Bed Preparation and Maintenance of Annuals

The time spent preparing the planting bed is important if you are to be successful with annual flowers. Flower beds should be spaded or tilled at least six inches deep several weeks before planting. Florida's sandy soils have very low capacities for holding nutrients and water. Incorporation of 2 to 3 inches of organic matter into planting beds will increase the nutrient and water retention of these soils. Organic materials such as leaf mold or peat should be thoroughly mixed into the soil.

Garden soils, especially in recently developed areas, are frequently infertile. Flower beds should be fertilized prior to planting or at planting time and repeated on a monthly basis. Apply 6-6-6 or a similar complete fertilizer at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet of bed area. Controlled release fertilizers are ideal for Florida's sandy soils. Plants usually grow much better with a continuous nutrient supply and labor is reduced since controlled release fertilizer application frequency is less than for rapid release fertilizers. Controlled release fertilizers can be incorporated uniformly throughout the soil before planting and applied on the soil surface of established plantings.

Annuals purchased in compartmentalized plastic flats usually have pot bound root systems. If planted intact, the root system will be slow to establish in the surrounding soil and plants will suffer moisture stress. A preferred method is to loosen and untangle the root system without breaking the soil ball. Plants recover rapidly and establish quickly. Tall and spindly plants should be pruned to half their original size to produce more attractive plants with more flowers.

Weeds should be controlled either by hand weeding or mulching. Black plastic mulches should never be used except when a layer of organic mulch (woodchips, pine bark, etc.) is added on top of the black plastic. Temperatures of 117-119°F have been recorded 1 to 3 inches above uncovered black plastic mulches. The addition of organic matter over the plastic reduces heat absorption and masks the artificial appearance of black plastic.

Mulching materials should not come in contact with plant stems. The high moisture environment created by mulch increases the chances of stem rot which can result in plant death. Some annuals such as petunias develop yellow leaves (chlorosis) when mulched with cypress or pine bark mulches. This condition is not due to a nitrogen deficiency and can not be corrected by the addition of fertilizer.

Annual flowers require more maintenance than most other landscape plants. However, their brilliant colors add an atmosphere of warmth and life to a landscape which more than justifies the additional maintenance.


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