Hello, I am hoping someone can give me some advice about my poor plants!

My first problem is my Buxus. It's in a pot, shaped into a ball. This year it has hardly grown any new leaves at all, and now the tips of the previous season's growth are paling. (There were a couple of stems that died back last season, which I cut out, in horror that it was blight - but apart from that it seems fine). I gave it some slow release plant food a few weeks ago. I really hope it just needs a needs a certain nutrient?

My second problem is my pelargoniums. They are in a window box, and I have had them for about 5 years (they flower right through the winter, as I have a very sheltered garden). Until recently, the only 'care' I gave them was a very occasional waterering. Feeling I had been negligent, a month ago (when they were bushy and in bloom), I gave them plant food, fertiliser and twice-weekly watering. But within a fortnight, the leaves started turning yellow at the edges, and then went completely brown. I took all the yellow leaves off (which sadly was about three quarters of them) in case it was fungal, and sprayed Fungus Fighter. There doesn't seem to be anything distinctive on the yellow leaves themselves - I can't see mould, for example. They are still putting on new leaves (which are tiny?), but the remaining leaves are turning yellow now. I'm thinking perhaps they have root rot? Is there anything I can do?!

Many thanks in advance for any help!

How long has the box been in its pot?

As to the pelargoniums, it could be the result of all this cold wet and windy weather - or over-watering.

In article ,
says...

Hello, I am hoping someone can give me some advice about my poor
plants!

My first problem is my Buxus. It's in a pot, shaped into a ball. This
year it has hardly grown any new leaves at all, and now the tips of the
previous season's growth are paling. (There were a couple of stems
that died back last season, which I cut out, in horror that it was
blight - but apart from that it seems fine). I gave it some slow
release plant food a few weeks ago. I really hope it just needs a
needs a certain nutrient?

My second problem is my pelargoniums. They are in a window box, and I
have had them for about 5 years (they flower right through the winter,
as I have a very sheltered garden). Until recently, the only 'care' I
gave them was a very occasional waterering. Feeling I had been
negligent, a month ago (when they were bushy and in bloom), I gave them
plant food, fertiliser and twice-weekly watering. But within a
fortnight, the leaves started turning yellow at the edges, and then
went completely brown. I took all the yellow leaves off (which sadly
was about three quarters of them) in case it was fungal, and sprayed
Fungus Fighter. There doesn't seem to be anything distinctive on the
yellow leaves themselves - I can't see mould, for example. They are
still putting on new leaves (which are tiny?), but the remaining leaves
are turning yellow now. I'm thinking perhaps they have root rot? Is
there anything I can do?!

Many thanks in advance for any help!




--
ZoeM

5 years in a pot, I would be surprised if vine weevils have not found
their way in by now (and it would be worth treating the box as well) may
be too late to rescue the pelargoniums but you should really be repotting
more often than that
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 17/7/08 00:00, in article , "ZoeM"
wrote:

Hello, I am hoping someone can give me some advice about my poor
plants!

My first problem is my Buxus. It's in a pot, shaped into a ball. This
year it has hardly grown any new leaves at all, and now the tips of the
previous season's growth are paling. (There were a couple of stems
that died back last season, which I cut out, in horror that it was
blight - but apart from that it seems fine). I gave it some slow
release plant food a few weeks ago. I really hope it just needs a
needs a certain nutrient?

My second problem is my pelargoniums. They are in a window box, and I
have had them for about 5 years (they flower right through the winter,
as I have a very sheltered garden). Until recently, the only 'care' I
gave them was a very occasional waterering. Feeling I had been
negligent, a month ago (when they were bushy and in bloom), I gave them
plant food, fertiliser and twice-weekly watering. But within a
fortnight, the leaves started turning yellow at the edges, and then
went completely brown. I took all the yellow leaves off (which sadly
was about three quarters of them) in case it was fungal, and sprayed
Fungus Fighter. There doesn't seem to be anything distinctive on the
yellow leaves themselves - I can't see mould, for example. They are
still putting on new leaves (which are tiny?), but the remaining leaves
are turning yellow now. I'm thinking perhaps they have root rot? Is
there anything I can do?!

Many thanks in advance for any help!



Re-pot both into clean compost. Less watering for the Pelargoniums, I would
suggest. But the compost on both must be exhausted by now.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha writes


Re-pot both into clean compost. Less watering for the Pelargoniums, I would
suggest. But the compost on both must be exhausted by now.

The feeding should have counteracted that. My guess would be the
watering - pelargoniums are remarkably resistant to drought.

It's never a good idea to 'water twice a week' - watering should always
be according to the needs of the plant, more in good weather, less in
damp cloudy weather. Nothing wrong in having a fixed schedule for
examining the plant (saves forgetting about it and returning to find it
shrivelled) but looking at it doesn't mean you have to water it.


--
Kay

Thanks for your reply. I've only had the Box for a year.

I also have a couple of small box that I grew from cuttings - and one of them has pale leaf tips too. So I wondered if they needed some kind of special feed.


I did wonder whether I had over-watered the pelargonium. Should I just wait and see what happens with them?

Thanks!

The box may be suffering from needing repotting. They are fairly greedy feeders, and if the soil in the pot has not been changed, it may well be worn out.

The pelargoniums - yes - keep them a bit dry. They do after all originate in South Africa, so don't really like to be soggy. You could also try cutting one back hard to make it break into new growth.

On 17/7/08 11:24, in article , "K"
wrote:

Sacha writes


Re-pot both into clean compost. Less watering for the Pelargoniums, I would
suggest. But the compost on both must be exhausted by now.

The feeding should have counteracted that. My guess would be the
watering - pelargoniums are remarkably resistant to drought.

It's never a good idea to 'water twice a week' - watering should always
be according to the needs of the plant, more in good weather, less in
damp cloudy weather. Nothing wrong in having a fixed schedule for
examining the plant (saves forgetting about it and returning to find it
shrivelled) but looking at it doesn't mean you have to water it.


Feeding won't replace lost nutrients entirely. And over a period of time -
5 years! - they will be severely depleted, the compost compacted etc. I
agree entirely re the watering.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

I note that ZoeM first asked for advice regarding her Buxus and Pelargoniums
using Garden Banter, which Sacha kindly gave through uk.rec.gardening.
I seem to remember Sacha once advising urgers not to have anything to do
with the"opposition" who pinched urgers' postings. Am I right, or not?

Mike Derby

Many thanks everyone for your replies - I feel suitably chastised!

The odd thing is, that I have had 2 other box in pots for 7 years: I have never repotted them, never added any fresh compost, and I give them the odd seaweed/general plant food feed in the summer. And the pelargoniums have been very happy for the past 5 years, until I started giving them any attention!

On 18/7/08 03:00, in article , "ZoeM"
wrote:


Many thanks everyone for your replies - I feel suitably chastised!

The odd thing is, that I have had 2 other box in pots for 7 years: I
have never repotted them, never added any fresh compost, and I give
them the odd seaweed/general plant food feed in the summer. And the
pelargoniums have been very happy for the past 5 years, until I started
giving them any attention!


The attention may well have been the problem for them i.e. too much water,
especially in this rather chilly, damp summer. They're probably better at
dealing with neglect than the box are but we all experience one plant
thriving while 2 feet away an identical one appears to be struggling. Bit
like people, really!


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sometimes a sudden access of attention shocks them into a decline!