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Is my rowan OK?

AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
edited May 2021 in Problem solving
Evening all,

I have a one year old rowan, which was planted a few months ago. It is in clay soil, the planting hole was improved slightly with compost and mycorrhizal fungus and it's been mulched with bark. Up until last week, the buds were forming nicely and it was looking good but, on inspection this evening, it looks a bit sad. What would you suggest I do to perk it up a bit please?



P. S. Sorry, I don't know how to rotate images on a mobile!

Posts

  • AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
    Anyone with any ideas? Those buds are looking more and more like broccoli. It's my first rowan, so maybe that's how they're supposed to look at this stage!
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    When shrubs and trees are young the roots small, so are vulnerable. Whether it is extreme heat or cold to lack of water, you can often see signs like drooping tips or dried or dead newly formed flower buds very quickly.

    How much water have you given it so far? The first most common one is lack of water. They need a lot of water to settle and this regime of watering needs to be consistent all through the warm weather. Wind can also dehydrate plants. High winds can dry out plants quickly. 

    Cold nights or cold weather after a warm spell can knock back flower tips or young leaves. But they soon recover once warm weather arrives. 

    On a young plant, very likely your tree suffered from one of the above. Making roots and settling in is priority right now. Do not try to feed it anything other than watering in. 

    Make sure the base is planted at the correct level. If you plant deeper than what it was in the pot you run the risk of causing it to rot. 
  • AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
    Thank you. The base is planted at the right level and it's in a fairly sheltered spot.

    I've been trying to keep on top of watering, giving it a good soaking at least once a week, but I also don't think I appreciate quite how dry it has been recently (with the exception of heavy rainshowers that run off the surface). I've given it a good drenching again this evening and will keep my eye on it.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Rowans can practically live in water, so don't underestimate the amount you give it until properly established. If it's only been there a few months, it isn't anywhere near established yet. Once  a week isn't enough. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
    Ah, that's helpful thank you. I'm pretty inexperienced in the garden and err on the side of not flooding things, I think! Will the same go for viburnum? That has started to droop ever so slightly so I might up its watering routine as well.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - any shrub will need plenty of water until established, which takes around a year, depending on the maturity.
    That's why the best time for planting them is autumn/winter, when it's easier for them to get plenty of moisture. Evergreens in particular, as the canopy can prevent water getting in. It's surprising how dry soil can be under them, even after plenty of rain.

    I can plant at virtually any time here. The soil never dries out completely either, so they establish quickly.  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
    Thanks @Fairygirl. The viburnums went in last autumn but I don't feel like this was a very wet winter. We had cold and snow but no consistently heavy rainfall.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You must live in a fairly dry area then. The south eastern counties of England certainly have a lot of drier weather than most of the rest of the country. 
    If that's the case, you would keep an eye on any newly planted shrubs, but generally speaking, if planted in autumn into suitable soil and location, they would establish well by the time any longer, drier spells came along in spring. If you weren't seeing any new growth in spring, it would indicate that they'd been on the dry side.
    A good mulch after watering will help too - with almost any shrub. 
    It's difficult to be exact without seeing them in situ though.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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