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Poor Root System Or Soil Issue

Its probably a root, and/or water and/or soil issue. Often times we see plants in a group or row do this for two reasons: 1) If the plants have been recently planted, this plant has not developed a proper root system for the needs of its above-ground growth. This could occur due to extreme differences in the ground soil and the soil/amendments put in the hole around the plant. If the soil around the hole is very hard and does not drain well, it can act like a bowl and hold too much water at the root zone. 2) For newer or older plants, it could be due to excess or not enough water for the soil composition in that area. You would think that soil in the same area is exactly the same throughout, but it can be different enough in the area of this plant's root zone to creat a problem; and sometimes we don't realize the water is either draining toward or maybe away from a particular plant. It would be important to know if the plant wilts during the warmest part of the day, and then recovers in the cooler evening and morning hours. This would indicate a root rot issue that could be encouraged by too much water in the soil (for the soil composition in this particular area). We recommend checking for irrigation leaks in the immediate area, proper operation of any irrigation in this area, and appropriate watering schedules for these plants. If you can correct any issues, the plant should recover but it may take some time. If the plant continues to decline, we recommend pulling it out of the ground and examining the root growth for white healthy roots (vs. brown, very wet roots), and soil moisture. The soil should be moist, not wet and not extremely dry. If you find the roots have not grown due to extreme soil hardpack, correct any issues with hole preparation, mix ground soil with well draining soil amendments to put back around the root ball of this plant and water properly. If the roots are rotten, correct any issues and replace with a new plant, planting as described. Keep in mind that if this is being caused by a fungal pathogen in the soil, the disease will be encouraged by excess moisture and putting most any plant back in this same spot without proper soil and water may cause the same problem again. You can allow the area to dry completely (under as much heat as possible) to try and reduce incidence of diseases that occur in soil.

By | 2015-11-16T00:16:38-08:00 November 16th, 2015|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Hydrangea Plant Care

Hydrangeas do best in partial shade and may burn if receiving high heat or light intensity, so you were right to move it. There are, however, many more adjustments you'll have to make to keep your hydrangea healthy. 1) It needs a bigger container. This is probably not the source of your problem, but if you want the plant to live more than on year it will need a larger container with a greater soil volume. I grow hydrangeas for clients in containers as large as 24" x 24". Your plant doesn't need that yet, but it will need a bigger container next year. 2) Hydrangeas need consistent soil moisture but their roots don't want to be always wet. You used the word topsoil. If your plant is really planted in topsoil, this is a problem. Professionals don't generally use topsoil in containers. it stays too wet too long and can lead to root rot. Promix is a lighter weight potting medium that may contain a little soil but is primarily composed of perlite, vermiculite, sphagnum moss, and humus. If your plant is truly planted in topsoil (not promix) you should repot it before winter. 3) How much water are you giving it each time you water? To encourage healthy root growth throughout the pot you need to water thoroughly each time. That means water until water runs out the bottom of your pot. You will want to water when the top half inch of potting mix is dry. Depending on the temperature and rainfall this might be every day, every other day, or twice a week. There is no set schedule...you need to feel it. 4) If you don't already know, you should try to find out what kind of hydrangea you have. We can't tell you this from the photo, but it looks like you may have the kind of hdrangea that is sold as a short-term gift plant around mother's day. The original seller may not know the species or variety but it's worth asking. If this is what we call a florist's hydrangea it may not be winter hardy in this area and won't come back next year.

By | 2017-09-24T13:52:51-07:00 November 14th, 2015|Shrubs|0 Comments
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