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Forsythia Dying- what's wrong?

ckharv28151ckharv28151 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I have this large hedge of forsythia - year over year I have had parts that are growing and doing fine and then all of a sudden one of the plants stops doing well and dies.  This keeps happening to just one or 2 plants- any idea what is happening?  


Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Isn't it just going into autumn/winter growth?
  • ckharv28151ckharv28151 Posts: 3
    No - it keeps just dying til it's totally brown and dead.  Never comes back.  This has happened for several years just to some and I keep replanting then it will randomly happen to another section.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They're usually pretty hard to kill, so there must be something else causing it.
    It could simply be very dry - there's ivy all along the base, so lack of moisture may be the problem. That causes more problems than almost anything else with shrubs, especially ones which aren't particularly prone to pests or diseases, and forsythia fits that description. 
    When you're replanting new ones, what is the soil like? If you plant through summer, rather than autumn/winter, that's always harder, simply due to drier conditions. Many people are finding the recent, very dry conditions where they live, a huge problem for establishing plants of all kinds. 
    If it's always in the same spot, that suggests something else though. It can even be animal urine, and in some cases - weedkiller from an 'outside source'. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Bit of an off-chance but do you (or someone else) ever use a strimmer on the edge of the lawn or on the weeds in the base of the hedge? If so it could be that the bark has been damaged low down causing those branches to die.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ckharv28151ckharv28151 Posts: 3
    JennyJ  Thanks for your responses!  there isn't a chance for damage.  

    Fairygirl - I do water it when it's dry - I will try cutting the ivy away.  I typically only replant in the spring and some of the replanted in the same place thrives and some does ok and then dies later.  thanks for your response!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If the new plants are properly established, they should thrive. Watering has to be very through though, especially when there's other planting so close by. A new whip or a potted plant put in would need a large canful every few days - more if the ground is dry when you dig the hole. In many areas, it can be very dry in spring as well as summer, and the existing hedging will quickly use it before the new plants get a chance. 
    If it's very dry, it can help to put a can of water into the hole first too.  :)
    If there's another factor that we can't see, that's the most likely reason for them failing. If it did turn out to be animal urine [spraying] there isn't a lot you can do, unless it's your own animal of course.  

    If it's always the same spot, it could  be the underlying ground - concrete footings, hard clay pan or something similar, so you may need to dig down and investigate.  :)
    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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