Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
#95404 Jul 22nd, 2007 at 11:35 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 47
Tuame Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 47
I have a vinca that i planted outside, but it doesn't seem too healthy. Do vincas mind heat & sun? We water it often, in the evening, so it must get water. Does anyone have any ideas on why it could be suffering? ( Temperature range in malta is roughly 32 degrees C to 40C = 90f to 104F)

Last edited by Tuame; Jul 22nd, 2007 at 11:35 PM.

It's Nice to be important....
.... but its more important to be nice
Tuame #95406 Jul 23rd, 2007 at 03:29 AM
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 30,001
A Gnome's Best Friend
30k Posts
Offline
A Gnome's Best Friend
30k Posts
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 30,001
I also thought Vinca tolorated heat and sun.. mine do and I have them in full sun, But I water early in the morning

What exactly is going on with them ? Are they Limp? Browning leaves?? Describe what it happening to them and that may better help the answer


[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
angelblossom #95813 Jul 23rd, 2007 at 12:53 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,477
Deep Purple
2k Posts
Offline
Deep Purple
2k Posts
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,477
is it vinca or vinca vine?

if it's the vine, it can take a couple of years for it to get fully established. if you just planted it, water it every day for at least the first month and then every few days thereafter (you can skip the watering if it rains).

when i planted mine, it didn't do much at all the first year - in fact, it barely grew at all - the second year i could see some growth and the third year, WOW! the stuff took off!! by the fifth year, it had filled in the area it is planted in very nicely.

i see a lot of houses that have vinca on the roads i travel to work - the one section is pretty shaded due to many trees...even after all these years, the vinca has not taken off like mine has. it's still there and growing, just not thriving like what i've got that's in full sun all day long.

just make sure to get the roots well-established and it'll be okay.

if you're talking about the vinca flower/plant, i just got some this year to fill in some bare spots (it's an annual here) so i can't comment about it - calls for full sun and that's where i planted it. i just planted it last week tho...

oh, when watering it's best to do it at dusk (or shortly before) or in the early, early morning. any other time of the day and the sun-heated soil will just evaporate the water.


Zone 6b
Joclyn #95917 Jul 23rd, 2007 at 07:05 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 276
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 276
I'm in south-central FL and mine flower/plant is in full sun, right next to the concrete patio, where it has extra heat absorbed during the day coming at it from underneath where it spreads out over the concrete. I rarely water it and it spreads like crazy. It's actually leftover from last year. I cut it back severly and it repaid me with twice the foliage and flower. It's tuff stuff.


Julianne
Julianne #96138 Jul 24th, 2007 at 07:05 AM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 108
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 108
I agree with the others. Vinca is tough--Our summers get over 100 F quite often. The heat slows vinca down at first, but once it gets going, it shades the ground, and everything around it grows better.

We have vinca major in the front, and vinca minor in the back, and it's grown in full sun, under junipers and pines--it also took a couple of years to get going. I planted some just this spring.

One thing you can do is pin the runners to the ground and cover the spot w/dirt--I did it this spring, and it seems to be spreading better--of course, we've had an exceptionally mild summer, too.

Good luck. I think probably the best thing to do with it is ignore it!! It'll pop up and surprise you!!


"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah
gardenermom #96759 Jul 25th, 2007 at 03:18 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 47
Tuame Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 47
Angel;It's leaves aren't browning, but its gone limp and it's not making any flowers. But the green is not that lovely healthy green that it was when i planted it.

joclyn: I do water it in the evening, after the sun has set. For the very reason you mentioned. And it is not the vine, but rather the plant.


Julianne,: I hope it spreads here too!

Gardenermom: It's a hot summer here. And chances are it'll get worse. But hopefully the vinca is as hardy as you say it is and will grow.

Thanks to all of you.


It's Nice to be important....
.... but its more important to be nice
Tuame #100739 Jul 31st, 2007 at 11:27 AM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,805
1k Posts
Offline
1k Posts
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,805
I'm having the same problems with mine. It's staying small and not doing much of anything really.


[Linked Image]

Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
Rosepetal #100884 Jul 31st, 2007 at 06:02 PM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,280
1k Posts
Offline
1k Posts
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,280
Vinca minor prefers shade.

Vinca major is sun tolerant.

but all plants that are sun tolerant cannot just be dumped into sunny soil. you must baby them along. lots of water untill established and if really hot/sunny, they will need a temporary shade until the roots develop.


I love the sweet scents wafting in the breeze. I stop to admire the vibrant colors of all living things. And people think me odd. Then ODD I am!!!

RugbyHukr #100898 Jul 31st, 2007 at 07:24 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,477
Deep Purple
2k Posts
Offline
Deep Purple
2k Posts
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,477
vinca tropicana (sorry! looks like i forgot part of the name in my previous post!) does best in full sun and it likes a bit of dry conditions - so over watering may cause a problem. do you have them in a hanging basket? if so, then keep an eye on the soil - don't let it get too dry!! the hanging baskets can dry out fast - especially in the area you are in as it's SO hot there!! so, you may actually have plants that aren't getting enough moisture - especially if the leaves aren't the usual rich green coloring.

what kind of soil are the plants in? did you amend it with anything before you put the plants in? have you fertilized? if so, what are the numbers on the food? (10-10-10, 10-20-10, etc)?

could you post some pics? sometimes seeing what's going on can help to figure out what is wrong.




Zone 6b
Joclyn #109367 Aug 13th, 2007 at 07:08 PM
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1
Hi, if it's the PERIWINKLE (vinca) it COULD be a fungus (Phytophthora). Then, there's stem canker which is from watering overhead/too much watering. I have a lot of periwinkle in pots alone and/or in pots with others. I first thought I had a "bad batch" from the vendor(s) but I couldn't remember who I got what batch from so I had to go back to the drawing board (Some vendors have stopped selling vincas because of the phytophthora, btw).

I began to look at the soil (too fluffy? too dense? poor drainage? crummy pot-mate? loneliness? were they chloritic? Then I realized, (and this is after a year of vinca problems), hey, wait a minute: I get up at 3:45 a.m. to go to work (yeah, I drive a long way), I don't have TIME to water in the morning, so when I get home (sometimes well after 5) I water. So, the plants that have the SERIOUS ISSUES, are the ones that have gotten "water cooties" on their leaves late in the day AND the ones with poor drainage.

Once, I did cut them back to death and had a good resurrection; however, that only lasted one season. This year I got the guts to pull one completely out and saw stem cankers. Sad.

HOWEVER, I will add this: The POTTED (not IN THE GROUND) periwinkles (vincas) I have are just creeping up on their 4th birthdays; I've seen some in the ground years and years old. So, age, I think, is a factor, too.

ULTIMATELY, I'm convinced it's the stem canker because of the watering and, sometimes overcrowding doesn't give them a chance to become dry. They do like dry and arid conditions....

As far as the vinca minor (the trailing one w/blue flowers) goes, I have that on a slope and in the Southern California heat, they wilt, sure, but water'll perk them up. In fact, they only flower when I water them regularly; not just when I "remember".

Helpfully???

amskipay


Link Copied to Clipboard
Seasonal Ticker
Gardening Links
Gardening in February
Gardening in March
Gardening in April


Shop at Amazon and Support AGF
Are you shopping online? Click this link first and A Gardeners Forum will receive a commission for your referral at Amazon.com (shopping through this link to Amazon will not have any impact on your prices at Amazon).
Like Us on Facebook
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics14,312
Posts240,811
Average Daily Posts3
Members16,004
Most Online10,356
Nov 2nd, 2019
Top Posters(30 Days)
Random Gallery Image
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5