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Please help save Slavia Amistad !!! - single stems flopping over :(

jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
in Problem solving
I've reported my Slavia Amistad from last year and trimmed their roots a little this spring and planted them into John Innes nr 2 with additional grit (same brand as last year). I then added a little of GroChar fertiliser and Neem Cake which might have over-fertilized them because the new growth had chlorosis, which I then fixed with sequestered iron plant tonic (just a small portion). They finally started to grow and look good, but every now and then I have single stems flopping over and die. And it's usually the strongest/tallest ones :( They don't look leggy and it usually looks like they have been snapped off so I thought it might be birds, but this morning it was again on both plants and they feel like dehydrated as if something is destroying them from inside. I did spray them with light garlic spray last night (against whitefly) and it is windy today, but not stormy. Could it be root or crown rot from winter wet? I wouldn't expect it to be single stems though. Could it be nematodes? I found some white pot/worms near the stem before and was trying to keep the soil dry, but maybe its nematodes not pot worms. Or could it be the soil PH?
I'm pulling my hair out!! Please help! Really want to save them as they look so healthy otherwise and where amazing last year!



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  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I think you have given them too much and too many different types of fertiliser.
    Try not to make it so complicated.
    The actual growth looks healthy, so I would just support the floppy stems and see what happens.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    Just an additional observation. I left the growth from last year and cut it back this spring after repotting it as advised by Monty. The wounds stayed wet and slimy for a very long time and might have had some white residue. I cared for them with little cinnamon. It took weeks to dry, even with us having no rain here at all. :( You can see on the last pic the stems are now hollow inside. Could it be crown rot?
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    If it was crown rot, the leaves would not look so healthy.
    Have you thought about taking some cuttings from the new growth?
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    Thank you @punkdoc Phew!!! :) I was really worried it's crown rot. I did take some cuttings already from the earlier "flops". To be honest, we don't have a cold frame and I don't know how to look after them in winter. I took cuttings from Agastache last August and tried to keep them sheltered (outside) throughout winter. Sadly only 3 out 10 survived and only 1 looks strong. I'm very happy about the one :) but it was so much work to keep them moist and not overwatered. Once I can dedicate more time to gardening and have a cold frame I will be taking cuttings from everything!! :) 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Our 'normal' winters can be too cold for Salvias (-12c) so mine are overwintered in the  lean-to GH. I dig them out of the borders, stick them in a pot with a bit of MPC to cover and stand the big guys like Amistad along the back wall.
    I water them when they look like they need it and this year I was generous and gave them a couple of feeds.
    They weren't cut back and were hardened off by standing them by the GH door on warm days when it was open and then the usual in and out for a few more days. They are now standing outside waiting to be planted and are tall with strong stems, in full leaf and already starting to flower. They are tough plants and don't need fussing over!
  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    @Buttercupdays Thank you for your comment! It's great advice. Unfortunately, I don't have a cold frame at the moment. I had my containers all grouped together in a sheltered corner, protected with hay and frost protection fabric. Everything survived, but the winter here was so wet, I'm surprised the Slavia's didn't rot, even the Kisses & Wishes made it trough (the first flower buds are already emerging:))  May I ask, you don't cut back the Amistad at all? Or do you trim it later in the season? I haven't grown them before and only cut them following advice from Monty. I have so many plants and am still learning :blush:
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I cut mine about halfway back in the winter because they looked messy (they're in big ceramic pots by the front door and I wasn't inclined to try and move them. It's west-facing and partly sheltered from the rain so not a bad spot for overwintering), then cut back to the new growth when it started to appear. They've had a bit of chicken poo pellets tickled into the top of the compost but I won't feed them more until there's more strong growth. Too much food tends to make for soft growth that gets  blown over easily, or falls under its own weight. I'll be staking them when they get a bit taller as well.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    @JennyJ I think you just confirmed what @punkdoc mentioned. I overfed them. The thing is, prior to planting I've checked with the neem seller and have been told that you can mix the GrowChar and the neem without problems, AND I only applied the minimum because I've read that salvias are light feeders and only require some food in spring when container-grown. I used exactly the same potting soil and GrowChar last year and all was fine. But they are soft, just as you describe it, so it must be the extra feed delivered through neem :blush: I hope they'll recover 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    No trimming. I did trim back on or two of my smaller salvias that had got a bit leggy, but Amistad and another blue one I have are altogether heftier creatures and make shrubby bushes with woody stems, round about 3 ft high. They make good feature plants in my big border and are always covered with flowers and insects,  so I just let them get on with it :)  
  • jucati1198jucati1198 Posts: 56
    Buttercupdays said:
    No trimming. I did trim back on or two of my smaller salvias that had got a bit leggy, but Amistad and another blue one I have are altogether heftier creatures and make shrubby bushes with woody stems, round about 3 ft high. They make good feature plants in my big border and are always covered with flowers and insects,  so I just let them get on with it :)  
    Thank you @Buttercupdays Sounds like you have lovely plants! Next year I'll keep mine :smile:
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