Houseplant FAQ’s

How often should I water my houseplants? It depends on what type of house plant you have. Some require less water and some require more water. Less water would be plants like Sansevierias, ZZ Plants, Cacti, Succulents and Chinese Evergreens. Most other houseplants like to be watered every 7-10 days. Be sure to let them dry out in between waterings, this helps their roots grow. However, then you have some things that do like to stay moist like a majority of the fern family. We do have a good amount of care cards for plants on our website. You can find those at; https://www.dothannurseries.com/house-plant-info

About once a week the leaves at the bottom of my houseplants turn yellow. Why does this happen? This is typically a sign of overwatering. Remember most houseplants like to dry out in between watering.

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Why does my houseplants have small little bugs flying around it? What are they? How do I fix it? Those are fungus gnats. Pesky little things. The first thing we tell people is fungus gnats show up when you keep your soil too moist, letting your plants dry out in-between watering will help this situation.

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What are the best houseplants to get started with? How do I choose the right houseplant? What type of watering schedule would you like to have with your new plants? Are you going to want to water a lot or forget about them and hardly water them? Depending on that information we can direct you to the best plants for you to start with.

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Why is water dripping off my houseplants? It is the plants way to remove excess water, they also do this to helps cool its leaves and the air surrounding them, much like human sweat.

What type of soil should I use? We use and recommend the Fox Farm Ocean Forest it has great drainage, and plenty of nutrients. We also have our own blend of carnivorous plant food that we recommend for bug eating plants.

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How often should I repot? How do I know when my plant needs to be up potted? Most plants enjoy being root bound. Once they are completely root bound and start to display signs of being unhappy that is when we recommend you up pot them, only increasing the pot size by a couple inches at most.

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Should I top or bottom water? This is completely personal preference.

What houseplants can I put in a room with zero natural light? ZZ plants & Sansevierias work great in this type of situation

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Why is my plant leaning all in one direction? Plants follow the sun, so they will lean to try to get to the sun. You can simply turn your plant when you water and it will start to grow to the other side.

Why is my cactus/succulent becoming thin and lanky? It needs more sun; they are stretching for the sun and with that they get thin and lanky.

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Do the lights in my home give my house plants nutrients/energy? Wouldn’t that be helpful, but sadly no they do not. You can get LED or florescent grow lights that will give them the proper type of light.

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My houseplants keep dying, am I watering too much? Always make sure you have a well-draining pot for starters. As for the water, It could be too much water or not enough. The best way for us to help you is for you to send us pictures through any of our socials or through our cell phone at 334.674.1451

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How do I water my air plants? There are a couple of methods you can do. Air plants soak up nutrients through their leaves so you can soak them in water in water for 20-30 minutes once a week, shaking them out after and leaving them upside down for a minimum of 4 hours to make sure no water is trapped in the bulb, or you can mist them 2-3 times a week all over the leaves, top and bottom.

What are some good houseplant’s for beginners? Sansevieria, Pothos, Spider Plants, Philodendrons & Peace lilies are great beginner plants.

 

 

 

Lawn FAQ’s

I have trouble growing grass under the trees in my yard, what kind should I be planting? You’re going to want to put down a shade tolerant sod, St. Augustine & Zoysia are the best shade-accepting grasses. No grass loves shade, but these will tolerate it best, we can’t promise great results with a lot of shade.

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What kind of weed is this? We typically can’t tell you what kind of weed it is, but we can tell you how to get rid of it! Come see us!!!   

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What is pre-emergent? Pre-emergent is a product we recommend you put on your lawn throughout the year that kills the weed seeds, helping break the weed cycle.

When should I be using pre-emergent? It’s best to use it once in the fall, once in the winter, and once in the spring or summer. To purchase and pick up your pre-emergent click here.  

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What weed killer do I use and how do I use it? You want to use a weed killer that is specific to the type of weed you want to kill. There are grassy weeds and broadleaf weeds. We have products for both.  PUT IN LINK

 

 

Annual & Perennial Flowers FAQ’s

What is an annual? Plants that typically only grow for 1 growing season, usually about 6 months.

What is a perennial? Plants that live for multiple growing seasons

What is a deadhead? Removing the dead blooms from plants to encourage new blooms

What are some drought-tolerant annuals? Zinnia, Lantana, Portulaca, Marigolds, Sunflowers, & Vinca

What are some drought-tolerant perennials? Lavender, Rosemary, Salvia, Gaillardia, Russian sage, Coreopsis, Sedum, Agapanthus, & Yarrow.

Do perennials die back? Yes, they will die back when it gets cold and start growing back out in the spring

Can annuals and perennials be planted together? Absolutely! We love putting them together!

Can annuals and perennials grow in containers and on the ground? Yes, the absolutely can!

How can I attract pollinators to my garden? Simply plant pollinators attracting plants in your garden, it’s that easy!

 

 

 

General FAQ’s

What soil is best for my raised garden bed? An airy soil with nutrients, to ensure the bed is draining properly. We have a bulk garden bed soil that works great it is 50% aged bark, 20% Compost, 20% peat moss & 10% sand.

What do yellow leaves mean? Typically, too much water or the water isn’t draining well enough.

What is the hardiness zone and what zone are we? Hardiness zone refers to the temperature highs and lows that plants can handle outside. Since 2024 Southeast Alabama is 9A.

What do those numbers mean on the fertilizer? 1st number- Nitrogen - leaf growth & color. 2nd number - Phosphorus - roots, fruit & flowers, & 3rd number Potassium – roots, stems, & you’re overall plant health, how it handles stress & disease.

What is considered full sun or partial sun/shade? Full sun in SE Alabama is any sun after noon. Full Shade is no sun at all, Part Shade is anything with no sun after 11 am, and Part Sun is sun until noon.

When should I fertilize my plants and what should I use? We recommend our specially formulated fertilizers. We have one for Trees, Shrubs & Perennials granular, this is a once-a-year fertilizer. We also have the Dothan Nurseries Houseplant granular food that is a 4-month release.

When is the best time to plant? Here in the South, you honestly can plant anytime. However, if you plant in late spring or summer you will have to be very diligent in making sure you water your plants daily. If you plant late winter/early spring or in the fall you don’t have to be as committed to watering daily.

How often/much/long should I be watering? It depends on the time of year. The amount, we always recommend hand watering anything newly planted, have your hose on a gentle stream and hold it on there for a full minute then go to the next plant. For how often, this will depend on the time of the year, October – April you will want to water once or twice a week depending on our temperatures, more if we have a warmer winter, less if we have a colder winter. May through September watering daily is preferred for newly planted items.

Is a sprinkler system good for watering my newly planted plants? It’s not recommended. Most sprinkler systems are designed to water the lawn and only penetrate down about 3 inches. Newly planted things need water to get down to all their roots, so there isn’t typically enough water to keep them healthy and happy.

Should I water in the morning or the evening? Morning is the preference, plants like us drink throughout the day especially when it is hot. So, watering in the morning allows them to do that. Being in the Southeast we are very humid and if you water at night this can promote more fungus issues that we already struggle with in our area.

What does it mean when a plant needs a pollinator? When a plant needs another plant to cross-pollinate, it means that the plant requires pollen from a different plant of the same species to produce seeds. This is different from self-pollination, where a plant can use its pollen. But a pollinator such as bees, butterflies, birds, bats, wind, or water do this job.

What plants are toxic to dogs and cats? Many common plants are toxic to dogs and cats. We recommend referring to the ASPCA website for a full detailed list. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

 

Can I plant in the summer months? Yes, you just must be very diligent with watering daily.

Do you offer a warranty on your plants? We do, our trees, shrubs & perennials come with a 3-month warranty, but we also offer a 3-year warranty on the cost of the chicken compost soil conditioner and our specially formulated year-release fertilizer we recommend for planting.

What pests do I have and how do I treat them? Plants get pests, you’re always welcome to send or bring a picture in and we will let you know what they have and what will kill them. We also have a page on our website that you can refer to as well. https://www.dothannurseries.com/pestanddiseasecontrol

Do you do landscaping? We do not. But we have a list of landscapers we trust from working with for years. You can find a full list of our recommendations for landscapers and more here; https://www.dothannurseries.com/referralnetworklist

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tree & Shrub FAQ’s

How often should I water my trees or shrubs? It depends on when it was planted and the time of year.

What is the best time to plant trees and shrubs? Here in the South, you honestly can plant anytime. However, if you plant in late spring or summer you will have to be very diligent in making sure you water your plants daily. If you plant late winter/early spring or in the fall you don’t have to be as committed to watering daily.

When do I cut back my crape myrtle’s? We like to cut them back in late February or early March. This way spring is just around the corner, and they will start to push out new growth within a few weeks.

When is a good, fast-growing shade tree for this area? The Drake Elm, River Birch, and the Summer Red Maple. If planted, watered, and fertilized properly they can grow 3-6 feet a year.

What kind of plant(s) can I use for neighbor defense? We love the Green Giant Arborvitae and the Sweet Viburnum. Both are evergreen and fast-growing to help give you privacy quickly and year-round.

When should I prune my (azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, etc.)

Hydrangeas: Prune based on type—late winter or early spring for those that bloom on new wood; after flowering for those that bloom on old wood.

Azaleas: Prune right after they bloom, in late spring or early summer.

Camellias: Prune after blooming, in late winter to early spring.

Proper timing helps ensure healthy growth and a good bloom cycle for these plants.

 

Can I plant my citrus in the yard? We do not recommend planting lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange citrus in your yard. Even though we are in the south it gets too cold here to plant them in the ground. You can plant satsuma and cumquats in the ground without having to worry too much about them.

What are chill hours? Chill hours are the number of hours below 45 degrees during their winter dormancy period. This cold period is crucial for many fruit trees to break dormancy and produce fruit in the spring.

What are the brown/black spots on my roses, hydrangeas, and Japanese magnolias? This is typically a fungus brought on by our humid climate. All you need to do is spray them with fungicide once a month through our spring and summer to help them not get it.

When is the best time to fertilize my trees and shrubs? We recommend fertilizing in the spring. This gives wintertime to be gone so you’re not promoting new growth too early that could potentially get frozen, and you will promote healthy growth going into the growing and fruiting season. However, our year-release fertilizer can be applied at any time of the year.

 

How do I change the color of my hydrangeas?

To Make Hydrangeas Blue: Lower the soil pH by adding aluminum sulfate and using acidic mulch.

To Make Hydrangeas Pink: Raise the soil pH by adding lime and avoiding aluminum.

Remember not all hydrangeas change colors, only mophead and shade hydrangeas change color with a PH change.

 

When should I prune my roses? The Rose Society recommends pruning roses back on February 14th, yup Valentine's Day! It’s an easy-to-remember date. But the wonderful thing about roses is you’re able to really prune them back anytime and they just flush out more beautifully after!

What are some low-maintenance evergreen shrubs? Indian Hawthorne, dwarf yaupon holly, boxwoods, pittosporum, dwarf podocarpus, oleander, dwarf procumbens nana, vintage jade distylium, dwarf olive.