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Skimmia Mama Mia
doniegxfa76wPr
Posts: 1
in Plants
Hi
We’ve recently discovered skimmia plants so took the opportunity to invest. Must admit I’m not very knowledgeable with shrubs but like them to do well. As we’ve not decided on positioning yet both plants remain potted as purchased. The Rubella (M) is doing very well however the Mama Mia is showing signs of yellowing of leaves; particularly the lower end leaves. I’m unsure if this yellowing is on the increase but from this date I’ve started to photograph / record. The Mama Mia is in full berry looks absolutely stunning and sits in a 4.5 litre pot. Concern really at leaf yellowing and is the some action I need to take here before it becomes a problem
We’ve recently discovered skimmia plants so took the opportunity to invest. Must admit I’m not very knowledgeable with shrubs but like them to do well. As we’ve not decided on positioning yet both plants remain potted as purchased. The Rubella (M) is doing very well however the Mama Mia is showing signs of yellowing of leaves; particularly the lower end leaves. I’m unsure if this yellowing is on the increase but from this date I’ve started to photograph / record. The Mama Mia is in full berry looks absolutely stunning and sits in a 4.5 litre pot. Concern really at leaf yellowing and is the some action I need to take here before it becomes a problem
0
Posts
1) Sunburn — easy to rule out and to correct by moving the pot out of direct sunlight
2) Iron chlorosis — the plant is unable to extract sufficient iron from the soil due to it being too alkaline; skimmias prefer a more acid soil. Typically, the leaves turn yellow but the veins of the leaves stay green.
3) Incorporate granular ericaceous fertiliser and/or repot in ericaceous loam-based compost to address nutrient deficiency. The latter may help if the soil in the pot is compacted or overly wet, which means the roots do not have enough air to properly take up enough iron for the plant… may be less of an issue if you’ve only recently bought the plant, but it could have come in quite heavy compost from where you got it.
4) If not already doing, use rainwater (if you collect it) instead of tap water to help keep the pH low
Here are a couple of old threads with some suggestions:
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/490756/chlorotic-skimmia-and-peris/p1
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/995924/miserable-skimmia