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Honeysuckle getting dry

Javi.xeneizeJavi.xeneize Posts: 193
in Problem solving
Hi

i have a honeysuckle in soil, has been there for years and never needed any special care. Always has been healthy and growing a lot

however this year some areas have started to dry out, the leaves are getting dry until they fall, and no new leaves appear. It started on the left side of the honeysuckle, and now it is happening on the right side too

i doubt it is related to lack of water, as it is raining, and the fact that it’s happening on two different sides at the same time makes me think it might be a disease

Can anybody help to find out what might be the problem please?



 
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Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Have you checked the soil area around the plant ?
    Even though it's raining it doesn't necessarily mean that the roots are getting enough water.
    The only other possibility l can think of is some kind of disease. 

    I think l'm right in saying that there are 2 different types of honeysuckle, evergreen and deciduous. Do you know which variety it is ?

    Also a photo might help with identifying the problem, if you can provide one  :)
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Javi.xeneize You can never over water a Honeysuckle. The larger it gets the more water it needs. In a dry spell six large cans at the base each week still may not be enough. Rain shadow can also be a problen. I agree with @AnniD there are two types they are pruned differently but both love moisture at the roots.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Javi.xeneizeJavi.xeneize Posts: 193
    edited October 2023

    I’m not at home at the moment but this is what I can get from the security camera. It is the one close to the fence 
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    It needs a good prune. 
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    That is a very large plant. Just looking at the photograph you can see that even in the heaviest downpour very little water will actually reach the plant's roots. It will be competing with the grass for that and if the rain is from the wrong direction it will get nothing at all. 
    My suggestion would be to give it several buckets of water to see if that helps for now.  Then in the early spring cut it back and remove any obviously dead wood. Widen the border to give it more space, water some more and then mulch to help retain moisture. Thereafter keep well watered in dry spells. That means bucketsful, not a drizzle :)

  • Javi.xeneizeJavi.xeneize Posts: 193
    I will try that

    thanks!
  • Javi.xeneizeJavi.xeneize Posts: 193
    Call me crazy but… any chances that there has been any human interaction? It’s is, the honeysuckle climbs to the other side of the fence. Could it be that the my have poisoned it in any way? 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    The neighbours could (legitimately) have cut anything that's on their side of the fence. If there are branches that had trailed over and back again and have been cut on the other side, those ones will be dead. It's possible but less likely that the neighbours might have sprayed growth on their side.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Javi.xeneizeJavi.xeneize Posts: 193
    Sure, cutting it is not a problem. What I mean is if he could have poured any product on the leaves for example that had caused any damage to the whole plant 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2023
    I think it would have taken a large amount of weedkiller if that is what you mean.  Have you been right underneath to check the soil as mentioned. Last year we had a drought  it could have started to suffer at that point although it might not have be that apparent. A wet november and freezing december added to it's stress.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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