How to Grow Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia Uvaria)

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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This perennial (meaning it comes back year after year) comes in combinations of yellow and cream or red and orange. Its 3-foot flower stems rise above sword-like leaves in late spring and summer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Choosing a Red-Hot Poker

Step1
Look for red-hot poker plants at nurseries in spring - the best time to plant them.
Step2
Buy red-hot poker in 4-inch to 1-gallon containers.
Step3
Choose healthy-looking plants that show signs of new growth in leaves and flower stems, which arise from the center of the plant.

Planting a Red-Hot Poker

Step1
Plant red-hot pokers in spring in full sun in a spot with well-drained soil.
Step2
Add a light application of organic fertilizer to the planting hole.
Step3
Set the plants 2 feet apart.
Step4
Place the plants no deeper than they were growing in the containers.
Step5
Mulch around, but not on top of, the plants with 3 inches of organic compost.

Caring for a Red-Hot Poker

Step1
Cut off old flower stems at their base with bypass pruners to encourage more flowers.
Step2
Trim off old foliage in early spring with bypass pruners.
Step3
Add a light application of organic fertilizer to the top of the soil in early spring; follow directions on the package.
Step4
Mulch around, but not on top of, the plant with 3 inches of organic compost in spring.
Step5
Water well until soil is completely moist; do this weekly in summers with no rainfall.

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eHow Article: How to Grow Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia Uvaria)

eHow Home & Garden Editor

eHow Home & Garden Editor

Category: Home & Garden

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