Gujarat, India
I have this rangoon creeper for atleast 5-6 years now. Few months (atleast) 3 i started using urine to fertilize the soil (big mistake). I noticed the growth stunted, the leaves started to yellow.
I read somewhere that feeding nitrogenous fertilizers to rangoon creeper inhibits the flowering and promotes the leaves to grow, and that using a potassium rich fertilizer like hard wood ash with some cow dung might help. I am making arrangements to get those.
I would like to know from the experienced garden lovers here, what else should I do to bring back it's glory :(
The new leaves that are growing now look curled like in these pictures.
- 10 May, 2017
Answers
My concerns with the sodium in urine still stand, though diluting it first will help. Note that wood ash is highly alkaline, and may cause "chlorosis"--yellowish new growth with green veins--so I like to apply diluted vinegar along with it.
10 May, 2017
Best place for urine is in your compost heap not anywhere near your actual plants.
10 May, 2017
Bathgate, Moon grower thanks for clarifying, I used urine very wrongly.
Now the thing is damage is already done and I need to correct it.
As the pics show I am already getting curled up and small leaves.
Yes, Tugbrethil you mentioned the sodium thing before too and I have stopped using urine like that. So could you help me with the proportions of vinegar and ash?
I just want to do anything I can to help the plant recover, looking at it in a sorry state everyday feels bad.
10 May, 2017
And as you mentioned earlier tugbrethil, I have started deep watering the pots which I fertilized with urine.
Will the wood ash in anyway balance the damage done to the soil by urine?
10 May, 2017
Flush it out with water letting a stream of water run through for a few minutes or submerge the whole pot in water for a couple minutes, or just repot it new compost.
10 May, 2017
I would not use wood ash in the actual pot... Won't serve at all.
10 May, 2017
Perfect, I would start with trying to flood the pot and let it drain.
Moon, how do you recommend using the ash?
And is there a way I could help it blossom new flowers?
11 May, 2017
Update-Flooded the pot twice and it kept draining for around 15 minutes.
11 May, 2017
You could dig into or spread on the surface of your garden but not in pots. I think you are simply going to let the shrub recover and then feed with good organic matter, not manure in a pot though.
11 May, 2017
Moon_Grower is right, wood ash is powerful stuff to put in a pot. If you already have, the dilution rate for the vinegar water you apply depends on the pH of your normal water: 2 ml of vinegar per liter of water for a pH of 7, and twice that for a pH of 8--likely the latter, since you have hard water. A good flush with that should help with the alkalinity of the ash, and may help some with the sodium from the urine.
12 May, 2017
Moon, mine is a pot garden. So, I think I will mix it up with vinegar like Tug has said here.
Once I see some improvements I will post updates.
12 May, 2017
Chillies, I strongly recommend you do NOT use wood ash in a pot!
12 May, 2017
Note, Chillies, that I also said NOT to use wood ash in a pot. The diluted vinegar is to help the plant survive a mistaken dose of ash.
13 May, 2017
Chillies, right now you seem to be hell bent on making a bad situation worse. Simply let your plant recover do NOT add anything else that is likely to upset the pH and cause more problems. If you only grow things in pots then you simply can't use your wood ash at all.
13 May, 2017
Oops, I got it, I didn't add anything yet, thanks for the timely comments :) There is a new branch growing and twirling up the rope support at a really really fast pace like 6-7 centimeters a day. I won't mess around with it :)
14 May, 2017
Yep, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" :)
14 May, 2017
Yeah. I will update any progress here. I don't know when the flowers will bloom, but a 5 inch arabian jasmine twig in a pot near it is about to bloom 4 flowers so I am at peace now lol.
14 May, 2017
Don't go peeing on your flowers. You can use urine, but not full strength - it will curl the leaves and burn the roots. Add about a half cup of pee to 2 gallons of water. Now your talkin.' Urine contains copious amounts of Potassium, Nitrogen & Phosphorous so it's fairly balanced. That's what you're buying anyway when you purchase fertilizers - piss.
Wood ash is OK. That's more phosphorous, also called lime. It should be evenly worked in.
Cow dung or donkey dung should be well rotted before applying to the garden.
10 May, 2017