Surrey, United Kingdom
I received a Physalis plant as a present and would like
some advise as how to care for it . When to feed it and
how to water it ! Top or bottom ! how many times a week
Thank you
On plant
Physalis alkekengi
- 26 Sep, 2010
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Physalis Alkekengi Var. Franchetii (Chinese Lantern)
£7.99 at Crocus
Previous question
« how far will the root system be of a 20 year old acer tree in chalky/clay soil
Indoors, it will need quite a bit of light, including some direct sun, to stay healthy. If you have hard or salty water, it is always better to water from the top of the soil, without getting much on the leaves. If your water is pure, from the bottom is best, since it saturates the compost more thoroughly. I would let the top 2/3 cm of compost dry out between soakings, since the roots need air, too. That may work out to once or twice a week, depending on the temperature and humidity in the house, but I would check frequently until I had an idea of it's rhythms. Any good houseplant food, applied according to directions, will work for it. Watch out for spider mites indoors: rainfall and natural predators usually keep them down outdoors, but they can get out of hand inside. Washing the leaves down with purified water every week or two will usually prevent them. If they get started anyway, use a little organic washing up liquid with the water you use to wash the leaves. Hope this helps!
29 Sep, 2010