Senetti Care Tips

Senetti always proves to be a very popular choice this time of year. They add vibrant colours to the garden, they are very weather resilient and with a little care will bloom all Summer long.

Senetti are a very distinctive looking flower and come in various shades including purple, blue, indigo, violet, pink and magenta. Their bright colours and central white band make for a very appealing flower. They also greatly help with pollination.

Senetti Care Advice

Although senetti are quite resilient when it comes to our uncertain Irish Summers, there are a few steps you can take to try and maintain them in order to get the most out of them.

Senetti like to be planted where they can access plenty of sun, but it’s important to keep in mind that they also need to be protected from cold easterly winds. While senetti can still thrive in wet weather, they are quite vulnerable to cold and frost and will struggle in temperatures below 0°C degrees. Soil with a pH of 5.6 using a peat based compost would be best.

With this in mind it’s best to water your senetti around midday as cold water can shock the roots. Senetti are prone to thirst and should be watered regularly.

Senetti need to be watered regularly- Source: Good Housekeeping
Senetti need to be watered regularly- Source: Good Housekeeping

Deadheading as you go will prolong your senetti’s flowering period throughout the summer and lengthen the overall life of the plant. Faded flowers should be cut to approximately 6 inches and feed it liquid potash based food. This promotes healthy leaf and stem growth and flowering meaning you can replace your faded flower heads.

Senetti have a unique ability to rebloom so if you feel your senetti has finished its blooming you can cut it back to around half its size. This should trigger another bloom within about 3-4 weeks.

Source: Shawna Coronado
Source: Shawna Coronado

On the topic of feeding, senetti are hungry plants need to be fed every two weeks with tomato or all-purpose feed. It’s important to check your senetti’s lowest flower for signs of greenfly or root rot. Flowers can go over when insects gather on them and it could be the cause of the collapse of the whole plant. Compost being too wet can cause root-rot, which can also lead to the plant collapsing.

Greenfly on Lupins
Greenfly on Lupins

We’re here to help

If you have any questions about caring for your senetti contact us on social media or email us at: hello@countrylife.ie If you have a specific problem like pest damage on a plant, it’s really helpful to include a photo of it. We’d love to help.


SHOP PRODUCTS

All products mentioned in the above blog can be bought on countrylife.ie or in you local CountryLife branch. To find your nearest store click here.

Bord na Mona Growise Go Greener Multipurpose Compost 50L

The perfect blend of composted green waste and peat for optimum plant performance.

Price: €6.99


Vitax Liquid Tomato Feed 1L

.Just one litre of this high concentrate liquid fertiliser makes 60 gallons of feed. This high potash fertiliser is specially developed to promote bumper crops.

Price: €4.99


Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food 1L

The Miracle-Gro All Purpose Concentrated Liquid Plant Food contains carefully balanced nutrients and trace elements to feed plants in pots, containers, hanging baskets and borders. This formula grows plants twice as big and encourages beautiful, healthy plants with more blooms. 

Price: €6.51