Purple Cone Flower - Page 2

 



I myself have never bought potted coneflowers, so this is just transplanting
rules-of-thumb. I don't know how small the hole you dug was, but one should
leave *more* than enough room for what comes out the container. Roots can be
damaged if crammed in any way into their new home. But they also need good
soil contact, which is something they have a much better chance at with a
good watering-in. That advice you read about overwatering tends to apply
more to people who have soils with poor drainage (and to a more than a few
unknowledgable houseplant owners). The fact it perked up after adding more
water is a pretty good indication that it's just what it needed.
After you give it a nice soak, you might even try putting some mulch around
it to help keep the the soil from drying out too fast between
rains/waterings, maybe help keep the roots cooler in all that heat too.

 



That is for established plants.  For planting a plant, you should dig a hole
bigger than the pot the plant came out of, then fill the hole with water,
put the plant in and fill the hole arund the plant.  It wouldn't hurt to
water again after you've got the plant planted.  Mulching around the plant
will help hold the moisture it needs. Untill the plant is firmly
established, you shoud water it every day.  HTH
Gloria

 



I agree with Gloria on the watering, but you didn't mention what type of
soil in which the echinacea is planted. Echinacea likes well drained
soils. I lost one, because it was planted in clay. As a result, when it
tried to push the following year, the soil was too wet and cold for it
to push. If you have clay soil, you should probably do as "brooklin"
suggested, and even mound up the earth around it.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/28/naomi_klein_the_real_crime_scene

 

Darren wrote:
...

  keep it watered at least once
a day until it starts sending
up some new growth.  then back
off the water to every other day
as long as this heat persists and
we get no rain.  once it cools
off let it go longer in between
watering and keep an eye on
it through the fall.  if you have
planted it in an area that gets
bare in the winter consider
mulching it after the ground
freezes (and remove the mulch
as soon as the worst of the
winter is over).

  these are fairly hearty plants.
i never water mine once they
are going and they rarely croak.
i lost 3 this past year because the
management forgot they were
there and landscape material'd
over them.  i could have rescued
them, but i know the better
part of discretion and valor is to
smile nod and agree.

  long lasting flowers and the birds
love the seeds, plus you will have
plenty of volunteers in time.  i keep
a cone from each type in a paper
bag after they are ripe (watch out
they are quite pricky if you squeeze
them the wrong way) so i have
seeds to grow replacements
if i need them or to start plants for
people who'd like them.

  which reminds me, i need to
rotate my stock this year as i think
these cones are from two years ago.

  good luck,


  songbird

 

Many thanks for all the replies and info.
I have been watering it regularly now, and it seems to be reviving.
Thanks again.



Darren