GardenLine

GardenLine

Skip Richter, based in Houston, is a popular speaker for garden clubs, Master Gardener programs, and other gardening events across Texas. He has...Full Bio

 

Get another bloom from vitex

Vitex trees, with their amazing purplish-blue bloom clusters, looked amazing in May. It seems they really liked all the rain last month.

Photo: Randy Lemmon

But from the “nothing lasts forever” department, once the rain stopped and June’s heat set in, those vitex no longer looked so good, especially the blooms. Most were definitely done with blooming by the first week of June.

But what if I told you I could get them blooming again later this summer? Okay, I’m not going to personally come over to your place and make them pop again, but by employing a couple cultural practices and with a little help from Mother Nature, I think we can make some more blooms happen.

But here’s the thing: You’ve got to act fast!

Much like prolonging the bloom cycle of crape myrtles, you’ve got to prune off the vitex bloom heads off right now, then feed them aggressively. Yes, you even have to prune back bloom clusters that still might have a little color lingering.

It’s as simple as this:

  1. Prune off every spent (or nearly spent) bloom cluster TODAY!
  2. Feed the trees aggressively with crape myrtle food. Rose food or slow-release blooming plant food like Nelson’s Color Star are good substitutes.
  3. Water in the food just as directed in my Post-Freeze Protocol.

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