Q. My Chaste tree bloomed beautifully once in early
spring but nothing since. Now it just has seeds where the blooms were. Do I
need to cut the spent spikes off?
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| This is a mature vitex tree. It can grow quite large when it gets all the water and fertilizer it wants. |
A. Vitex blooms once in about June. Most vitex varieties
have blue flowers, but some are white and some rose colored. The flowers turn
to seed. The seed germinates anywhere there is water. Some think these seed
pods are unsightly. If you agree, cut them off but it is not necessary.
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| This common vitex (blue flowers) survives in rock aka desert landscapes. Planted too close to that driveway btw. |
Read what Dr. Chris Martin at ASU says about this tree.
Vitex
isn't considered a desert tree (xeric) but mesic instead, is small and grows
very nicely in the heat of the desert if it gets water. Make sure it gets lots
of water the month prior to flowering and the flowering will be spectacular.
The rest of the year water as you would any other plant in your landscape.
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| Some people dont care for how vitex looks in the winter. BTW this tree was pruned too high. |
What is a best fertilizer for the Chaste trees?
ReplyDeleteWhen its young focus on a high nitrogen fertilizer to push growth such as 21-7-14 the same as a lawn fertilizer. As it gets bigger and to increase flowering in five years, increase the phosphorus (middle number) more like a rose fertilizer. Apply it once a year and keep it away from the trunk.
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