I had another container come available, so potted up another 8-pack batch of alpine strawberries. They are well rooted, but not very potbound. I didn't think it necessary to try breaking the roots up. In this hot weather 90s F), I don't want to risk that much root trauma. It doesn't seem necessary with such minimal root matting. Unlike the first two batches, these were planted two seedlings per cell. I don't know if that matters.
First, the clumps that I cleaned up, divided, and replanted, on 15 April 24. Some were in a smaller container some in the container that I cleaned up and replanted them in. That reestablished a nice colony. I was careful to mulch deeply with tree leaves. They are on the irrigation drip line.
Those are ready for a harvest. I do give some nitrogen fertilizer about once a month, since they are a leafy vegetable and already have a deep, vigorous root system.
This week I also replanted another container, dividing the plants and replanting in rows in a raised bed.
I mixed crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and chicken bone meal into the soil.
They also have a mulch of used coffee filters, covered with a leaf mould mulch. They are on the drip lines. I don't know if they will re-invigorate enough for a crop later this year. Maybe.
Here's the red Mandevilla vine. I overwintered it in the garage, then prune heavily an repotted in larger container. That was 20 April.
The pink one is a bit behind but has lots of buds. I can post when it's more dramatic.
I occasionally gave them a diluted balanced fertilizer to get the leaves to fill out, then a bloom booster. No high nitrogen - I don't want long straggly vines.
These don't seem to mind the heat at all.
Here are the 4:00's in bloom at about 9am. They don't follow the "bloom at four o'clock" rule.
These are my reliable favorites. The yellow ones and magenta ones were my own seed saving. I bought the seeds for the variegated ones. Two were overwintered tubers from container plants. The rest were seed - grown this Spring. They actually have some shade, overhead and on their west side.
Deer and rabbits don't touch them. They do need slug bait during wet Spring. Supposedly, Japanese beetles eat the leaves which have an insecticidal toxin, but I don't know about that.
I water them about every few days. They have an arborist chip mulch.
Four O'clock roots usually overwinter fine, in place, here with no special treatment,
