what's wrong with my rosemary?!

last year this plant was 3 times this size. But this summer I've had to systematically remove dead branch after dead branch until the plant is now this awful mis-shapen mess. The dead part in the photo was taken off after I took the photo. But I don't hold out much hope that the rest of it won't eventually succumb to whatever has attacked the rest of it. It only attacks a branch at a time though. I've checked the drip system and the plant is definitely getting water..same as last year. I haven't moved the plant either so it's got the same environment as last year too. But last year it THRIVED....and this year it's just slowly withering away. Oh, also, in case you were gonna ask, it's getting the same amount and frequency of fertilizer as last year too. I haven't been able to find any mold or critters on it either, so I'm pretty stumped. Any feedback would be great.

-Julie

edited to correct typos

This message was edited Sep 5, 2004 9:41 AM

here's a more close-up photo....

s_l . . .I've lost a few rosemarys through the years and it's always been the same thing...too much water. . . .makes you wonder though when you've watered the same this year as last...maybe the companion rosemary is shading the roots and not allowing it to dry out as much...more humid weather or rain this year?...could be a couple of reasons...but once they are established, they are definitely drought resistant and seem to grow in alot of yards her in zone 9 California with low water requirements and thrive in the 100+ summer weather. Have to admit..yours looks pretty bad...I had one that turned almost completely brown, I trimmed it back quite a bit and babied it and it came out of it...took it a long time, but it looks OK now...smaller, but it will get up to speed in a year or two. Janet

Thanks for the feedback Janet. I honestly have no idea why this is happening....as you'd think that the larger the plant grows, the more water it needs. Therefore if it's still getting the same quantity of water as last year, the plant as a whole is getting less (does that make sense?). What did you mean by 'the companion plant'? The rosemary you see in the photo is all one plant....just one half of it dead, the other half looking fantastic. Weird!

-Julie

I think the problem is that the older growth, or newer growth need to be seperated. Looks like the roots are strangling each other. In my climate they will go dormant for the cold winter months; however in your warmer climate they will continue to grow on and on, thus the root strangulation. Does this make any sense to you?

Yes it makes sense. The thing that makes me unsure if this is the case though is that the newer growth comes from a branch coming off the main stem....and all the dead growth is the same....branching off of the main stem. Sooooo they seem to me to share the same roots. Am I wrong to assume this? Totally confused.....

-Julie

It sounds like you have this classic common problem, Suckers. However, the sucker is killing off the parent plant. If you want to removed the sucker, I can't give you a yes or no answer; that's totally up to you. It's like seperating a 'siamese,' one or both may live or die. I'd choose to cut off the sucker, and try to 'root' it. But that's only my opinion. It's your call.


Garden Terms: Definition of suckers:
http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/890.html

Definition as written by Sugar_fl:

A secondary shoot produced from the base or roots of a woody plant that gives rise to a new plant

Definition as written by Terry:

Suckers from plants that have been grafted onto rootstock must be analyzed carefully to determine if the growth is coming from the area above or below the crown of the plant. Suckers originating from below the crown are unlikely to produce a desired plant and should be pruned out.

Thanks for this very informative response NatureWalker. From what you've written...and looking at my plant...that does sound like it could be the problem. I'll take your suggestion and try to separate them...if I can even see the place where I should separate them. I mean, sheesh, the plant I put in last year only cost the equivalent of about US$3.00! Not much of a loss if I have to replace the entire thing....just the loss of a year's growth .... no big deal in the long run :-). It's just good to have ideas of what caused this problem so if it happens again, I'll be a little better prepared to deal with it. Thanks again!

-Julie

You're very welcome Julie.
Take care, Robin

SL...I'm sorry, couldn't really tell from the pic...(not your fault, more likely my eyesight) the new growth looked like a different type of rosemary, which is prostrate. . .very possibly true if if there was a graft..the bottom plant coming out below the union...At any rate, you said you cut the top off, so it must look pretty good again. . . let us know what happens with it. Janet

LOL no problem Janet...I just thought I misunderstood you. :-) In any case, the part that is still there looks good...but the entire plant is just mis-shapen now. I think I might just go ahead and take the entire thing out and replace it as I can't see it recovering a nice shape at this point.

-Julie