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Plants to not feed, in pots

borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
in Plants
I've got lots of plants in pots - tender and hardy annuals and perennials, and a few small shrubs.  They all get a liquid feed every 1-2 weeks this time of year.

All, that is, except the English Lavender.  Should I feed this at all, ever? 

And while I'm at it, should I really be feeding my potted Cistus, or would it be happier if I didn't?

Finally, I read Cosmos like poorer soils. I feed mine - should I not?

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Something that just about all plants will benefit from is seaweed extract - it's not a proper fertilizer but ensures that your plants have everything they need in the soil.
    Once every 2-3 weeks is plenty.
    Your lavender and other similar plants would benefit from that every now and then to keep them in good health.

    If you feed cosmos with a general purpose feed you'll gets a lot of growth and foliage, and eventually flowers.
    They're best treated mean.

    Don't know about cistus - I've had a cutting in a pot for over a year and still not sure what to do with it..

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited June 2022
    As I understand it, everything in a sealed container (pot, planter, raised bed with a base etc) will need feeding and there will always be a finite amount of nutrient in the medium. With a plant like lavender, rosemary or bushy salvia would not need much, or need it very often, but they will eventually need some, esp as they will be planted into gritty/sandy poor soil.

    On a separate note, I heard a podcast recently about how there is some general confusion about what is meant by 'drought tolerant'. The term means that the plants can survive in the ground with limited water, but this doesn't at all relate to how they thrive in a container. It doesn't mean that erigeron, for example, will do well in a pot with limited water. In some ways, it's quite the opposite. Drought tolerant plants put down very extensive, fine networks of roots to secure every bit of water they can. These plants in containers can't get that kind of reach so will not be operating as they way they would wish. If you don't give an erigeron much water in a pot, you are likely to find it unhappy and completely solid with roots in no time.

    I think GCs should be much clearer about these matters, as with terms like "good for pollinators".
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Thanks @Fire and @Pete.8,  appreciate your thoughts. I think I'll start being a bit more discriminatory in terms of what gets fed and how often (though I do already use specialised feed for the lemon, olive and ericacious pots.. and helpfully the product gives specific instructions for those).

    Regarding drought-tolerant, yes, I've learnt this with erigeron and salvias.. their tolerance doesn't extend to life in pots!  The lavender does seems to be an exception though, I let it go drier for longer and it doesn't seem to suffer.
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,960
    My first cosmos to flower this April or May were the ones under a hedge- not enriched or watered or paid the slightest attention.
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    I feed (and keep well watered) my annuals and summer flowering perennials with tomato food every couple of weeks from June to Aug. They thrive and mainly look decent until mid Oct; I assume that’s down to the feed.
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    I made the mistake of feeding my cistus, and it didn't flower for a couple of years. With my lavender in pots, I refresh the top layer with fresh JI no 3 in spring, but don't feed it otherwise.
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