I am trying to figure out what is happening to my Frydek. I purchased a beautiful, full Frydek in early May. It is planted in the ground and receives filtered light. (I am in zone 9A in the Houston area.) It was doing great until about 1 week ago. It is now drooping, the leaves are turning yellow and it looks terrible. The water meter shows "very wet", but we have had a LOT of rain this summer (nothing extreme in the last week). I did spread in some epsom salts the first of the month, but I have done that each month since I planted it. Any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated.
Frydek
I would guess that all the rain that you have had over the summer has finally taken its toll on the root system, and that the roots have gone too long without oxygen and are now rotting. If you really want to save it, i would dig it up, rinse the roots with hydrogen perioxide and replant in a really well draining medium in a pot-or back in the ground if -a. it is hardy there in the winter? and b.-you think the rains have stopped for the season?
tigerlily, thank you for your help. Do I rinse the roots in pure hydrogen perioxide, or a mix of HP and water? If a mix, what is the mixture?
The Frydek should be hardy with some cover (and it is definitely root hardy). I don't know about the rains; this is the wettest summer I have ever seen.
If the roots are as possibly rotted/rotting as I think, then I would use straight hydrogen peroixide on the roots. The stuff that you buy at the grocery store is not that concentrated, and I know someone that did the same thing on the roots of an ee and they were fine, and the plant did a recovery.
I don't know what do say about replanting it, except to say that the roots need a drier medium if they are going to grow. It may be that you keep it out of the ground over the winter and in a container and then try replanting it in the ground next spring. Frydeks usually handle it as a houseplant fine. I do think that the chances of it living in the ground over the winter with damaged roots are not as good as if the plant had healthy, well established roots.
tigerlily, thanks again!
eickenho where about in Sugar Land do you live? My oldest son and my grand daughter lives in Sugar Land. They aren't to far off of Hiway 59S at Crabb River Road.
We're in First Colony (which your son will recognize), about 2 exits closer that your son.
Isn't First Colony located at Hiway 6?
Part of it is. We're between the Hwy 6 and Sweetwater Blvd. exits - off of Sweetwater Blvd.
Okay I know where you are located. At lease the vicinity.