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Can you use high-potassium liquid feed on flowering herbs to get them to flower?

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  • elliotp981elliotp981 Posts: 105
    Fairygirl said:
    The number of hours of sun is also determined by summer conditions, so the full sun as @JennyJ mentions, means summer hours. A south facing, or south west, is usually best, as long as there's nothing else blocking that sun. It's variable of course, but thyme copes best with as much sun as it can get.
    I still wouldn't be feeding them - far better to make sure the soil mix they're growing in is checked/amended each year or so if they have to stay in pots. Too much food can just promote  a lot of soft growth which can then be adversely affected when cold weather arrives.
    Of course, that also depends on location, and I've no idea where you're located or what your climate is like. There's a huge difference between the south of England and the north of Scotland when it comes to plants and their care. Rosemary needs protection up here, or cuttings taken to overwinter. Unreliable otherwise. 
    Can growth on plants toughen up before winter? I heard that high-potassium feeds support the hardiness/protection mechanism of the plants you feed it with (if you do it relatively consistently in the growing season), don't know if that works on new growth though.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I’ve never seen any evidence that Potassium toughens plants up.

    Producing soft growth in late summer will make plants more susceptible to winter damage.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • elliotp981elliotp981 Posts: 105
    https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/potash/

    I have no idea if those apply in this context but I thought it would. 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited August 2023
    It does help strengthen plants but the soft new growth still needs time to mature and harden before winter so it's best not to feed it after mid July.

    As has been mentioned, plants in pots need feeding as the planting compost only has feed to last a max 90 days so you need to top dress pots every spring and apply a slow release feed such as pelleted chicken manure or BF&B and use an occasional liquid feed between regular waterings from spring to mid summer.

    The exception to feeding later than mid July are plants like citrus which are not hardy and get taken into shelter for winter.

    Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage are all Mediterranean herbs which need full sun and good drainage.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • elliotp981elliotp981 Posts: 105
    Am I still able to feed plants that will go dormant in winter (like my Buddeja, Wisteria etc.)?
  • elliotp981elliotp981 Posts: 105
    In terms of wisteria, does being deciduous allow this?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Try re-reading the first sentence in my last post @elliotp981
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You can lead a horse to water.....

    You don't feed shrubs like Buddleia in winter  :|
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I wouldn't feed Buddleja at all.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Obelixx said:
    Try re-reading the first sentence in my last post @elliotp981
    The poster is having you on Obe, 😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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