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What is eating through my buddlea stems?

nigeltaylor11ajAuETly_nigeltaylor11ajAuETly_ Posts: 16
in Problem solving
Something is cutting through my one of my buddlea plants stems.
This is now three stems. Clean cut. As if with a knife.
No one has access to my garden and I know I haven’t done it. Any ideas please?

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Wind can snap new growth on Buddleia. Nothing else comes to mind.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • nigeltaylor11ajAuETly_nigeltaylor11ajAuETly_ Posts: 16
    Thanks.I would have thought that the cut would not be so clean if it was wind?
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Yes I know what you mean but I am not sure what else it could be. Some birds will snap tree branches but that would be short pieces.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Young Buddleia stems do snap quite cleanly - I've done it just by passing by too closely!  Your damage could also have been caused by a bird perching on the stem.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Plantminded said:
    Young Buddleia stems do snap quite cleanly - I've done it just by passing by too closely!  Your damage could also have been caused by a bird perching on the stem.
    I was just going to say that … a fat woodpigeon landing on a buddleja will snap the stem … no problem really … it’ll grow lots of sideshoots which will flower and prolong the season 😊 

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





  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Nature at it's best.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • nigeltaylor11ajAuETly_nigeltaylor11ajAuETly_ Posts: 16
    Thanks All. Plenty of wood pigeons in my garden. Probably right.

  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    Dovefromabove said:
    Plantminded said:
    Young Buddleia stems do snap quite cleanly - I've done it just by passing by too closely!  Your damage could also have been caused by a bird perching on the stem.
    I was just going to say that … a fat woodpigeon landing on a buddleja will snap the stem … no problem really … it’ll grow lots of sideshoots which will flower and prolong the season 😊 
    I didn’t think you could encourage side shoots on a buddleja @Dovefromabove - I thought it only flowered from the tips and if you cut now you’d lose the flowering tips?  I’ve never pruned the buddleja other than the spring hacking job.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2022
    I deadhead nearly every day in the flowering season and get lots of sideshoots which flower, then I deadhead those and get lots more sideshoots which flower, and then I deadhead those … and guess what?  More flowers 👍 😎 

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





  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    I’ve tried to prune it lower down so I can reach it for deadheading, but it still looks like it’s growing tall. Maybe I need to cut some back now then.
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