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Buxus Sempivirens
Quitefranckly
Posts: 3
Hi, I'm a novice gardener ???? any advice gratefully received!!
I bought 2 Buxus balls today reduced from £35 to £5 each which I thought was a steal. The reason for their reduction was - they're were a bit worse for wear - but seeing as they had new growth I thought I'd take a chance. Being a few hours later I'm starting to wonder whether I should've bought them!
My question is: how can I revive/reinvigorate them. They are mostly green with long woody bits! I'm hoping to plant directly in the ground soon but want to give them a fresh start. I've looked online for advice but still unsure which way to go.
Look forward to some tips from more experienced gardeners!
0
Posts
Hi,
It's too early to prune the long woody bits off yet as any fresh growth may get blasted by frost.
They may be cheap because they have box blight .... so if you have any other box plants them treat them as suspect and keep them quarantined until you're happy they are OK.
Once you are able to plant them they might benefit from using mycorrhizal fungi (Rootgrow) to give them a boost. They will also benefit from feeding .... I use a spray of seaweed solution on mine throughout the growing season. You can start trimming them up late May / June.
Keep looking out for box blight .... if you can plant them somewhere that gets a bit of a breeze that will help.
Good luck with them.
Bee
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Hi Bee, thanks for your helpful reply.
I thought I'd grabbed myself a right treat!
I haven't touched them as far as pruning but I gave them a good shake to remove the dead leaves hidden inside the plant, so hopefully that'll help with air circulation.
I do have other box in the back garden. Is quarantine in the front garden sufficient?
Also, is there anything I can give them whilst they're still in their pots during quarantine?
Fran.
I saw a tip on Beechgrove Garden, for boosting evergreen shrubs, such as Box. You dilute a solution of liquid seaweed, and spray on the foliage. I do this for many of our evergreen shrubs, and it doesn't seem to have done them any harm. As it's still winter, I'd suggest waiting another month before doing so, as I doubt the plant will be absorbing much nutrients at the moment, but once it starts its Spring growth spurt, then would be a good time to do this. Don't do it regularly though, only a couple of times between Spring and Autumn.
Beware also of Box Caterpillar. We had it for the first time last Summer, and that also defoliates the plants. One of the tell tale signs, are the little round balls you see on the ground below the plant (the caterpillars droppings) and the webs on the foliage in which they protect themselves. Hopefully you have neither that or Blight, just a slightly weak plant. We don't buy any more Box, there are lots of other great substitutes.
Thank you KeenOnGreen.
I'll inspect for any caterpillar life, thanks for the tip. Also the seaweed spray.
Being fairly new to gardening I hadn't thought of substitutes, I'll be searching online now. Are there any you'd recommend? I am looking for structure in the garden and the Box balls seemed like the perfect move.