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| I have been a longtime reader of this forum, first time posting. I have 6ft Winterberry "Sparkleberry" Holly Bush that I planted back in May of this year along with a matching Southern Gentlemen pollinator. Both plants had been growing very well and looked perfect up until about 2 weeks ago. Suddenly, the leaves on both plants started wilting and dying. I also noticed holes in the leaves. On the entire plant I only saw two bugs.
Any thoughts on what could be causing this would be greatly appreciated. The local nursery suggested I apply Infuse systemic disease control. I am normally organic for everything, but took a chance and applied this last night in hopes of saving the plants. I also tested the drainage using the 1ft by 1ft hole, fill/drain, then fill drain again and found that it all drained very fast (about 1/2 hour). The location is generally bright with filtered light and about 1.5 hours of direct sunlight. Thanks,
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| My newer Winterberry is taking our hot weather pretty hard, it was purchased in June. I planted a Winter Red last fall, so it had a good time getting more rooted in, than my newly purchased Southern Gentleman. I have a couple TINY Sprite bushes that will droop if not watered often in their dry location. They have small root systems, even though they have been there 3 years. I plan to move them in Fall to a moister location where they will be happier. I am watering the Southern Gentleman every other day, after finding it crispy fried one day. I had checked it the previous day, looked fine. Next day the leaves were VERY shriveled, and I figured it was a goner. I pulled it up, moved it to a temporary place where I could check it daily, and watered it deeply each day and it resprouted new leaves. WHEW! I now do watering every other day, and it seems pretty happy with no wilting. The Winter Red (with better established root system) is getting watered once or twice a week, with a couple buckets of water. It seems pretty happy and not wilted. It is in full sun until about 8PM. Neither has any insect issues. So I would try going overboard a bit, watering heavily, daily, to see if the plant perks up. Probably a week of that treatment, should get it back on track so you can water less often. Still may need more frequent watering than normal in the heat, no rain, but it should perk up and not be droopy. My Hydrangeas are also often wilted in this heat and humidity, so they need watering more often than "normal" for this time of year. I will do this to keep them going. Good luck with your Winterberries. I want a Sparkleberry, it is on my Fall shopping list. I think because they are wetland plants, they need more water than normal, with my lack of rain. |
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| Thanks for the feedback! I was suspecting it may be a lack of water, as we have had above normal temps here in MA since it started wilting. I try to water daily, but probably need to water longer, especially after seeing how fast my soil drains. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 18, 12 at 8:42
| The local nursery suggested I apply Infuse systemic disease control. ==>>> mostly because they couldnt figure out how to sell you water.. on my 5 acres .. in MI.. that is known as a plant suffering from drought.. and heat ... you proved your high drainage.. now water accordingly ... its the fact that it is a recent transplant.. not fully 'established' .. as to why it is having issues about getting enough water ... i never like to use chems on stressed plants ... its just more stress.. but i doubt.. if you get proper water.. that it will matter ... i also wonder about how you planted it ... in the sense of divergent soil/media ... my sand.. will wick water out of heavy peat media ... and that MIGHT be an issue.. but it is already stressed enough.. its not time to replant it ... and most likely..not necessary ... some of those leaves look crispy.. they will continue to decline.. and probably fall off .. ignore it.. just focus on the growth points.. as long as those remain the proper color and viable.. that is your future.. with this plant ... glad you finally chimed in ... ken |
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| Thanks Ken. I have learned a lot reading your posts, especially over in the conifer forums. Yes, I didn't have confidence in recommendation by the nursery to apply chemicals but it was sort of a last resort as the plant was declining quickly. I also am opposed to using non organic solutions at all, but just wanted to save the plant. I have taken the advice posted here and watered very thoroughly this morning, so hopefully I can get it to bounce back. As far as planting, I wasn't too scientific, just dug 2x wide and deep and then refilled with mix of existing soil, organic lobster compost w/peat (cost of Maine) and some holly tone. Also, teased out the roots before dropping in. |
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| Wetland plant needing moist soil. Amending of planting hole backfill liable to have made these more prone to drought. Chances are you will be having whatever potting soil may still be on the roots plus the amended backfill losing water to the unamended soil around the planting holes, as this is likely to be finer textured than the potting soil and amended backfill - giving the soil outside the hole a greater attraction for water. |
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| These grow in standing water in my area, so you can't overwater it. I'd give it a good layer of organic mulch and spiral a soaker hose around the plant several times, and then just let it run non-stop for a couple of days to be sure that everything is well-soaked and then give it a long slow drink (soaker hose for a day) every couple of days until we are through the worst of the hot weather. If it is still suffering similarly next summer, I'd plan to move it or supplement the soil in the entire bed so that it is in a situation it is happier with. |
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