Fatsia

Slow-worm · 2 March

No photo because I forgot! My fatsia japonica has been growing beautifully in the border for 12 years (it's about 15 years old), there are probably 6 or 7 main plants. At the end of last summer some of them started to get a yellow striation, even the younger bits. The big ones flowered as normal, but they weren't as striking as last year's - I don't know if the hefty winds and rains last year might have bothered them.
Nothing had changed last year (watering etc.) although the cherry above got a bad blackfly infestation and dropped constant sap & black bits everywhere, I'm not sure it's that as there are still dark green healthy stems.
I don't want to cut them down if I can help it, so if anyone knows what might be going on and a way to sort it, I'd appreciate the help.

Fire · 3 March

I wonder if the yellowing is chlorosis. There can be various causes for it. One can be lack of iron or similar. One method to help can be to feed with a seaweed feed/iron mix. Do you feed the fatsia?

https://www.rhs.org.uk/problems/chlorosis

https://www.gardenworld.co.uk/product/seaweed-plus-sequestered-iron/

ViewAhead · 3 March

Fatsias are generally easy to trim back and don't seem to mind. (The stems look very thick and hard, but a small saw goes through them with no trouble.) I would see if there are signs of new leaves coming through and cut back to these, but probably not till April. Alternatively, take off the damaged ones then to see if new growth is any better. If all the leaves have signs of damage, I'd remove the worst 2/3rds, so as not to defoliate it completely.

Fairygirl · 3 March

I have to cut mine back every year after winter. It soon grows and refreshes itself. Black areas are also normal, but it's hard to tell without a photo as to whether it could be anything else. If you have 6 or 7 plants all in the same spot - I'm assuming they're all little offshoots, is there enough room and nutrition for them all to thrive?
Unless there's something wrong with the quality of your soil they should never need fed, and it's ever a good idea to feed any plant if it's struggling, so don't be tempted to do that. I only feed later on [after cutting out damaged areas] and that's only once or twice in the growing season at most. The usual addition of organic matter is always better for that sort of plant.

Lots of wind and rain isn't a problem either, although they benefit from a bit of protection - mine are always kept in a reasonably sheltered spot to help with that. Ours rarely get to flowering stage though, because of the general climate, which is always a pity, but that's just how it is here - shorter season anyway.

Slow-worm · 4 March

Thanks.
I never feed it, just let the leaves pile up on the ground.
I do chop it out every year to tidy it up, usually 4 or 5 of the biggest stems come out, and about the same are left, so they stay bushy and don't get above 7 or 8ft.
I've just noticed today, the lower leaves of the healthy stems are going too. 😢
I love fatsia, it's like having a micro jungle!

Slow-worm · 4 March

ViewAhead · 4 March

I would probably leave it and see what happens. Apart from the yellowing, it is looking quite perky. 👍

Slow-worm · 5 March

ViewAhead said:

I would probably leave it and see what happens. Apart from the yellowing, it is looking quite perky. 👍

Yeah, it's odd.. I've never seen one go like this, it looks like a deficiency more than anything, but what or how, I don't know.

Fairygirl · 5 March

Is it in a sunny site and how/where is it growing? The photo isn't great, so it's hard to tell what the surroundings are like.
There does look to be a lot of other planting nearby which could be vying for nutrients and moisture etc. Mine have always been grown in among lots of other plants, but always in shadier sites, and with clay soil, and lots of moisture available all year round.

Slow-worm · 6 March

@Fairygirl it's a very shady (medium shade with a glimpse of evening summer sun), next to a gert cherry tree and a small twisted hazel, in a raised bed about 3'h × 4'w on the soil, no liner. The soil there gets tons of bird sh1t, as they all hang out in that corner. I don't need to water it in summer, but I do give it a good drink if we have a long hot spell.
They've all been there happily for over a decade, but last year there was a straight down rat hole at the edge, and I don't know if it made tunnels under the roots too - although I'd expect more 'collapse' than yellowing from root damage??

Fairygirl · 7 March

Is the Fatsia in the raised bed by itself though? If it's sharing with other planting, they could be depleting the soil in there of nutrients. Even if it's on it's own, the soil would need a bit of help now and again if it's not clay, especially after a long period. I don't feed mine on a regular basis as it's in decent soil, but it's in a raised bed on a border, so it benefits from the soil around it too. I occasionaly give it a liquid seaweed feed if it gets anything, and that's not often. I add a bit of old compost in spring when I cut back, and the seaweed would be when it's growing well - through late spring/summer - if I remember to do it

I don't think the rat hole would be the problem in itself, but it may have damaged the roots, so if the damage is all on one separate stem that could be a reason. If it's one plant, the root sytem would all hold together, which is why there wouldn't necessarily ba any collapse.

Fatsia

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