Potted Buxus and plant food question

[Bat 'n' Ball]

Hello all,

I live in a flat and tend to go for easy-to-look-after plants but have
never had a box plant before.

I purchased my first box plant just over a week ago, re-potted into a
10-inch terracotta pot with compost, a few stones at the bottom of the
pot and have fed it once with phostrogen. Couple of pics here:
http://tinyurl.com/box-plant
http://tinyurl.com/box-plant-2

Picture taken after I gave it its first trim this morning. I will let it
fill out now before I shape it again. Although I think it looks fine as
it is, a bigger ball and less soil on view would probably make it look
better.

While mixing up a bit of phostrogen isn't particularly difficult, I
would rather use a slow release plant food and so I have bought some
Miracle-Gro Slow Release All Purpose Plant Food (the little bead things).

This website:
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=88
mentions, "Apply a liquid feed during summer. Topdress established
container-grown plants in spring with fresh compost and a little
slow-release fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4 or blood, fish and bone."

I will topdress the soil next spring but my question is regarding the
Miracle-Gro beads as I have never used these before. I'm assuming these
slowly disintegrate and vanish altogether after time. Should I just
sprinkle a few more on when they have gone or wait a while before I feed
it again?

Also, the RHS website mentions feeding during the summer months but I
have read elsewhere to feed in Spring, Summer and also Autumn. So,
should I feed it during summer only or during 3 seasons?

I know I should not let this plant dry out and also not have it standing
in saturated soil but any additional tips would be greatly received.

Sorry for the simple questions but I'm a bit of a novice.

Paul.

[Bat 'n' Ball]

Thanks all!

Paul.

[stuart noble]

I have a few of those kicking around. Some in pots, some in the beds. I
trim them once a year (gently with scissors), about now, and chuck some
chicken manure pellets on them if I think of it. They put up with almost
anything, and always look presentable

[Bat 'n' Ball]

Thanks for that Stuart.

Paul.

[Spider]

On 18/06/2013 15:40, Bat 'n' Ball wrote:

Your box ball looks very healthy. A credit to you.

Your slow release fertiliser packaging should tell you how long the
beads will feed your plant. You may only need one feed during the
growing season, and I would tend to feed after the worst frosts are over
so that new growth isn't damaged by frost.
If you feel your box needs a feed as autumn approaches, do not use a
nitrogenous feed (indicated by N on packaging) which will promote soft
leafy growth as, again, this will be damaged by frost and icy conditions
over winter. A high potash feed (such as Tomorite) would be fine as
this helps harden the growth, but don't be too generous with it. A dose
at half dilution is probably sufficient.

A general tip for all topiary is not to trim in the full heat of the
sun, as this causes the cut ends of the trimmed leaves to go brown and
look unattractive.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay