Ixoras usually lack Iron in Florida. Use some 8-10-10 from Lesco or 8-2-12. It really needs to fertilized at least twice a year. In poor conditions, i think 3-4. Ixora that is not hacked and sheared with nice blooms and green leaves looks great.

 

on that same note, if it is getting cut too much, you won't get blooms. It really needs to be cut with some felco's, not hedge trimmers.

 

What is the pH of the soil that they are planted in? They prefer a more acidic environment. How long have they been planted and have they bloomed well in this location before?

Also, as I have noticed that some of these Ixoras that are planted in a full southern exposure will tend to do that. I believe, although they are full sun, the FL summer sun is a bit too intense for them and they kind of shut down to prevent moisture losses etc.(stress response). Also, if you applied too much N, you will get growth diverted to the foliage and not blooms production.

The advice about shearing verses selective hand pruning is correct. Fertilizer formulations with high P is what supports blooms but FL is the world's 4th largest producer of Phosphorus. Unless your have some imported soil on your particular property/neighborhood it's not likely you have an defiency.

However, that would need to be confirmed by a soil test. Again what else is going on with them? There are only three general categories that problems arise from. Gotta rule some possibilities out first. Tell us more.

 

He doesn't need to test the soil. If there is interveinal chlorisis, it is an Fe deficiency. Knowing that most soil in Florida is alkaline, the Fe def. would result from that. The 8-10-10 or 8-2-12 are perfect fertilizers for tropical ornamentals. I use the 8-2-12 on Hibiscus and the there are plenty of blooms and the leaves are dark green.

I agree with placement. Ixoras thrive best in dappled afternoon sun. The hottest part of the day will take a toll if they are in direct sun. I had a customer that had Ixoras under some Coconuts and they looked gorgeous b/c they had protection at the hottest part of the day.

 

Did I miss some pics or some thing? How did you make this deficiency diagnosis? Are you saying that it's probably interveinal chlorosis? Way too little info for that but yeah could be a factor, as it is a fairly common issue this time of year. Gotta ask though, how does the rest of the plant look?

 

Did I miss some pics or some thing? How did you make this deficiency diagnosis? Are you saying that it's probably interveinal chlorosis? Way too little info for that but yeah could be a factor, as it is a fairly common issue this time of year. Gotta ask though, how does the rest of the plant look?

Shrubs have western exposure.. no shade after noon. They've been severely cold stressed this winter... took out all the dead stuff, trimmed back lightly with a very sharp Shindi 230... there's about 80ft of hedge I don't get paid to hand trim, got a balanced 8-2-10 with micro nutrients & 2% soluable iron from Sunniland begining of June.

Plants look pretty good with new healthy growth coming in, just not enough bloom.

Have some damaged leaves.. I'll take pic and post.

 

I said he doesn't need to do a soil analysis. If there is interveinal chlorosis, it is Fe def. Ixora, Hibiscus, Gardenia, Rhaphis Palms, etc. mainly suffer from Fe def. If he isn't getting enough blooms, the plant is getting cut too much in my opinion. Anything that flowers needs at least 3-4 weeks of no trimming to get some kind of blooms. Ixoras need to be hand cut. I would talk to the association about it if it is a concern on thier end. Upsell the hand trimming. Ixoras in full bloom that are properly fertilized look amazing. Ixoras that are sheared with no blooms look bad.

What I do on accounts that want the "formal look" is I will just lightly tip the hedges every couple of weeks so they are fuller and you can at least enjoy some flowers. If it is cut every 2-3 weeks, forget about it.

 

Don't know anything about Florida plants, but, "blooms and timing of the pruning", is universal.

I'm curious: Does anyone account for the timing of the pruning as considering the blooms, OR, indeed, does it matter for the, 'Ixora'?

Zone 8 or 9??

 

Ixoras will bloom all year if they aren't cut too often. They aren't like Crapes or Hawthornes.

 

So 'pruning' may be removing, future blooms?

 

Yes. What I do with them is tip them with Felco's.

 

Good 2 know...

 

They've been severely cold stressed this winter... took out all the dead stuff, trimmed back

Many plants that have been severely cold damaged such as these are using their resources to renew the damaged material. This is real common for a lot of plants right now. So just give it time, the blooms will return to normal.

It doesn't sound that your having any other issues that would indicate and pest or pathogen issue. Just give it supportive care and don't push it too hard with the fert since it does increase the demands of the plant. Good luck.