Summer is a time of year when there are not a lot of Cym’s in flower here in Perth.  Those that are in flower tend to be the starry pendulous flower type. Some say these are an acquired taste, however they do break the monotony of nothing but green leaves.

It is most important during the hotter months that you don’t allow the mix in your pots to completely dry out.  Water your plants as required. See note 1. For my plants that are in my traditional pine bark & blue metal mix, My retic is set for 10 minutes per station starting at 6:00am.  If it is necessary (depending on the temperature that day) I will hand water again in the late afternoon. This also allows me to apply a very weak application of fertilizer. The new leads on your plants, are in a rapid growth phase at this time, therefore regular and frequent fertilizing with high Nitrogen fertilizer helps your plants grow sufficiently, for some of them enter the flowering process, this season, rather than next season.

The increase in water and humidity can sometimes cause or contribute to an increase in fungal problems E.g. bulb rot. If this occurs, remove the affected bulbs immediately. If you leave the rotten bulbs in the pot, the problem can spread to other bulbs and destroy the whole plant. Mancozeb Plus and or Fongarid can help control fungal problems.

Make sure there are no holes/tears in your shade cloth. Your plants will quickly suffer sunburn on the leaves if exposed to direct sunlight at this time of the year. Once sunburnt the leaves become discolored and unsightly.

This is also the time when Red Spider Mite/2 Spotted Mite will pose a threat. Watch for evidence on the underside of the leaves of your Cym’s. It will look like a very fine spider’s web all over the underside of the leaf, but it won’t come off if you rub it.  If it is at all possible ensure the underside of the leaves get thoroughly wet when you water your plants. It may be necessary to increase the space between pots to allow this to happen. There are lots of Miticide sprays available. Most are ‘kill on contact’ sprays, that need to be applied once to kill the adult mites, then again 10 days or so later to kill any newly hatched mites. It is imperative to read and follow the instructions on the pack, and follow all the safety precautions. Otherwise it won’t just be the Mites that are feeling crook.

These mites love hot dry conditions especially if there is little or no air movement, typical of Perth summer days, so you may have to repeat  action’s to control them, several times during the Summer and Autumn months. About every  5-6 weeks is recommended.

Note 1. Now that some of you are using a premium Cocopeat and perlite mix, it is important that you get your watering schedule right. You can put plants in this mix at risk if you give them either too little or too much water. It is recommended that the mix should always be just damp, not completely soaked or completely dry. Therefore it is recommended that you water every second or third day, depending on the weather.   Also remember the smaller the size of your pots the quicker they will dry out.  The above mentioned method and frequency of watering for pots in traditional pine bark and Blue metal mix will generally cause plants in cocopeat   to be overwatered and too wet.