So I bought a neat flower pot 3 years ago, unaware at the time that it would be the first of 50 “neat” flower pots I’d accumulate.
Of course, I now had to put something in them, and I started with those green ubiquitous vining plants that you have to work at killing. They are doing just fine in my care. I added “purple heart” plants—another vining plant—and they’re doing just fine as well.
I went to a nursery and Home Depot and bought small flowering plants-----annuals I think they’re called-----and they’re keeling over like they’ve been assassinated.
I’ve had the vining plants for 3ish years and they get watered every 3-5 days by saturation. They get Miracle Grow. They seem to be quite happy with this routine. Not so, the flowering plants.
It occurs to me that my problem may be:
Infrequent watering
Too much water at watering time
Not enough Sun. (They see some morning sun on an east facing balcony)
If we’re to be the plant doctors, we need to know the symptoms exhibited by the vict…uh, the deceased plants. Do they wilt? slowly yellow and shrivel? are there spots on the leaves? Little webs? Visible bugs? Does your dog like taking a piss on the balcony?
If “some morning sun” is a couple hours worth, that’s not enough for most flowering annuals like geraniums, zinnias, petunias etc. It’s fine for impatiens, coleus and some others.
There is no absolute watering schedule that works for all plants in all sorts of pots, soil and exposures. You have to check the soil (at least the surface, preferably an inch or two down) to know if you’re watering enough or too much. Plants on balconies may or may not get enough wind and sun to dry out rapidly. Or the soil and drainage could be bad enough that you’re drowning them. If the water you give them runs out the bottom hole(s) of the pot, they’re probably getting enough at watering time.
Annuals are plants that live just one season. They are not all related to each other, so they require different care. Some need lots of water and light others don’t. They all do better out doors, since they must go through their entire life cycle in one season.
The secret is to read the little plastic tags that come with them carefully.
I want to clarify that annuals are plants that typically live only one season in your current climate, and if they are subjected to harsh conditions they do not come back the following year. As long as you keep them warm enough and give them enough light, they will continue to bloom and live, but if the season gets too cold, they do not overwinter, they just die and never come back.