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| My mother passed away this spring, and in her memory I planted a "Persian Lilac" from the local nursery. I did a ton of homework before buying anything, because despite my memory of Mom having a rather large, blossoming lilac on the side of the house, I know that Arizona is not the most favored by lilacs. Either way, I was assured both by online research as well as the nursery that this variety would do fine here. Through the spring and most of the summer, it did great... even grew a few inches which totally excited me. At some point last month, the leaves began to turn brownish/yellowish/just not the right shade of green they should be, and now every single leaf on the bush has turned brownish yellow and is dry and brittle. I am not sure if I may have over watered it, as it is in a pot that was previously on the ground and when I went to deep water it one day it did pool up (now it's propped up on a few bricks to make sure the water can drain out properly) or if maybe it was over fertalized (I was going out once every 2-3 weeks and giving it a drink of water with some rose fertalizer to try and plump it up a bit since it is so spindly right now). I do have two roses on either side of it (also in pots) that have had problems with cane borers throughout the summer, however I have not noticed any damage to the lilac at all. Please, what is it that I am doing wrong and how can I save this plant??? It will absolutely kill me for it to die and I am at my wits end right now. I have checked, and the cadmium is still nice and green, so I am not giving up hope yet... |
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| Do you know what your USDA temperature zone is? It can be a real challenge to keep containerized plants healthy unless you are sure of the proper water routine, fertilizer needs, light requirements, and more. The type of container mix makes a huge difference, too. It 'sounds' like you are unsure of these factors in regards to the care this plant has been giving. Also, although Syringa x persica can survive in some difficult locations, it may not do so in a container. In-ground plantings help keep the root systems cooler than an above ground pot. Also, the root system of a planted shrub can grow like gangbusters in all directions, better able to survive heat, drought, freezes, over watering, and more. In a container, the root system is held totally captive. You mean 'cambium', right? Just wanting to make sure. |
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- Posted by haysmommie (My Page) on Thu, Oct 7, 10 at 11:49
| I believe I am in zone 8b, possibly 9a. I have been told not to use fertilizer for the most part,as it can reduce or eliminate blooms entirely for the sake of leaves, and if I do to make sure it is low on nitrogen... something like an 8-20-16. The closest I could get was the rose fertilizer I had on hand, which is a 18-24-16, but I was willing to sacrifice blooms to gain some bulk on the bush and get it established. As for water, I tried to water it deeply a few times a week, making sure the soil wasn't water logged (until I realized my drainage had stopped up) but not dry either. We don't get a lot of rain here, so I tried to ignore everything I found saying not to water often. The lilac is planted in full sun, but because of how drastic it is here, it gets full a.m. sun, but some shade in the afternoon. I unfortunately had to plant the lilac in a container since we are renting the house, and I really would like to take it with us when we move. Do you have any suggestions as to what potting mix I should be using? I used Black Gold general purpose potting soil when I planted it. I recently received a very small Miss Kim lilac, and want to make sure I don't make the same mistake with this one. Thanks! |
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