|
| Two weeks ago, we had four astilbe and two cinnamon ferns planted in well-prepared ground that gets some late afternoon sun but is mostly shade. I deep-watered the day the plants were placed, three days later, and three days after that.
I went out of town last week, and my husband watered the astilbe and ferns three times during the week, but only for a couple of minutes each time. When I returned home yesterday, the astilbe were crisped, and some of the fern fronds were dried (but some looked normal). I watered thoroughly, and we've had two rainstorms (heavy downpours lasting for around 10 minutes) in the last 24 hours. Now, two of the astilbe look a little spiky, but probably survive-able. Two, though, look quite fried - the leaves are dark and curled up on themselves. The healthy fronds on the ferns seem fine, but the crisped ones seem even drier than they were. Do I continue watering every few days, giving each plant 10 minutes of "sprinkling" unless it rains? Or do I dig up the two most crisped astilbe and start over? Or all four astilbe? And do I trim the dry fronds from the ferns? Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give this frustrated newbie... |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| The Astilbes with some non-crispy green and the ferns will be fine. Cut the crispy off if you want. The other two astilbes, if all brown, may regrow. It's a wait and see. Keep watering regularly. Neither of these plants like to dry out. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 4, 11 at 10:25
| insert finger to the second knuckle and water whenever it feels dry ... especially deep down ... watering is an art.. not a science.. meaning.. there is no given schedule which we can give you.. based on your soil.. your weather.. your sun.. etc ... achieve proper deep watering.. and most things can recover.. summer dormancy.. due to heat or drought is not uncommon ... and a lot of plants can recover.. they may just not be pretty as they were ... dont know where you are.. and since you claim to be a newbie .... understand that you are planting a couple months late for most of us... transplant shock .. is usually avoided by planting in spring.. when hot days are offset by cool nights.. and that is much more forgiving than planting a few weeks ago .. good luck ken |
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Mon, Jul 4, 11 at 12:07
| We had a drought last year that lasted from the beginning of June right through the middle of October when not a drop of rain fell. My two-dozen astilbes all looked dead by August but came back this year lush and beautiful, thanks (I assume) to the fact I watered them every day throughout the dry spell. I watered at the base of each plant using recycled milk & cat litter jugs with a pinhole punched an inch from the bottom. I just placed a jug close to each plant, filled it with water and let it come out the pinhole. The plants got hydrated slowly every day. The inch of water left in the jugs kept them from blowing away. It's not the most glamorous method but it works, it's recycling and it's dirt cheap as well. |
|
| gardenweed thanks for the reminder about an old-time tip. It might not work for my almost acre of perennials and hostas, but it might save the lives of some of my seedling trees that are too far to drag the hoses to. Sandy |
|
| I also had several astilbes "die" last summer from drought. They came back fine this spring. Just like everyone else is saying keep watering, and don't do the sprinkle, go with the deep watering and check to make sure the moisture gets down to the root ball.... sometimes potting soil from new transplants will sorta repel water after drying out completely and even though you sprinkle some water around, it goes into the surrounding soil and not to the transplant's roots. |
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Mon, Jul 4, 11 at 16:22
| Sandy, happy to help. I too have almost an acre of perennials of which many need moist soil. They do fine in a normal summer season when thunderstorms bring soaking rain every few days. Last summer there were no thunderstorms--not a cloud in the sky anywhere in sight. It got pretty weird after three months but then got scary when September was just as parched as June, July & August. I dragged the hose from one end of the garden to the other filling jugs for 2 1/2 hours every evening after work. I have a well so I had to stop and let the pump rest every now and then. Last winter brought eight feet of snow and we've had so much rain I'm finding I have time on my hands this year with no watering to do!!! |
|
| Thanks so much for the tips. I have the same problem. Bought some beautiful astilbe, went out of town and forgot to tell someone to water them. They are now crispy. I will hope they will come back sometime, but my big question is - should I trim any of the plant? The large center stem that held the flowering part? Any of the leaves? I ask this because I had 2 totally dried out stephanandra that I put back in the earth "for fun" last year after they looked totally dead, and they are now flourishing - go figure! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Perennials Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.