Fatsia looking sad…

steven.g.garner · 20 February

I’ve had this Fatsia in for about 4 years, it’s been thriving but I noticed recently it’s looking pretty bad. I’m this sometimes happened in super cold weather then sprang back to a more vertical string stance - it’s been like this for a few months now

Fairygirl · 21 February

Pretty normal in winter.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'super cold' but they regularly droop with a little bit of frost - doesn't have to be severe, but down to around minus 3 or 4 will keep them like that.
However, if it's been like that for a few months, it may be down to being too dry. They like a decent level of moisture. Surrounding planting, walls/fences etc, restricted room for the roots, poor soil, can all be the cause, as well as a generally drier site. There seems to be a lot of trees on the other side of the fence too, which will be soaking up moisture.

ViewAhead · 21 February

I think it will be OK. 👍 It is getting ready to drop some outer leaves, hence their angling downwards, and then new ones will come through and it will put some growth on the top as the berries ripen to black and fall (or get eaten).

ddd77 · 21 February

Yours certainly looks better than mine! I think mine has got root rot... Hopefully yours will get better in the spring 😊

Fairygirl · 21 February

They can be tricky to keep happy long term in containers @ddd77.
How good is the drainage in the container? They like moisture, but won't like to be waterlogged.
We rarely get them to flowering stage here - the emerging buds often just get ruined by the autumn weather unfortunately.

ddd77 · 21 February

Fairygirl said:

They can be tricky to keep happy long term in containers @ddd77.
How good is the drainage in the container? They like moisture, but won't like to be waterlogged.
We rarely get them to flowering stage here - the emerging buds often just get ruined by the autumn weather unfortunately.

Yes... Didn't quite think that through..... The drainage is probably not great. I just wanted something to hide the rather tired looking fence behind it... Might replant in the ground to see if it's salvageable

greatnorthernexotic · 21 February

ddd77 said:

Yours certainly looks better than mine! I think mine has got root rot... Hopefully yours will get better in the spring 😊

Fatsia Spider's Web is less hardy and slower growing than the standard Fatsia Japonica form. Still, even with this much winter damage to the growing points, I'd expect it to regrow from the roots in spring.

Fairygirl · 21 February

I didn't think it looked right for F. Spider's Web as there were uniformly green leaves present so it just looked like a chlorotic, normal Fatsia, but if it is that, then yes - they certainly aren't hardy. Do you know which one it is @ddd77?
I think those variegated ones are really ugly, the really speckled white one in particular, but they seem quite popular.

Plantminded · 21 February

I agree with you @Fairygirl, I've ditched my variegated and Spider's Web Fatsias after two years of tolerance (my tolerance 😆).

Fatsias always take that downward stance in cold weather @steven.g.garner, it's just a natural defence. You could help it by removing the worst of the discoloured leaves. I also remove the flower buds as they tend to blacken easily with frost and I don't particularly like the flowers anyway! Give it some blood fish and bone and an organic mulch and it should show signs of recover once winter is over.

ddd77 · 21 February

Fairygirl said:

I didn't think it looked right for F. Spider's Web as there were uniformly green leaves present so it just looked like a chlorotic, normal Fatsia, but if it is that, then yes - they certainly aren't hardy. Do you know which one it is @ddd77?
I think those variegated ones are really ugly, the really speckled white one in particular, but they seem quite popular.

It was meant to be a Spiders Web... It did look quite pretty when I initially bought it 😅

Fairygirl · 21 February

This is why location is so important in offering advice, isn' it? I think I said recently that temperature is only part of the whole picture too, because there's a huge difference between dry cold for a few days on lighter soil, and long term, wet cold on heavier soil, and it's prolonged conditions of any kind that does the most damage to many plants. Lots of people are losing plants nowadays due to drought conditions lasting for weeks, and even months. We tend to have the opposite problem here.
Right plant right place is the aim, but there are so many changes happening, that it can be difficult to judge, and hard to decide what to do in established plots if severl plants are obviously failing where they didn't in the past.

Hopefully, @steven.g.garner 's plant will come away again.

Fatsia looking sad…

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