My containers and other flowers and vegetables look great until hot weather hits in July. Then they either get straggly or lose their dark green color. Even my lawn is losing color. Is there anything I can do to keep them healthy through the whole summer?
The main cause of color loss in plants is lack of fertilizer. Frequent irrigation washes fertilizer nutrients below the reach of the root system. This is especially true for container plants. I usually give my flowers and vegetables an additional fertilization in early July. If the lawn loses color I give it a half rate feeding.
When older or lower leaves turn yellow, they are suffering from nitrogen shortage. If newer leaves turn yellow with darker veins, it is usually iron deficiency.
I prefer a fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for flowers and vegetables. A typical analysis is 16-16-16 nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Organic fertilizers usually have a lower analysis and are not usually all the same. Lawn fertilizer contains more nitrogen, less potassium and very little phosphorus. Check the analysis label to make sure there is at least a small amount of iron also.
