When watering the Dusky coral pea, you should aim to use filtered water that is at room temperature. Filtered water is better for this plant, as tap water can contain particles that are harmful to its health. The reason that the water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer is that the Dusky coral pea comes from a warm environment, and cold water can be somewhat of a shock to its system. Also, you should avoid overhead watering for this plant, as it can cause foliage complications. Instead, simply apply your filtered room temperature water to the soil until the soil is entirely soaked. Soaking the soil can be very beneficial for this plant as it moistens the roots and helps them continue to spread through the soil and collect the nutrients they need.

Both overwatering and underwatering will be detrimental to the health of your Dusky coral pea, but overwatering is a far more common issue. When this species receives too much water, its stems and leaves may begin to wilt and turn from green to yellow. Overwatering over a prolonged period may also lead to diseases such as root rot, mold, and mildew, all of which can kill your plant. Underwatering is far less common for the Dusky coral pea, as this plant has decent drought tolerance. However, underwatering remains a possibility, and when it occurs, you can expect to find that the leaves of your Dusky coral pea have become brittle and brown. It is crucial that you notice the signs of overwatering as soon as possible when caring for your Dusky coral pea. Some of the diseases that arise from overwatering, such as root rot, may not be correctable if you wait too long. If you see early signs of overwatering, you should reduce your watering schedule immediately. You may also want to assess the quality of soil in which your Dusky coral pea grows. If you find that the soil drains very poorly, you should replace it immediately with a loose, well-draining potting mix. On the other hand, if you find signs that your Dusky coral pea is receiving too little water, all you need to do is water more regularly until those signs have subsided.

If your plant is in a pot. The most precise way to decide whether your Dusky coral pea needs water is to plunge your finger into the soil. If you notice that the first two to three inches of soil have become dry, it is time to add some water. If you grow your Dusky coral pea outdoors in the ground, you can use a similar method to test the soil. Again, when you find that the first few inches of soil have dried out, it is time to add water. During the spring and early fall, this method will often lead you to water this plant about once every week. When extremely hot weather arrives, you may need to increase your watering frequency to about twice or more per week. With that said, mature, well-established the Dusky coral pea can show an admirable ability to withstand drought.

When it comes time to water your Dusky coral pea, you should not be shy about how much water you give. With the first two to three inches of soil dry, this plant will appreciate a long and thorough watering. Supply enough water to soak the soil entirely. The amount of water you add should be enough to cause excess water to flow through the drainage holes at the bottom of your pot. If you don’t see excess water draining from the pot, you have likely underwatered your plant. But do not let the water accumulate inside the soil, which will be very dangerous to the plant as well. Alternatively, a lack of water draining through the pot could indicate poorly draining soils, which is detrimental to the health of this plant and should be avoided. If the plant is outside, 1 inch of rain per week will be sufficient.

The water needs of the Dusky coral pea can change depending on growth stages as well. For example, when your Dusky coral pea is in the first few years of its life, or if you have just transplanted it to a new growing location, you will need to give more water than usual. During both of those stages, your Dusky coral pea will put a lot of energy towards sprouting new roots that will then support future growth. For those roots to perform their best, they need a bit more moisture than they would at a more mature phase. After a few seasons, your Dusky coral pea will need much less water. Another growth stage in which this plant may need more water is during the bloom period. Flower development can make use of a significant amount of moisture, which is why you might need to give your Dusky coral pea more water at this time.

The Dusky coral pea will have its highest water needs during the hottest months of the year. During the height of summer, you may need to give this plant water more than once per week, depending on how fast the soil dries out. The opposite is true during the winter. In winter, your plant will enter a dormant phase, in which it will need far less water than usual. In fact, you may not need to water this plant at all during the winter months. However, if you do water during winter, you should not do so more than about once per month. Watering too much at this time will make it more likely that your Dusky coral pea will contract a disease.

It is most common to grow the Dusky coral pea indoors for any gardener that does not live in temperate and tropical regions. Those gardeners should consider the fact that soil in a container can dry out a bit faster than ground soil. Also, the presence of drying elements such as air conditioning units can cause your Dusky coral pea to need water on a more frequent basis as well. if you planted it outside. When that is the case, it’s likely you won’t need to water your Dusky coral pea very much at all. If you receive rainfall on a regular basis, that may be enough to keep your plant alive. Alternatively, those who grow this plant inside will need to water it more often, as allowing rainwater to soak the soil will not be an option.

It is helpful to lightly prune this plant periodically during the spring and summer. When performing this light pruning, you should search for leaves that have wilted, become discolored, show signs of disease, or have died completely. Remove dead or damaged leaves by cutting their petioles, or trimming off stems that have died. This will increase the light and ventilation of the plant and help it to grow. Some gardeners also choose to remove the flower buds of the Dusky coral pea. However, removing flower buds before they open is a strictly aesthetic decision that will emphasize the beauty of this plant’s showy leaves.

You can prune your Dusky coral pea any time you notice dead, diseased, or damaged leaves during the growing season. Once you notice such a leave, locate an unwanted leaf, then follow its stem all the way to the bottom of petiole. Removing dead stems will increase the light and ventilation of the plant and help it to grow. you can cut its stem just above the soil’s surface to remove it. Such pruning can take place as needed during spring and summer. Also, this plant can bloom any time between spring and fall, and some gardeners choose to remove flower buds before they have a chance to open. Removing unopened flower buds allows this plant to focus most of its growing energy on its beautiful leaves. However, pruning in this manner does not necessarily influence the plant’s overall health.

Pruning the Dusky coral pea is as easy as waiting until you notice dead or damaged leaves on your plant. When you recognize these leaves, equip yourself with a pair of sharp and sterile hand pruning shears. Hand pruning shears will work best as larger tools like loppers will not be well suited to the precise cuts you need to make. Once you have a proper set of pruning tools, locate an unwanted leaf, then follow its stem all the way to the bottom of petiole. Removing dead stems will increase the light and ventilation of the plant and help it to grow. Cut the stem just above where it exits the soil to remove it entirely. If you wish to stop this plant from flowering, you can use the same pruning shears to remove any buds before they open. Finally, you may prefer to just trim off dead or damaged portions of the plant, including deadheading spent flowers, to keep it looking its best. This can be done at any time of year. Diseased or damaged stems should be cut right at the soil line and removed completely. Blooms should be cut off just below the flower head.

Since pruning for the Dusky coral pea should take place periodically throughout the season, what you do after pruning can vary. For instance, if you prune to remove selected leaves and stems from your Dusky coral pea, you won’t need to do anything except continue your regular maintenance routine. At times, you may choose to remove healthier leaves and include them in a display of cut flowers and foliage. However, there is no crucial maintenance task to perform for this plant after typical pruning. The only thing to note is that when watering after pruning, you need to be careful not to touch the wound to prevent fungus from infecting the plant through the fresh wound. Placing Dusky coral pea in a well-ventilated location will also help the wounds to dry out and heal in time. The timely replenishment of Dusky coral pea after pruning will help the Dusky coral pea to recover as soon as possible.

For your major pruning, use sharp pruning sheers that will make clean cuts to avoid damaging your plants. As you are pruning your Dusky coral pea, step back occasionally to check the appearance of the plant to make sure it has the shape you want and that you are pruning it symmetrically. If the overall growth of the plant is weak, the flowers need to be pruned back in time for flowering to be able to save nutrients for leaf growth and allow the plant to grow more vigorously.

The leaves of the Dusky coral pea comprise most of its main structure, and fertilization is one of the most impactful ways that you can ensure that those leaves look great while also serving their function. Proper fertilization will help your Dusky coral pea hold leaves with consistent color and a healthy texture. Fertilization also works below the soil's surface to help your Dusky coral pea generate new roots and maintain the roots that are already part of the root system. This means that fertilization will not just keep your plant healthy now, but it will also help your plant be better capable of absorbing soil nutrients in the future.

If you grow your Dusky coral pea outdoors each year, this perennial plant will send new growth shooting out in early spring. The emergence of those leaves is a sign that the time is right to begin fertilization for the year. Often, a Dusky coral pea will perform just fine with a single application of fertilizer when the spring arrives. However, if you wish to maximize the growth of your Dusky coral pea, you can repeat the feeding multiple times throughout the spring and early summer. If you choose this route, you can feed your Dusky coral pea about once every month to a month and a half.

In the late fall and winter, your Dusky coral pea will enter a dormant phase in which it will no longer produce new growth. At this time, you should avoid fertilizing your Dusky coral pea. If you choose to fertilize multiple times during spring and summer, you should begin reducing your fertilization rate as summer approaches, as your Dusky coral pea 's growth rate will also slow. Overall, it is never a wise choice to fertilize your Dusky coral pea during times when the weather is unseasonably hot or when the soil is extraordinarily dry. Fertilizing in either of those cases can stress your Dusky coral pea and cause it to perish prematurely.

Fortunately, choosing the best fertilizer for a Dusky coral pea is a very straightforward task. These plants will thrive on a general-purpose garden fertilizer that has equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A fertilizer that has a ratio of 10-10-10 or something similar will be very effective. When in doubt, be sure to avoid fertilizers that have high amounts of nitrogen. Most of the best fertilizer for a Dusky coral pea will come in a granular form. These fertilizers should be slow-release and will be very easy to apply to the soil. It can also be helpful to feed your Dusky coral pea using an organic soil amendment such as compost.

Wait until your Dusky coral pea has just barely poked its first leaves through the soil's surface in early spring. Once you see that sign, apply a granular slow-release fertilizer with a balanced formula to the soil that surrounds the base of your Dusky coral pea. You can repeat a similar process later in the season if you choose. When reapplying fertilizer to a Dusky coral pea, you should, again, apply the fertilizer to the soil at the base of the plant rather than to the plant itself. At times, this may require you to move some leaves out of the way to access the soil above the roots. It's also often a good choice to water your Dusky coral pea before and after you feed it.

The Dusky coral pea doesn't necessarily need to receive high volumes of fertilizer each year, which means overfertilization is entirely possible. If you overfertilize your Dusky coral pea, you will likely notice first that the leaves have turned brown. Overfertilization of Dusky coral pea is especially common if you use a fertilizer that has higher concentrations of nitrogen. High nitrogen content will likely cause the leaves of your Dusky coral pea to become discolored, lose much of their moisture, and begin curling at the margins. Many gardeners avoid such complications by limiting fertilization of their Dusky coral pea to once per year in early spring.