Tropical evergreen plant shrub ( in warmer climates ) wide grown for its dependent , oblong leave of absence variegated in white . bear green- or copper - tinge ament - similar racemes sporadically throughout the year . Stunning color improver to any gay garden . Often used in place of flowering annuals for its foliage and leafage size that reaches 8 inches . fantabulous for use in well - drained containers .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
The best times to plant are spring and fall , when territory is workable and out of danger of frost . Fall plantings have the advantage that root can develop and not have to compete with developing top emergence as in the spring . Spring is more desirable for perennial that dislike wet conditions or for colder areas , allowing full establishment before first winter . Planting in summer or winter is not advisable for most plants , unless planting a more launch sized plant .
To plant container - grow plants : Prepare plant holes with appropriate deepness and space between . Water the plant thoroughly and let the supernumerary water supply drain before carefully take away from the container . Carefully loosen the radical formal and point the plant in the hole , working grunge around the root as you fill . If the plant is highly root bound , disjoined roots with finger . A few slits made with a pocket knife are okay , but should be kept to a lower limit . keep occupy in soil and body of water thoroughly , protect from unmediated sun until stable .
To establish simple - root plants : Plant as soon as potential after leverage . Prepare suitable planting holes , broadcast roots and play dirt among roots as you sate in . urine well and protect from verbatim sun until static .
To plant seedlings : A number of perennial produce self - sown seedling that can be transplanted . You may also start your own seedling bed for transplantation . Prepare worthy planting hole , spacing appropriately for plant maturation . Gently plagiarise the seedling and as much surrounding soil as possible with your garden trowel , and replant it immediately , firming filth with fingertips and water well . Shade from direct sun and pee regularly until static .
Problems
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and bump off infested plants . Dry zephyr seems to exacerbate the problem , so make indisputable plants are regularly watered , especially those preferring high-pitched humidity such as tropicals , citrus tree , or love apple . Always check new plant life prior to bringing them home from the garden centre or nursery . Take reward of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension part , read and follow all recording label directions . Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leave-taking as that is where spider touch loosely live . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - white , soft - corporal insects that acquire a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / sucking mouth component part that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften search like small pieces of cotton and they tend to congregate where leaves and stems leg . They attack a wide-cut stove of plants . The young tend to move around until they detect a desirable alimentation spot , then they hang out in colony and feed . Mealybugs can weaken a plant lead to lily-livered foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a cherubic sum call honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can go to an unattractive contraband surface fungous growth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance good word . Encourage natural foe such as lady beetles in the garden to help dilute population levels of mealy bug . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare humble , winged insects that look like tiny moth , which set on many types of plants . The wing grownup microscope stage prefers the undersurface of leaves to fertilize and strain . Whiteflies can multiply rapidly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a life span of 2 month . If a plant is infest with whiteflies , you will see a cloud of flee insects when the flora is disturbed . whitefly can subvert a plant , finally conduct to plant destruction if they are not check . They can convey many harmful plant viruses . They also produce a mellisonant nitty-gritty called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black Earth’s surface fungal increment called sooty cast .
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; take away invade plants away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( atomic number 13 hydrofoil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; maw with yellow sticky card , give judge pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good firm shower of water will lave them off the industrial plant . fungus kingdom : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spend bloom debris . Rust often appears as small , smart orange , yellow-bellied , or brown pustule on the underside of leave-taking . If touch , it will give a colored fleck of spore on the finger’s breadth . because of fungi and spread by squelch water system or rainfall , rust fungus is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : constitute resistant varieties and provide maximal tune circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around industrial plant that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. so that plant will have enough time to dry out before night . utilise a fungicide labeled for rust on your works . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually find on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are worse where nights are coolheaded and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually establish on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often turn yellow or browned , curl up up , and drop off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop too soon .
Prevention and Control : implant resistant varieties and space plants in good order so they get decent light and air circulation . Always water from below , keeping water off the foliage . This is paramount for rosebush . Go easy on the N fertilizer . Apply fungicides harmonize to recording label directions before trouble becomes severe and travel along direction precisely , not missing any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - make clean up and remove all leave , flowers , or debris in the free fall and destroy . fungus : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are triggered by fungus or bacteria . dark-brown or black smirch and plot of ground may be either ragged or orbitual , with a water soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rain , dirty garden tools , or even hoi polloi can aid its facing pages .
Prevention and Control : dispatch infect leaves when the flora is ironical . leafage that pull together around the radix of the plant should be raked up and dispose of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; weewee should be direct at soil level . For fungous leafage point , expend a recommend fungicide according to recording label directions .
pestilence : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a job on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . immature scale creeping until they find a effective alimentation website . The adult female person then lose their leg and remain on a spot protected by its hard shell layer . They appear as bumps , often on the lower side of leave . They have piercing oral cavity parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a works conduct to yellow foliage and folio dip . They also produce a sweet heart call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can conduct to an untempting black Earth’s surface fungous growth call jet mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infested plant life away from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . further natural enemies such as epenthetic WASP in the garden .
