Feeding outdoor plants

[jez1]

Hi,

 

Can anyone with outdoor grow experience please fill me in...

 

Assuming the plant is potted in a coco/perlite mix and fed liquid coco nutrients and left outside.

 

What do you do when it comes to feeding an outdoor potted plant in the winter when it may rain for days?

 

Will a good soaking rain flush out the nutrients?

 

Will the rain have the same effect as over watering the plant as it wont get the chance to dry out?

 

I can imagine with some bad luck a plant may not dry out enough to need a water for weeks. Are you meant to just try to force some in and water when already wet, use different food, cover...?

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

[louise]

Yes, excessive rain will wash out the nutrients and will have the same effect as over watering.

 

Only solution I know of that works... keep plants under cover during rainy weather.

[jez1]

Fair enough, thanks for the advice.

 

I never really thought it would be a problem till we had 5 days of rain..

[louise]

Yeah, a shelter that lets in the sun is probably a must for winter growing. I used to have a plastic covered greenhouse, but this year I am using a zincalume aviary. It's open to sun on the east and north facings so the plants get direct light from sunrise to around 4pm but are protected from most of the weather.

 

If you can't get the pots out of the rain, tip them up on an angle so they drain off faster. Fungus gnats and rotten roots are common complications of wet medium, especially in cold conditions.

Edited April 23, 2014 by louise

[wannagrowbuds]

Just cut a slot in something like an ice cream lid so you can get it past the stem and use it as a cover on the pot.

[Minzone]

Wannagrowbuds I like the method of thinking here not a bad idea