Forum home Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Sweating Buddleia excessively wet underneath.

2

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I do think that photos ought to help us, even if it's just to rule things out ... when you get the opportunity  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • I do think that photos ought to help us, even if it's just to rule things out ... when you get the opportunity  :)
    Not too sure this will help. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2018
    Well, it would be a kindness to give it and its next door neighbour a few buckets of water ...... 

    as for the leaves being wet .... any sign of aphids at all?

    When you say the ground below it is wet ... do you mean just the surface, or if you stick your finger into the soil a few inches is it wet below the surface too?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Well, it would be a kindness to give it and its next door neighbour a few buckets of water ...... 

    as for the leaves being wet .... any sign of aphids at all?

    When you say the ground below it is wet ... do you mean just the surface, or if you stick your finger into the soil a few inches is it wet below the surface too?
    Not watering the buddliea at the moment in case of oversaturation bud the little plant at the side is being watered but is showing the same signs of distress but it has not been watered. .
    The moisture appears to be saturating the slate under the buddleia as if it had just been watered 
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    I have no idea really - but best guess is:

    1)Leaves 'wet' or sticky high up probably due to aphids / other insects  or possibly due to excessive sap dripping from an overhanging tree.

    2)If you have a slate chipping mulch and the ground underneath the mulch is sopping wet then either - 
    • your neighbour is doing a lot of watering and it's soaking through the soil into your garden and then not evaporating (due to the mulch)
    • or you or your neighbour may have a water leak (does your neighbour have an irrigation system or pond nearby - are there water pipes / drains running through this area?)
    3)If it's just the slate chippings which are wet but the ground is dry underneath could this be a cat or other animal marking it's spot? Is the area definitely wet or does it just look wet? Cat wee sometimes looks wet on a dark surface (eg car tyres) even after it's dried.


    The buddleia in my (try never to water) front woodland border looks even sorrier than yours. TBH it looks terrible most years from August onwards due to drought caused by a combination of weather & 2 large trees sucking every last bit of moisture out of the soil. Once the rains come it usually perks up again. If it dies this year, I'm starting to think it's no great loss.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2018
    Topbird said:
    ...

    2)If you have a slate chipping mulch and the ground underneath the mulch is sopping wet then either - 
    • your neighbour is doing a lot of watering and it's soaking through the soil into your garden and then not evaporating (due to the mulch)
    • or you or your neighbour may have a water leak (does your neighbour have an irrigation system or pond nearby - are there water pipes / drains running through this area?)
    ...
    A leak from a pipe or drain, just a slow one over several months (did the Beast from the East freeze any underground pipes?), could well have saturated the soil and be rotting the roots ... have a word with your next door neighbour and ask if you can do a little gentle investigative work ... if it's a leak and not sorted out it could do damage to their foundations so it does need to be investigated. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    I would pull back the mulch for about a square metre round the plant and check the soil with the aid of a spade to see if it is just wet on the surface or wet further down as well and how far the wetness has spread. 
    Has this been going on for a while or just today?
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • hogweed said:
    I would pull back the mulch for about a square metre round the plant and check the soil with the aid of a spade to see if it is just wet on the surface or wet further down as well and how far the wetness has spread. 
    Has this been going on for a while or just today?
    This has been going on for the last couple of weeks. 
  • Checked the slates and ground under the buddleia and found that the slate was wet but there was no sign of any moisture below the surface.
     The conclusion that it is an infestation of aphids and now need to find the best course of action to treat this problem. 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited July 2018
    If aphids, I would say it would be sticky (poo). You wouldn't mistake it for water. And you would see the aphids and possibly lots of ants.
Sign In or Register to comment.