If it's not one thing, it's another. I had a 2 year brug, in the ground, that looked great, close to perfect, just starting to put on buds. Last night, just about all the leaves dropped off. This had to be something I've done, but what?? I also have some other brugs that have dropped a few leaves, one in bloom that dropped leaves but kept the blooms. I've had white flies, snails & slugs, that were just eating the plants alive. Over a period of time, I used alcohol & water, H202 & water, Avid, Seven dust, on the ground, Peter's 20-20-20, early on I may have used MG, but not on all plants and I used snail/slug killer and Epsom salt. The leaves on the 2 year plant look like they have been burned, maybe be the sun, which I doubt, but don't know. That plant is in a different garden, away from my other brugs. The smaller, newer plants' leaves turn yellow and drop. Yes, we have had unbelievable rain. Whatever this is, it seems like there are two different causes. And, some of the plants have deformed, funny looking leafs, and I've thought that was due to stress when they were potted. Do you see anything in this post that might give a clue as to what is going on here??? BTW, the good news is that all the plants seem to be thriving, despite being nude. Do you think I should cut back my 2 year plant or just let it be? And, another bit of good news is that I have 6 or 8, or so seedlings coming up, my first. Thanks in advance for any clues and suggestions. SherryLike
Dropping leaves
hope this help u http://www.rodsgarden.50megs.com/plantnutrients.htm
MVR...thank you for the link...I will read it when I have time too.
I just wanted to say to Sherry that I decided yesterday that I was probably over-watering my brugs. I read in monikas book, that wilting can be caused by the brug being in boggy soil....or too much water near the roots, which can be caused by having a small plant in a too large container....I think that is my trouble...yet before this, each time I saw a little wilted leaf, I gave it more water!
So much to learn!!! The good thing about losing leaves is that usually the roots are still good and they will produce new ones! Could it be too much fertilizer too?
u're welcome Margie. that is another aspect of growing plants, we need to read, read, read! the very reason why i do a lot of research, specially in my case, living in the desert. i need to know and learn how to treat the babies i grow, not only brugs.
Thanks, MaVie & Margie!!! If anything weird is going to happen, it will happen in Arky. Within minutes after I posted, my neighbor told me that a crop duster had dropped some 'chemical' in my yard and her yard and she saw the whole thing and reported it. Her hostas and hydrangeas have leaves burned just like my brug. Upon closer inspection, I found elephant ears and herbs next to my brug, which were also hit. As for my other brugs, it is no doubt they have been over watered, as have all my plants, this is one of the wettest springs we have ever had. I've only watered once the last two weeks, and very little. The odd leaves I have, I'm still convinced were caused by stress when I potted them. I am still having bug problems, one ate the fresh new leaves on my culebra, which I've been babying. I'm almost afraid to do anything. I really appreciate your help, I've just been sick about this but I am rather relieved that I didn't cause it and that the crop duster will no longer be flying his plane over town. SherryLike
If you let your brugs get too dry... and wilt... they'll drop leaves. It might take a few days but leaves will turn yellow and eventually fall off.
Thanks PoppySue!! With the rain we've had, these poor brugs have had way more water than they need. In fact all the plants have. I've been moving water drenched plants that cannot take it, to better locations. I have 6 new beds in this area and because I wasn't familiar with the sun/shade and many of the new plants I've gotten, it's really been difficult to get them all where they will thrive. But, Poppysue, I have had one brug that did drop leaves because, I think, of being too dry. It badly needs a bigger pot and if this storm blows over without rain, I hope to take care of that today...
Margie posted: I read in monikas book, that wilting can be caused by the brug being in boggy soil....or too much water near the roots, which can be caused by having a small plant in a too large container...
I thought about what you said, Margie, all day and I dreamed about it last night. And, I added in what Larry said - he's in my zone. And, I thought about what Kell said, that she liked her potting mixture heavy. And here's what I came up with - I don't think, in my zone, that small pots will work, without each having it's only watering system and that 3 waterings a day will be necessary, which is what a successful brug nursery in my general area does, with the brugs in larger pots. My next step is to try out what I think/hope might work for me, in my zone, and that is to double pot, thanks Larry, with a smaller pot inside (of course) and I'll use a heavier potting mix (thanks kell - which is what I've been doing since she mentioned it). I'm going to try this with a couple of brugs, before I take a giant step and do all of them and, of course, see how much I have to water this way and how the plant grows. I think the heavier potting soil holds the water better but the real test comes when it gets hot and dry. The brugs I've had trouble with, are the ones I've gotten locally and the soil is very light and the pots are small and the plants dry out quickly and wilt. The missing part of my plan is how much to feed, what to feed and how often to feed. I plan to see what Larry does...if there are any other zone 8a people reading, I'd love to hear what you do and don't do!! TIA!! SherryLike