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Brachyglottis Sunshine - slowly dying

KatyMVMKatyMVM Posts: 4
in Problem solving
I planted a Brachyglottis in the ground almost exactly a year ago.  I used rooting powder and lined the hole with fresh compost to give it a decent start.  It didn't do much over the winter, but did seem to be doing okay through spring and early summer this year (and certainly grew a little bit, though no flowers appeared.) Now, after a very hot and dry summer, and in a suntrap part of the garden, it is looking like it will not survive.  Most of the leaves are brown.    I watered it regularly during the summer, but - and here is my concern - some of that water was "grey" water from some hand washing of clothes and I am now concerned I may have "poisoned" it.    Is this something that can happen?  Other plants are still okay despite also getting some of the same grey water - the Brachyglottis probably had the most however.    Obviously it is now getting fresh rainwater.   Is there any hope it will survive and is there anything else that could be affecting it?  (It is about 75% brown at this point.)  

Posts

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Brachyglottis is a lover of poor, very well drained soil - certainly no need for manure and I am not sure why you used rooting powder? As far as watering goes, if you planted last Autumn (meaning it's roots had all winter and spring to establish) I would not think it would be necessary or desirable to water in much this year, except for an occasional deep soak during the prolonged spells of dry weather and perhaps a little more during the heatwaves. So I think perhaps you have inadvertently rotted it. Well done, I thought Brachyglottis were pretty much indestructible! 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • KatyMVMKatyMVM Posts: 4
    Might dig it up and plant it in my front garden - dry as a bone, rubbish soil and nothing much grows there!  Maybe a total lack of care will bring it right back.    As for using rooting powder, it just seemed like a good idea to help get it established.  Turns out, according to the Telegraph, it is mostly a waste of time!   
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    There's a fair bit of doubt as to whether rooting powder is any use for striking cuttings. It's not going to do anything at all for a plant that already has roots. but it probably won't have done any damage.
    There was a brachyglottis here when we moved in. For many years I cut it back quite hard every year because I don't like its flowers. Then one year it didn't grow back. Can't say I miss it at all.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    If you're quick, you could also take cuttings as insurance. 
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/propagation/semi-ripe-cuttings

    I was wondering if you meant mycorrhizal fungi rather than rooting powder ?
  • KatyMVMKatyMVM Posts: 4
    Ah, thank you AnniD, that is in fact what I used.   
  • KatyMVMKatyMVM Posts: 4
    JennyJ said:
    There's a fair bit of doubt as to whether rooting powder is any use for striking cuttings. It's not going to do anything at all for a plant that already has roots. but it probably won't have done any damage.
    There was a brachyglottis here when we moved in. For many years I cut it back quite hard every year because I don't like its flowers. Then one year it didn't grow back. Can't say I miss it at all.
    Hi JennyJ.   I have a rather challenging back garden.  It is very small, with 6ft walls and an astonishing microclimate - from deep, dry shade to pretty extreme dry sun and a lot of whirlpool/eddy wind.  It was also entirely paved, with nothing growing at all when I arrived 5 years ago and I have been trying to "green" it.   I have managed to get a Hawthorn tree very healthily established (for shade) and this year a Californian Lilac has really flourished.   But I have had less success with quite a few other plants - including the Brachy, which I thought would be fine.   Clearly I have over-watered it.  
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Dry and sunny sounds perfect for it, so if you like it, it might be worth another go. Don't bother giving it compost or any other enrichment.
    Perovskia is another one that might be worth a try in a dry well-drained sunny spot, and I find that hardy fuchsias (the magellanica types particularly) will do OK in dry shade but are better with some soil improvement to get them going.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited September 2022
    Brachyglottis is one of the easiest plants to grow from cutiings.  Try again now with small cuttings in a pot indoors.  Wait until there are roots showing through the bottom, then pot them on.   Plan the out in ordinary unimproved garden soil in late spring.

    There are plenty of books on how to take cuttings, plus frequent demonstrations on Gardeners' World, and probably YouTube.  
     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."
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