Questions about odd weather and Neos

[Heather]

So, it's still ranging in the 40's to 50's at night here - usually it is in the 60's to 70's at this time of year.

What should I be doing with the plants at this point? I've been watering like it is summer again but with night temps so low I'm starting to get concerned. This is NOT normal weather here. Should I back off? How is this going to affect their blooming cycles? They started growing like crazy this spring, as they should, and I repotted them last week. But now I'm getting concerned about the low temps - I know they can handle it, just not sure how it will affect them in the long term.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Lanmark]

Fresh moss holds a lot of water, but if you can, try keeping the plants a little dryer until the weather warms up again. Cold temps are fine, but cold temps combined with very wet roots isn't so great. I might even go so far as to use paper toweling to blot up as much moisture as I could from the exposed moss surfaces. Then I'd stick with lightly misting just the exposed roots instead of doing any heavy watering. Watch the forecast, and if you see even a short spate of warm days and nights coming, use that opportunity to water your plants normally at the start of it. Conversely, you could just take your Neos indoors for an extended period of time until the weather improves since temps are more easily controlled there.

I don't believe a season of unusual weather patterns will adversely affect your plants in the long run as long as you don't rot the roots off or something like that.

 

[Ernie]

Agreed. Neos have pretty succulent leaves. I'd let them dry off a bit if it's getting chilly at night. And keep an eye on the weather.

With the long days now, even if you water in the am first thing, they might be dry enough/completely by night. Just gotta know how fast your mount/pot job will dry out. We have some neo crosses mounted with NZ moss over the roots, and they dry out hard by the time i'm home from work (5:30) even after several heavy morning drenches because our humidity has been pleasantly low this spring so far. You can also mist the leaves to keep the plant hydrated- you want to make sure to take advantage of the light and when plants get light, they need water. I'd probably use fertilizer in the misting water too since this is prime growing season, don't starve them even though you're not watering the roots heavily.

 

[Heather]

Thanks, that's pretty much what I've been doing - more misting than actually watering. Due to the repotting, the moss seems to be drying out pretty quickly since it has not had a chance to compact down at all. I think everything will be fine, just keeping a watch on things. Loving the weather, but don't really want it to impact the plants.

On a side note, our zucchinis are growing like mad but our tomatoes need more sun and warmth - they are growing very slowly this year.