Editing Physalis walteri (section)

== Cultivation ==

=== Soil and water ===

Coastal dunes, maritime openings and sandhills point to loose, rapidly drained ground rather than a persistently wet bed.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup> A practical cultivation inference is to use sandy or calcareous soil with good drainage and to avoid prolonged saturation; Florida Native Plant Society guidance also places the plant in sand or lime rock and neutral to somewhat calcareous soil.<sup id="cite_ref-3">[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> A South Florida field account describes the plant as drought tolerant, but that observation does not establish a fixed irrigation schedule or a universal drought limit.<sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

=== Sun and humidity ===

Full sun to light shade is the documented exposure range, matching the open dune, scrub and pine-flatwoods settings associated with the species.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup> Give the plant strong light while retaining the rapid drainage of its native sandy settings. Moderate tolerance of salty wind or some spray is listed, but salt-water inundation is not included in that tolerance.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

=== Seasonal changes ===

The southeastern flora account places flowering and fruiting mainly from May through September, occasionally beginning in April.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup> A Florida field observation describes flowering in late spring and fruit development toward fall.<sup id="cite_ref-5">[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup> In cultivation, a reasonable seasonal approach is to keep the root zone draining freely through wet weather and watch for stress during prolonged dry weather rather than keeping sandy soil continuously wet.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>