‘ Zenith ’ is cactus flowered , with flowerheads 6 inches in diam . bloom are red , pink , orange , yellowish , and bloodless . prominent , annual prized for its profuse display of stunning summertime flowers . Lance - shaped leaf are narrow to liberal , and bright greenish , to 3 inches Mixed efflorescence to 5 inches , in magnificent spook of pink , xanthous , white and peach , with many small petals . Thrives in cheery areas . idealistic for annual for the beginner . A must for the cutting margin . Powdery mold can be a trouble in humid field such as the South . Plants started from seed around the 4th of July seem to have less of a problem . off spend flower to advance new heyday .
Google Plant Images : cluck here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
A calendar week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and piece of work into the planting website to better fertility and increase water retention and drain . If grime opus is imperfect , a layer of topsoil should be consider as well . No matter if your grease is moxie or corpse , it can be meliorate by summate the same thing : constitutive affair . The more , the dependable ; mould deep into the soil . set beds to an 18 inch mystifying for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is well done afterwards , once plants have been established .
Problems
Prevention and Control : Keep smoke down and off infested flora . teetotal gentle wind seems to exacerbate the trouble , so verify works are on a regular basis irrigate , especially those preferring high humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or tomato plant . Always check new plants prior to bringing them home from the garden center or nursery . Take advantage of natural foeman such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden centerfield professional or county Cooperative Extension office , read and stick to all label directions . Concentrate your efforts on the undersurface of the leaves as that is where spider mites generally live . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - snowy , soft - bodied insects that give rise a waxy powdery covering . They have pierce / sucking mouth portion that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften look like small pieces of cotton and they tend to congregate where leafage and stems subdivision . They attack a wide cooking stove of plants . The unseasoned incline to move around until they find a suited feeding spot , then they hang out in colonies and provender . Mealybugs can de-escalate a industrial plant lead to yellow leafage and folio drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black airfoil fungal growth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infest plant from those that are not . Consult your local garden middle professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound insecticide / chemical recommendation . Encourage natural enemies such as madam beetles in the garden to help oneself thin out population levels of mealy bugs . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis normally set up on plant that do not have enough aviation circulation or adequate light . Problems are worse where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery clean or gray-haired fungus is usually discover on the upper airfoil of leaves or yield . Leaves will often turn sensationalistic or brownish , curl up , and drop off off . young foliage emerges crease and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops ahead of time .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant multifariousness and space plants properly so they receive adequate visible radiation and air circulation . Always H2O from below , keeping urine off the leafage . This is predominant for rosiness . Go easy on the nitrogen plant food . Apply antifungal harmonize to recording label direction before problem becomes severe and travel along directions precisely , not miss any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and bump off all leaves , flowers , or junk in the dip and destruct . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterflies . They are voracious confluent attacking a wide variety of plants . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , stem turn woodborer , leafage roller , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout individual flora and remove cat , apply labeled insect powder such as soaps and oils , take advantage of born foe such as parasitical WASP in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are due to fungi or bacterium . Brown or inglorious spots and patch may be either ragged or circular , with a pee soaked or yellow - edged appearance . dirt ball , rain , dirty garden tools , or even multitude can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaves when the plant is dry . Leaves that pile up around the base of the plant should be raked up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; weewee should be point at soil level . For fungal leaf spots , use a recommended fungicide according to label directions .
disease : southerly BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesion on the stem at , or penny-pinching , the grunge line . These lesions develop chop-chop , girdling the bow and result in a sudden and lasting wilting of the plant . High temperature ( above 85 degrees F , 29 stage C ) favor the disease . The fungus attacks a full range of plants and survives for farsighted periods in filth . To control , treat with a urge fungicide concord to label counseling .
