soils sold applying a thick layer of surface
mulch is going to make a big difference. I don’t know what kind of soil
improvement you made at the time of planting but this is a plant which would
benefit from a lot of compost added to the soil at planting time.
The
organic surface mulch is going to help but I would put down a layer of compost
near the plant and just under the mulch. You can get a load of free organic
mulch from the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas. Once you have solved the soil
problem, this plant would benefit with added water as I mentioned.
organic surface mulch is going to help but I would put down a layer of compost
near the plant and just under the mulch. You can get a load of free organic
mulch from the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas. Once you have solved the soil
problem, this plant would benefit with added water as I mentioned.
In late
January or early February I would fertilizer with a decent landscape fertilizer
and combine that with an application of iron. The best soil applied iron is going
to be in the iron chelate form called EDDHA in the ingredients. Make sure it is
applied to the drip emitters and watered in with a hose.
January or early February I would fertilizer with a decent landscape fertilizer
and combine that with an application of iron. The best soil applied iron is going
to be in the iron chelate form called EDDHA in the ingredients. Make sure it is
applied to the drip emitters and watered in with a hose.
 |
| Peters fertilizer, a good quality plant fertilizer. |
In about
March, spray the foliage with a good quality foliar fertilizer such as Miracle Gro
or Peters. If you follow this advice, you will see some dramatic improvements.
March, spray the foliage with a good quality foliar fertilizer such as Miracle Gro
or Peters. If you follow this advice, you will see some dramatic improvements.
Thanks for this info – this appears to be exactly what my peach tree has… I'm going to remove the grass around the base, put down the thick layer of compost, and then the mulch… and let the house drip throughout the night….