Contact your Cooperative Extension Service for fungicide recommendations. Damping Off: This is one of the most common problems when starting plants from seed. The seedling emerges and appears healthy; then it suddenly wilts and dies for no obvious reason.
Damping off is caused by a fungus that is active when there is abundant moisture and soils and air temperatures are above 68 degrees F. Typically, this indicates that the soil is too wet or contains high amounts of nitrogen fertilizer.
Burpee Recommends: Keep seedlings moist but do not overwater; avoid over-fertilizing your seedlings; thin out seedlings to avoid overcrowding; make sure the plants are getting good air circulation. Downy Mildew: This fungus causes whitish grey patches on the undersides and eventually both sides of the leaves.
Burpee Recommends: Avoid overhead watering. Provide adequate air circulation, do not overcrowd plants. Do not work around plants when they are wet. Powdery Mildew: This fungus disease occurs on the top of the leaves in humid weather conditions. The leaves appear to have a whitish or greyish surface and may curl. Burpee Recommends: Avoid powdery mildew by providing good air circulation for the plants by good spacing and pruning. Rust: A number of fungus diseases that rust colored spots on foliage and stalks.
Burpee Recommends: Remove infected plants. Contact your Cooperative Extension Service for recommendations. Aphids: Greenish, red, black or peach colored sucking insects can spread disease as they feed on the undersides of leaves. They leave a sticky residue on foliage that attracts ants. Burpee Recommends: Introduce or attract natural predators into your garden such as lady beetles and wasps which feed on aphids.
You can also wash them off with a strong spray, or use an insecticidal soap. Edema Oedema : Leaves become distorted due to excess moisture in the soil. Plants absorb more water than they can use. Burpee Recommends: Do not overwater plants, keep the soil moist but not wet.
If drainage is poor add compost or peat moss to improve drainage. The bug is black with red, orange or yellow stripes. For successful germination, cleomes need higher-than-normal temperatures. During the day, temperatures should range from 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit; nightly temperatures should stay between 68 and 70 F. The humidity should be from 90 to percent.
As the plant grows, the temperatures can be lower, from 75 to 80 F during the day and 60 to 65 F at night. Cleomes are not frost-tolerant. If using good well-drained soil and mulch, no fertilizer is necessary. To grow cleomes from seeds, cultivate the bed as deeply as possible, break up the clumps, and rake smooth. Then take a hoe, and dig small holes 4 feet apart in all directions. If planting in rows, alternate the holes so that those of the second row fall in between those of the first row.
Drop about six seeds into each hole and cover with a quarter-inch of soil. Plant the seeds as early as the ground can be worked in spring. Plant directly outdoors, no cold frame is necessary. Do not worry about frost.
The seeds will germinate only after the weather warms. Should the ground freeze again after planting, no harm will be done. Many gardeners plant their cleome seeds in late fall in the beds where they are to grow, eliminating that part of spring work. However, when planting seed directly out in the landscape garden, wait until the last danger of frost passes before sowing seed. You can grow cleome in large containers, but choose a compact variety like the 'Sparkler' series for best results.
With its exotic appearance, cleome also combines well with hibiscus, bananas, and other bold foliage and flowers for a tropical feel. Shorter cultivars can be used in large containers. Cleome adds vertical interest in an island annual bed. Spider flower grows best in full sun in moist, well-drained soil. Although it tolerates dry conditions, watering will promote better growth and flowering but overwatering and overfertilizing causes leggy growth.
Staking is usually not necessary, except in windy locations. Pinching them back when young will promote a shorter, bushier plant, otherwise they tend to be upright and columnar. Because the plants are somewhat spiny and sticky, you may want to wear gloves when handling the plants. Cleome has few insects or disease problems and is generally not favored by deer or rabbits. Occasionally flea beetles or imported cabbageworm Pieris rapae caterpillars will feed on the foliage.
Start this annual indoors weeks before the average date of last frost or seed directly in the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Seed must be cold stratified just like they would be if they overwintered outside first, press the seed into the soil without covering it this plant requires light to germinate , then should germinate in a little over a week.
Wait until the soil has warmed to plant in the garden, spacing the plants or thin if self-seeded at least a foot apart up to 3 feet if you want a bushier plant. Self-seeded plants need to be thinned or all will be weak and spindly. Self-seeded cleome can be quite prolific L and must be thinned.
The seedlings are distinctive R , so are easy to identify and remove where unwanted. Hi Matt — great post with lots of helpful info on growing cleome, thanks! For the first time, just ordered seeds for Sparkler Rose cleome to sow directly into soil Central Florida, plenty of sun, heat, humidity and well draining soil — am excited to add it to my front garden!! Quick question — how many seeds do you suggest I sow into each spot along the row…single seed ever 6 in.
Thanks again for the awesome info and pics! Suggestions please! Hi Linda! Another option is to call around to local nurseries and gardening centers to see if they have starts. Or, check on Facebook marketplace or Craigslist to see if there are any starts in your area. If you have a local Facebook gardening group, you can also post a call to see if anyone has cleome starts available for sale. I wish you luck! Can I plant the seeds outside winter season, or do I have to wait for after last frost in the spring in CT?
This variety will self-seed readily. Rust The only potentially serious disease your Cleome could suffer from is rust. Quick Reference Growing Guide. Facebook 6 Twitter Pinterest About Matt Suwak Matt Suwak was reared by the bear and the bobcat and the coyote of rural Pennsylvania. More Posts Notify of.
Oldest Newest Most Voted. Inline Feedbacks. Matt Suwak mattsuwak. Reply to diane 1 year ago. Laura Ojeda Melchor lauramelchor. Reply to Linda Schmitke 5 months ago. You are going to send email to. Move Comment. Plant Type:. Flowering annual Zones , perennial in Zones Native To:. South America.
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