Plumbago dieback

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malagamike malaga, Spain Sep 07, 2009

I have many plumbagos here in S. Spain many self-seeded. the problem is many suddenly die back with very little warning. this happens to individual plants within a group of otherwise healthy specimens; cutting back even if spotted early makes no difference, the plant never comes back. I have them in various differing locations: full sun, partial shade, and full shade. They all have the same watering regime, a late evening soak every three days during the summer. My garden is south facing at about 550 metres altitude, the summers are exremely hot. What am I doing wrong?All suggestions welcome.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Sep 07, 2009

Do you have some that are showing symptoms that you could post pictures of (or at least describe the symptoms you're seeing before the plants die)? And have you noticed any difference in terms of where they are and how many problems you have (are the ones in the sun more likely to have trouble, or the ones in the shade, etc)? One thing you might try is to switch to morning watering instead of evening--if the problem is a fungal one then those can sometimes be made worse by evening watering since the plant's leaves will stay wet for a longer time. You might also check and make sure that your watering frequency is appropriate--just before the next time you would plan on watering, stick your finger down a few inches into the soil and see how it feels--if the soil is still feeling pretty damp then I'd back off a bit on the watering and see if that helps.

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Sep 08, 2009

I agree this is very puzzling...the plumbago is one of the most disease and pest free plants going. Have you looked at the root system of the dying plants? It is possible you have something living in the soil that is attacking the roots and killing them off or eating them?

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