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Sage yellow and brown

jamie.lee.sutcliffejamie.lee.sutcliffe Posts: 8
in Problem solving
Hi,

The sage I'm growing in doors ready to harden off and plant out in may has started to go yellow and the ends of the leaves are going brown, at first I I put it down to over watering but I'm only watering every 1-2 weeks now and the soil is a mix of;
Peat Moss, Compost, Perlite and a little Worm Castings which drains well. They are currently under full spectrum grow LEDs lights.

Any suggestions?

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2022
    Hello @jamie.lee.sutcliffe and welcome to the forum  :)

    Those look well grown :) ...  now spring is here and they're starting to grow again I'd water them a bit more often ... once a week? lift the pots and feel the weight ... if they feel light for their size they need watering, but make sure they can drain well before returning the pots to the tray ... and I'd harden them off and get them outside asap.  They're really not happy indoors ... I have a large sage plant which has layered itself into the ground and become a bush ... I cut it hard back every spring and it's already bouncing back with signs of new growth.  Unless you live somewhere verydull, cold and wet your sage will be better off in the fresh air. 

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





  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    I think from the size of your sage, it needs to be potted on into a more beefy compost, with some grit in it. It looks as if it was growing well but is now suffering from over nurturing, too hot and dry for it. I have grown a sage plant indoors this year, looks about the same size as yours. I am going to repot mine shortly and put it outside now the worst of the frosts have finished. I would not think sage needs the extra lighting. The leaves do die off as the plant grows, it is not a succulent so does require a level of moisture in the soil. The silver furry leaves indicate it is a Mediterranean plant that likes to grow in a well drained, sunny location. I have to overwinter mine indoors because of the very high rainfall in Cornwall, they tend to rot off during the winter.
  • jamie.lee.sutcliffejamie.lee.sutcliffe Posts: 8
    edited April 2022
    Thank everyone some brilliant advise!
    I will move them to a bigger pot with a different mix and then harden them off and get them outside asap, some are stopping in pots and some going in the ground. 
    Any recommendations as to the mix for the ones I'm keeping in pot? 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I would use  a mix of John Innes No 2, MPC and horticultural grit in ratio of approx 3:1:1

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





  • jamie.lee.sutcliffejamie.lee.sutcliffe Posts: 8
    Thanks @Dovefromabove I'm trying to avoid buying pre mix's and mixing all mine myself, is John Innes 2 just peat & sand? 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2022
    John Innes loam-based composts explained here

    https://www.proctorsnpk.com/t/howtomakeyourown

    We're trying to cut down on peat so we sometimes use a mix of our garden soil which is very gritty loam, with homemade compost or peat-free multi-purpose compost ... but you do need to add balanced fertiliser ... we use Fish,Blood & Bone.

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





  • jamie.lee.sutcliffejamie.lee.sutcliffe Posts: 8
    @Dovefromabove thank you this had been very helpful 👍 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    My pleasure ... hope it works for you  :)

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





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