Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Garrya Eliptica 'James Roof' & Prunus Lusitanica 'Myrtifolia'

adam.mgadam.mg Posts: 30
in Plants
I planted 3 G. Elliptica 'James Roof' nesxt to 7 P. Lusitanic 'Myrtifolia' in April 22nd 2023, on a gentle bank. All plants watered by sprinkler, but there was a very hot period a couple of weeks later.

All three G. Elliptica leaves started to turn brown by mid August (see photo 1).
 


One G. resprouted healthy branch vigorously in late August - but that too went brown. Today, 27th Jan, two plants certainly dead; one some green on lower stem to the scratch.

In Dec 2023 i noticed that now a P. Lusitanica has started to turn brown. It is situated marginally further down the slope. Today it is almost all brown, showing similar symptoms to G. Elliptica. (see photo 2)



Today i dug up the first G. to die, to have a look at the roots and soil for disease (photo 3). I can see none, but the root system was weak. The soil was very well worked with compost in a large hole, and the soil today is very moist:



What is worrying me: is there someting poisoous creeping down the slope, or is it just a coincidence that both G. Elliptica and now one P. Lusitinica are turning brown and dying?

What should i do?




Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    They will have needed lots of water, weekly after planting, the sprinkler may not have been adequate. Also being on a slope will have made them even drier.
    I think lack of water after planting and through the summer is the most likely reason for them dying.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Late for planting shrubs if you're not in a consistently wet area, so lack of moisture in the 3 or 4 months after planting is by far the most likely reason. Sprinklers don't provide suitable amounts, especially if it's the overhead type as opposed to a system on the ground. 
    They need huge amounts of water, a few times a week for establishing well. Light watering is far worse because it only moistens the top few inches of soil, and roots don't get encouraged to go down properly. They need to do that so that they can then access moisture easily in longer dry spells. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    Where about are you in the country Adam ? I've had a Garrya in a tiny pot and forgot round back of a shed and it still survived, I am a bit worried it may be over watering / wet summer/autumn  that's killing them off. 

    Do you dig a hole and fill it up with compost ? or did you dig in the compost into the soil. 
  • floraliesfloralies Posts: 2,718
    There also looks to be a lot of competition from weeds, they also will have been taking the water from the roots.
  • adam.mgadam.mg Posts: 30
    Thanks so much for all your input. I’m in Wiltshire Dorset border. In a frost pocket.  I was very late to plant them, but had 100s to plant and got held up. Stressful!

    Water would explain why G. died in the summer, but what about that one Prunus, which died in December?
  • adam.mgadam.mg Posts: 30
    I dug a hole, and filled with top soil + horse manure & on bottom miccorhozial fungi (sp!).  I replaced original soil in hole because soil in that bank was largely clay/sand, and taken from a dug out part of the garden (by a JCB). 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @adam.mg Are there roots showing in the last photo? Shrubsdo need some gentle healing in when planting.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • adam.mgadam.mg Posts: 30
    That’s the plant in last photo I dug up to look at roots and planting hole - looking for disease etc.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Is the slope as severe as it looks on the photo? If it is then water will likely run off very quickly and it could be quite dry where they are, even with heavy rain. 

    Was the horse manure fresh? It is normally better not to add fresh manure or any goodness to the hole so that the roots have to work to fine nutrition and spread further. It's the stretching out that establishes the plant quicker and then annual mulches can provide some nutriton when the plants are settled.

    The prunus could just be a delayed reaction as they don't need as much water.
Sign In or Register to comment.