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Fatsia Japonica Blackened Leaves

borysbrockborysbrock Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi,

Just hoping someone can help with this garden issue  :)

We have several Fatsia plants around our garden, however, one has recently developed very blackened leaves throughout the plant. The plant is located in a large raised wooden planter and has thrived for many years, until now. The planter is also home to a crop of bamboo.

Both plants are situated beneath the overflow of a combi boiler which is 3 stories higher than the plants and does occasionally drain out over the plants, not sure if this has caused the issue or not.

Would be very grateful for any thoughts and advice about this issue

Many thanks,
Chris

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Posts

  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    edited 19 February
    Morning Chris ... and welcome. 🙂

    Presumably it is only plain, cold water that drains from the boiler, so I wouldn't think that is the problem.  That looks a sheltered position, so it is unlikely to be frost damage.   I'd say probably it needs more root space.  That is a lot of top growth for the plant to maintain if the roots are very restricted. 

    Now, fatsias do drop some leaves each yr, but so many of those have black on that I don't think it is that.  Are your other fatsias in containers?


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I would think there wouldn't be enough room for both those plants though, unless there's lots of room, but it does look like quite a sizeable raised bed to me.
    That looks more like mild wet weather, followed by a sharp drop in temps causing the fleshy foliage to blacken. I often got that on mine, although not so regularly in recent years as winters have been getting very benign. Last winter we did have a very mild autumn followed by a sudden drop in December though, which certainly caused problems. The swing between temps is more damaging than just colder weather on it's own, and they can cope really well with that in sheltered sites.
       
    Whereabouts are you @borysbrock? Is that a possibility?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • borysbrockborysbrock Posts: 6
    Hi @Fairygirl and @ViewAhead, thanks for your comments :)

    re. raised bed, as far as I remember when I built it I did leave the base open to the ground, but not sure if the Fatsia and Bamboo would root that far down. Raised bed is about 2.5 feet deep.
     
    There is some new growth starting at the base of the Fatsia, so would cutting back some of the top foliage and adding some mulch and compost help?

    All our other Fatsia's, with the exception of one new one planted in a chimney pot, are planted in beds and we've had no problems with any of them.

    This one is situated on the North facing corner of the building and is subject to a fair bit of wind channeling between our house and the neighbours, so it can be subject to a colder climate than other parts of the Garden, although we are based on the Wirral and tend to get milder conditions than neighbouring Wales and Liverpool.

  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    edited 19 February


    Fatsias can be cut back quite hard, but I wouldn't do this till the risk of a hard frost is over.  The damaged leaves could be removed now, but if you are planning to cut back, I'd be inclined to leave them till then, as once you remove them, new ones will start to come through and it would be a waste of the plant's effort if you are then going to chop back the stems.

    Although fatsias are evergreen, they do shed their leaves regularly, so some damaged ones aren't as terminal as this would be on a plant that does not shed.  You should still end up with a nicely shaped, well foliaged plant after a recovery period.  🤞
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    How wet is the soil/compost in your planter @borysbrock? If the overflow is saturating your planter and the drainage holes are possibly blocked, the plant's roots will start to rot and result in the symptoms you are seeing. Also, how big is the bamboo in the planter and is it showing any signs of concern?
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Just to add I would worry if I had planted a bamboo in a pot that is open to the ground that near to the house...a root barrier is essential at that proximity. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • borysbrockborysbrock Posts: 6
    The overflow only spills onto the raised bed for very short periods, usually just for a few minutes when our neighbours boiler first fires up, not very much volume of water to be honest. It has been a very wet winter though so saturated roots could be an issue, however, just checked the bed and it certainly doesn't feel sodden in any way.

    The Bamboo I believe is a non spreading variety and has been in the bed for years, only very occasionally throwing out new shoots, although it has become much more lush and leafy of late, probably because of all the rain :)
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Ahh, probably a bamboo like my fargesia nitada, which clumps but does not send out runners.  Very well-behaved. 🙂
  • borysbrockborysbrock Posts: 6
    amancalledgeorge said:
    Just to add I would worry if I had planted a bamboo in a pot that is open to the ground that near to the house...a root barrier is essential at that proximity. 

    Oops.. this is exactly why I've joined this forum.. to learn how to do things properly :/ Thanks @amancalledgeorge
  • borysbrockborysbrock Posts: 6
    ViewAhead said:
    Ahh, probably a bamboo like my fargesia nitada, which clumps but does not send out runners.  Very well-behaved. 🙂

    Lol, hope so after @amancalledgeorge 's warning!!
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