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Planting out Ceanothus

daviddeane1002daviddeane1002 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Hello all
I recently planted a ceanothus which looked very healthy in its pot. However a week or so later it looks dried and dead. Was i wrong to water it in (i know they do like too much) and was i also wrong to put some compost in when planting out?

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Anything planted just now, especially shrubs/trees, needs plenty of water when planted, until autumn rain and/or established, which will take several months.
    Was it a large specimen, and did you water it thoroughly before planting too?

    The compost wouldn't be a problem, as long as the hole you dug was in a suitable spot  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Did you just dig a hole and put some compost in it ... or did you mix the compost in with the soil ?... The latter is what is needed.  The former can cause a sump and the roots can drown if the sump fills with water.  

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





  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited August 2021
    1. There is a difference between container-grown plants and containerised.  The latter may have been only recently transferred to a bigger pot and the roots have not yet got a grip on the compost.  Expect problems when planted out.

    2.  Many commercial plants today are grown in coir-based compost.  If this dries out it is very difficult to rewet.  Once in the ground, the compost immediately around the plant may dry out regardless to the wetness of the surrounding soil.

    Doves is a too wet answer, mine is a too dry.  It could be either, without looking we don't know.

    Have a good look and tell us a bit more.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    I found that two of them I recently planted were going the same way as yours. 

    I dug one up and found that the roots were wrapped in a little plug of membrane inside a ball of compost from its pot from the GC. 

    I unwrapped it and put it back in the ground ensuring the soil and compost were mixed together and gave it a good water after snipping off the dead bits. 

    It has since perked up and has new shoots. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ah - the tea bag conundrum @TheGreenMan. That's a possibility.
    We need @daviddeane1002 to come back with some more info  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    Yes! It was just like a teabag. I find that a lot shrubs from Wilko have the teabag thing around their roots. @Fairygirl
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It seems to be a common problem @TheGreenMan.
    We don't have Wilko near here, but it's probably down to retail outlets buying from  sources which are  producing in bulk to supply them. A quick method for those growers. Not so good when it doesn't work though.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    Yeah you’re probably right which is why the same plant from the local (independent) GC was £10 more! 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Indeed!
    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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