Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

Return to the Shrubs Forum | Post a Follow-Up

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by huttnem z9CA (My Page) on

Wed, May 12, 10 at 16:03

I just bought a beautiful plant and didn't transplant it right away. Now some growth tips are brown. I'm assuming the cause is skipping a day of watering. I only watered it if the soil was not moist. . If I cut off the brown tips, will it be alright or is this a bad sign?

Follow-Up Postings:

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on
Thu, May 13, 10 at 11:43

i would be surprised if one day of low water caused the damage ...

but without a pic.. its really hard to give any further comment

ken

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by teri2 7B TN (My Page) on
Thu, May 13, 10 at 13:19

I don't think you'd see browning that soon after drying out either. How did you transport it home? Any chance the tips were wind damaged?

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by huttnem z9CA (My Page) on
Thu, May 13, 10 at 23:27

I will take a pic. I think this particular holly may be notorious. When I called the nursery and described the symptoms, the saleswoman seemed to be very familiar with this problem. Sbe said I needed to water it every day like they did at the nursery.

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by dave_in_nova VA zone 7a (My Page) on
Fri, May 14, 10 at 8:37

Many container-grown nursery plants are so incredibly root-bound that they may need watering even twice a day. If you don't plan to plant it right away, at least keep the plant in full shade. Also, this time of year plants are putting out their new, soft growth. This growth is especially vulnerable to 'drought'. If lack of water was the issue, you should have noticed the new growth wilting before it turned brown.

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on
Fri, May 14, 10 at 8:56

the woman at the nursery KNEW the problem.. because all the stock is problematic ....

ken

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by dave_in_nova VA zone 7a (My Page) on
Fri, May 14, 10 at 9:19

Just sayin' it's a very common issue. I have purchased many a root-bound holly that needed watering at least once a day. It could have dried out at the nursery or after purchase.

The nursery woman KNEW the solution. Keep it watered.

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by dan_staley 5b/S 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on
Fri, May 14, 10 at 10:10

Yes, this is your clue:

the saleswoman seemed to be very familiar with this problem. Sbe said I needed to water it every day like they did at the nursery.

Definitely water every day, keep the pot well shaded (in sun exacerbates the problem), and when planting dig an extra-nice hole and fill the hole with water before plant goes in. Good luck and think twice before purchasing live consumer goods from that nursery, or triple-check the stock and consume nothing in a pot that you can't squeeze.

Dan

RE: Dead Sky Pencil growth tips

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Posted by mojo777 6 PA (My Page) on
Tue, Aug 16, 11 at 13:51

I planted 5 of these in my garden in Philly. Last winter we saw monster snow. All 5 were completely buried for days. Three of them seem to have "died" on the top half. The bottoms are green and healthy, the tops are brown and leafless.

I'm planning to order replacements and move the injured plants to pots to nurse in a sheltered location. Should I give the damaged plants another year as is to see if they rebound, or is it better to trim off the apparently dead branch parts?

Note: the 3 that were injured were the ones that got most daily sun. I'm thinking the combo of long snow followed by sun exposure may have done the damage. The other 2 get a few hours less sun but got just as much snow as the others. Just a thought.

Post a Follow-Up

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 Shrubs 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.

Click here to learn more about in-text links on this page.