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Are these Lantana healthy?

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psimitry



Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 75
Location: maricopa

PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:35 pm    Post subject: Are these Lantana healthy? Reply with quote

They certainly don't look it. But I've got one person telling me that they're just shocked because it's the first year they've been planted.

When I bought them and planted them, they were broadleafed and flowering. Now... not so much. Advice?

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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, they don't look too good. However, my lantana do seem to go in and out of dormancy, so sometimes they look ragged. I have found that lantana don't like to be fertilized. Are you fertilizing them? Also, how often are you watering them?
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psimitry



Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 75
Location: maricopa

PostPosted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So apparently I must be doing everything with them wrong, because they have been fertilized with a long time release pellet form fertilizer that I dropped on them in early summer. Additionally, when I asked a nursery why they might be looking like they did, the nursery suggested I dose them with a Zinc and Iron blend.

Additionally, I'm sure that they're not being watered properly. Oddly enough, I thought I was way overwatering them, so I cut their water back, and they look pretty much the same. I had been using 2GPH drippers watering for 20 minutes at a time, three times per day, and three times per week during the hottest months of the summer. I then cut that back to 1GPH drippers. Not a whole lot of change.
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow. Yes, you were giving them way too much water. In summer I think one time every other day is plenty. I bet you could get away with only twice a week with lantanas, but I currently water every other day in summer. Now, in the Fall, I am watering them only twice a week. The amount of water in each watering should be enough to soak a good 1-2 foot circle arond the base. I would guess that to be 3-5 gallons per. plant.

When you water them so frequently you keep them constantly wet which is not good. They need to dry out between waterings.

Nurseries are always trying to sell you fertilizers. They make money off that stuff. I almost never fertilize my lantanas and they are covered with flowers and have dark green leaves.

I think just stop fertilizing altogether and water less frequently too. Let us know how it goes.


Last edited by phoenixtropicals on Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:37 pm    Post subject: Radiation Lantana Reply with quote

I took a photo of my lantana for you. This variety of lantana is called Radiation. Actually, this time of year is a really ideal time for them. I don't think I have fertilized them in years.


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Radiation Lantana




Last edited by phoenixtropicals on Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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psimitry



Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 75
Location: maricopa

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Argh. That's aggravating. But it just goes to show yet again how I need more drip lines in my back yard.

Currently I travel a lot for business, often I'm gone for a week to two weeks at a time, so the drip irrigation with programmable timers is a godsend.

Only it's not so much a godsend if you have plants that need to be watered on different frequencies, not necessarily just amounts.

My place only came with one main dripline installed. Sounds as if I'm going to have to break down and install more Razz

And that picture is amazing. I actually have been traveling to San Jose for the past two months and I can't believe how common Lantana is there. I was under the impression that it was more of a desert plant. Anyway, the point is that your lantana look pretty much like the ones I saw there (which is to say amazing).

There's also a lot of really interesting hibiscus plants there too. Might have to see if I can make and bring home some clippings that I can try to clone.
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
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Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:51 pm    Post subject: Watering schedules Reply with quote

I use just two watering schedules in my yard. I call them grass and citrus.

http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/watering.html

You should be able to get by with just two schedules and then you can vary the rate at which water is delivered to each plant by installing more or fewer drip lines. Or, you could change to bubblers, where can vary the rate water is applied by adjusting the bubbler head.

I also have a chart in the site for common landscape plants, that tells you how frequently to water them.

http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/colorfulFloweringLandscapePlants.html
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psimitry



Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 75
Location: maricopa

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Huh. Was just noticing that apparently I'm overwatering the heck out of my fairy duster as well. Seems like with a lot of the plants I've chosen, it might be best (once I'm no longer traveling, likely near the end of the month) to simply cap the drip lines on a lot of my plants, leave it open for my peach tree, herb plants, and hibiscus and simply manually water my lantana (probably about 30% of my total plants) and the fairy duster.

Also, I recently planted a blue plumbago plant, as well as a purple sky flower. Any advice on the watering frequency and/or amount for them?

Heh. And I also just noticed from your chart that the yellow (or peach) oleander is poisonous. I remember when I was a kid that my friend and I used to pull the flower off the stalk and suck out the necter from it.

Wonder how much smarter I'd be in life if I hadn't ingested a buncha poison as a kid Shocked
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you sure that wasn't a honeysuckle you were sucking the nector out of. I'd imagine a yellow oleander to very bitter and probably would make you super sick.

I think handwatering a lantana would be a chore in the summer. Notice that I don't have them on the cactus schedule. The only plants I'd recommend hand watering occasionally are the ones that do well on a cactus schedule.

I think a plumbago would need are fair amount of water in the summer. Fairy duster should be ok with very little water. Purple sky flower I don't know about.
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psimitry



Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 75
Location: maricopa

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well that's kinda the rub - people around the neighborhood called it a honeysuckle, but it didn't look like any honeysuckle I've seen at any of the nurseries. Instead, it looked like a peach oleander.

(which actually reminds me - Is that plant just really out of fashion? I've seen them at exactly one nursery, in tree form, in a 36" box that was selling for $1500. Are they THAT unpopular?)

Also, the sky flower is apparently also known as the Golden Dewdrop.
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
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Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have yellow oleanders all over or neighborhood. Regular oleanders grow very easily from cuttings. You just root them in water. I don't know if yellow oleanders are that easy to propagate.
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GermanStar



Joined: 17 Jun 2010
Posts: 117
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is a lot you can do with drip, provided you have good drainage. I have mostly succulents, and have them all on a 90 minute twice per week drip regimen. If that seems excessive, allow me to add that nearly all of these plants were added just this year, so I've used the entire summer as establishment period. Next summer, all will be on a 90-minute once per week regimen. For my succulents, I use Rain Bird .5 gph xeric emitters, and place them some small distance from the plants, increasing that distance as they become established to 12"-18" away. It works out well for Agaves and non-native cacti, which can generally do with far more water than native cacti.

So while additional drip lines might be ideal, you can generally work with one schedule by varying the output of the emitters (0.5 - 4 gph) and the proximity of the emitter to established plants, on a once per 5-7 day regimen. To reiterate, you must have good drainage for this to work, or your succulents and other drought-tolerant plants may suffer a lingering death from residing in standing water.

BTW, I have just this week reduced my regimen to once per week, and plan to turn it off completely once winter starts in earnest. In the spring, I will up to once per week, and hold right there through summer, hand-watering the handful of plants that schedule may not abide.


Last edited by GermanStar on Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
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GermanStar



Joined: 17 Jun 2010
Posts: 117
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

psimitry wrote:
So apparently I must be doing everything with them wrong, because they have been fertilized with a long time release pellet form fertilizer that I dropped on them in early summer. Additionally, when I asked a nursery why they might be looking like they did, the nursery suggested I dose them with a Zinc and Iron blend.

Additionally, I'm sure that they're not being watered properly. Oddly enough, I thought I was way overwatering them, so I cut their water back, and they look pretty much the same. I had been using 2GPH drippers watering for 20 minutes at a time, three times per day, and three times per week during the hottest months of the summer. I then cut that back to 1GPH drippers. Not a whole lot of change.

I agree, way, way too much water. You should not use drip irrigation for any time less than 90 minutes (unless you're using it to water plants in large pots) -- deep watering is the ticket, for myriad reasons. No more than twice per week during summer to once per week spring and fall. I doubt the plant will recover significantly this fall. Let it die back this winter and do not water at all, cut it down to the ground, then start a 1 gph emitter (perhaps changing to 2 gph as growth seems to warrant) on a 90-minute once per week watering cycle near the end of March, and watch it come back to life looking better than ever. Lantana is nothing if not tough.
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GermanStar



Joined: 17 Jun 2010
Posts: 117
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 8:49 am    Post subject: Re: Watering schedules Reply with quote

phoenixtropicals wrote:
I use just two watering schedules in my yard. I call them grass and citrus.

http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/watering.html

You should be able to get by with just two schedules and then you can vary the rate at which water is delivered to each plant by installing more or fewer drip lines. Or, you could change to bubblers, where can vary the rate water is applied by adjusting the bubbler head.

I also have a chart in the site for common landscape plants, that tells you how frequently to water them.

http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/colorfulFloweringLandscapePlants.html
Nice, helpful chart, thank you. There is one entry I don't agree with though, and that is the Jacaranda, which is extremely drought-tolerant. You really don't have to water a Jacaranda at all, it will drop some leaves and not be much to look at, but it will survive and leaf out luxuriantly once it does receive more water. I know, mine was off the drip system for about three years at one point. I have mine on a 1 gph emitter twice per week (not much water for a 30' tree), but I'm sure it will do just as well with far less frequent watering. I'll switch it to 2gph once per week next summer, along with the rest of my landscape. In any case, I believe it would best be on a citrus schedule rather than grass on the chart.
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the information on the Jacaranda. I'll research that.
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