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Help! Newbie with a problem plant needs rescuing from me!

nvh2510nvh2510 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I appreciate any help that can be offered here.

I have two plants of the same species (I believe) in the same bed, the soil/compost mix is exactly the same in this bed.

One largest of the plants has been with us for years and travelled from house to house in a large pot and has been very healthy.  The smaller one is new and from a garden centre.

As you can see from the images, the larger plant looks like it's suffering whilst the smaller one is thriving!

The larger one has always been abundant with colour, but it is now looking very sad.

Anything I can do to breed some life into it, poor thing?

Regards, Nigel

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I don't think they're the same plant type, the original is a Choisya and your new one is a Pieris l believe. 
    Not quite sure why your Choisya is suffering tbh.
    Welcome to the forum by the way  :)
  • Pauline 7Pauline 7 Posts: 2,246
    You say that the larger one has travelled around with you in a pot. When was it replanted into the bed ? It could be sulking and still settling in. I'm no expert, this is just my opinion and stand to be corrected if anyone thinks different.
    West Yorkshire
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Did you give the bigger plant a good mulch of ericaceous compost when you planted it out?
  • nvh2510nvh2510 Posts: 3
    Thanks Flydragon, I didn’t? But I will now, just read about it.
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    edited July 2020
    Good luck!  I have a mature one of these, and it did have a bit of a sulk earlier in the year when it was very dry, but a good mulch of ericaceous and a lot of watering and it’s doing fine now and got lots of new bright pink growth. 

    You might also want to snip off the flowers so it can focus on its roots. 
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    Those pieris are tough as nails. Mine suffered a bit in the burning hot spring we had, but they recovered themselves and are doing fine now. Probably doesn't help I put them in RHS pruning group 666 - "prune whenever you remember, mid-summer to mid-winter, and happen to walk past with clippers in your hand".
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It might just need a good drink.   Before planting it out did you soak the pot to make sure the root ball was wet?   Did you tease the roots a bit to encourage them to head out rather than just carry in spiralling around as tho still stuck in a pot?   Did you add any nutrients and/or soil conditioner to the bed before planting it and have you watered it since?  Anything planted form spring onwards needs regular watering to help it thru its first summer, especially one with dry periods like this year.

    I would suggest you give a good watering with a 5 litre bucket of water poured very slowly all around the plant and its base so that it soaks in rather than runs off.  Repeat daily for a week and then give it a good mulch of some well-rotted manure and reduce the water to every 3 days.

    If the struggling plant is indeed a choisya it is not fussy about soil being alkaline or acid but does want good drainage and some fertility and shelter from cold winter winds. 

    The second plant is a pieris which means it can't take up iron and magnesium if the soil or tap water is alkaline.   Water with rain water if your tap water is hard and, once soaked, give it a generous mulch of some ericaceous compost to help retain moisture around the roots.   You can but liquid feeds for ericaceous plants which will also help correct mineral uptake and give you a stronger plant.  
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • nvh2510nvh2510 Posts: 3
    Obelixx said:
    It might just need a good drink.   Before planting it out did you soak the pot to make sure the root ball was wet?   Did you tease the roots a bit to encourage them to head out rather than just carry in spiralling around as tho still stuck in a pot?   Did you add any nutrients and/or soil conditioner to the bed before planting it and have you watered it since?  Anything planted form spring onwards needs regular watering to help it thru its first summer, especially one with dry periods like this year.

    I would suggest you give a good watering with a 5 litre bucket of water poured very slowly all around the plant and its base so that it soaks in rather than runs off.  Repeat daily for a week and then give it a good mulch of some well-rotted manure and reduce the water to every 3 days.

    If the struggling plant is indeed a choisya it is not fussy about soil being alkaline or acid but does want good drainage and some fertility and shelter from cold winter winds. 

    The second plant is a pieris which means it can't take up iron and magnesium if the soil or tap water is alkaline.   Water with rain water if your tap water is hard and, once soaked, give it a generous mulch of some ericaceous compost to help retain moisture around the roots.   You can but liquid feeds for ericaceous plants which will also help correct mineral uptake and give you a stronger plant.  
    Wow! That’s awesome detail, thanks so much Obelixx, dry weather tomorrow so I’ll get to work.  We are based in the North West UK and have had very strong gales and storms over the last 2 weeks, so you think this may have contributed to the condition?

    the plant has had plenty of water and was teased before planted but I didn’t soak the root ball before transplanting.  
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