This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
miserable skimmia
Sammymummy
Posts: 202
in Plants
Hi everyone!
I planted this skimmia (Reevesiana) in the autumn of 2015 in a shady corner of my newly dug garden. It didn't grow much despite my sprinkling with the slow release ericaceous plant food and mulching it with ericaceous compost (the soil was neutral). So to save it, I potted it up about a month ago and drenched it with the liquid sequestered iron twice. But now its leaves are falling off 
. What is wrong and how can I save it?
P.S. A rhododendron next to it also died last autumn, after a short life.
0
Posts
It looks a bit chlorotic - yellowing of leaves showing magnesium deficiency. Try a foliar feed of Epsom salts using a ratio of 15ml of salts to 5l of water. Works on rhodos and azaleas and conifers too.
Mine isn't doing brilliantly either and it was planted around the same time so I'm interested to see what people think. Someone on here said they can take a while to settle down.
I don't think digging it up will have helped much tbh, it'll have put more stress on it. Maybe the soil isn't acid enough if the rhododendron died too.
Thank you Obelixx - sorry for further question, but do you mean Epsom salts in medicine?
Did you check the roots for vine weevil larvae? A mature shrub in the ground will not be phased by them but young shrubs can be. It has always been my understanding not to feed a poorly plant.
Hi Angie
The root did not seem to have grown a lot, almost the same size as when I planted it, but there was no sign of worms or eggs. So I shouldn't have overfed it then
Yes, Epsom salts as in pharmacy. Chlorosis is a feature of ericaceous plants being unable to take up both iron and magnesium because of alkalinity in the soil or water. Chelated or sequestered as they only help fix iron so are not a complete cure.
Thank you Obelixx, I will try Epsom salts.