Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
The Best Fertilizer for the Wax Myrtle
The Best Fertilizer for the Wax Myrtle. Tolerant, pretty wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) doesn’t need a lot of help growing well. At home in a wide range of environmental conditions, wax myrtle usually does better without fertilization. However, if your soil really is nutrient deficient, a fertilizer may help encourage growth on ailing wax...
Tolerant, pretty wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) doesn’t need a lot of help growing well. At home in a wide range of environmental conditions, wax myrtle usually does better without fertilization. However, if your soil really is nutrient deficient, a fertilizer may help encourage growth on ailing wax myrtles.
Identification
Aside from their evergreen leaves, wax myrtles are known for attractive whitish-gray bark and the silvery blue berries that coat the branches of female plants and help attract wildlife to the garden. At full size, they have a rounded canopy that can grow to heights and widths of 25 feet, but usually tops out closer to 10 or 20 feet. Many people like to grow wax myrtles near terraces or patios, where waving branches provide dappled shade and relief from hot days.
Fertilization Schedule
Wax myrtle is generally a tolerant, hardy plant that doesn’t require a lot of encouragement to grow well and look attractive. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7B through 11, they grow quite quickly, sometimes as much as 5 feet in the course of one growing season, and generally perform well in heat, cold, drought and other adverse conditions without help. Nevertheless, if you think your plant may need a jolt, feed it a low dose of shrub fertilizer like 12-4-8 while the plant is actively growing.
Dangers of Fertilization
Wax myrtle is not a tender plant, and has evolved to respond well to adverse environmental conditions without a lot of help. It is capable of fixing nitrogen, which means that its roots can manufacture this necessary nutrient for themselves. Overdosing it with fertilizer can have the effect of burning it rather than helping it, so before you use a fertilizer at all, make sure your soil is really nutrient deficient before applying. Resist the urge to add fertilizer late in the season, when the plant will not be able to make use of it and it could have adverse effects.
Culture
Wax myrtle has a wide range of tolerances, being native to both boggy wetlands and dry highlands. It will put up with sogginess and drought, but prefers a moderate amount of water, good drainage and acidic soil, if possible. Wax myrtles will grow in either partial shade or full sun and take pruning well. You can therefore grow them as shrubs, or prune them to encourage a tree form. They tolerate aerosol salinity well, so make good additions to seaside gardens.
