Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 02/10/2014 20:50, Simon T wrote:
OK, got another couple of questions for you. About 5 years ago I planted a couple of little bushes/shrubs in one of my borders. I forget what sort they were, but the first one, although it was a slow grower, seems to have not grown at all. Looks rather unhealthy and has dead bits on. I did pull back the gravel and put a bit of compost round the roots earlier this year, but hasn't done much good. Heres a pic of the first... http://tinyurl.com/l2syret The second bush/shrub does seem to have grown. But looks rather sparse and also has dead bits on it. http://tinyurl.com/mmtok8t I know its getting into autumn, but they don't look much better in the summer. Clearly they're not very happy, anything I can do to try and improve their look? Thanks in advance! A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 2014-10-03 09:40:36 +0000, stuart noble said:
On 02/10/2014 20:50, Simon T wrote: OK, got another couple of questions for you. About 5 years ago I planted a couple of little bushes/shrubs in one of my borders. I forget what sort they were, but the first one, although it was a slow grower, seems to have not grown at all. Looks rather unhealthy and has dead bits on. I did pull back the gravel and put a bit of compost round the roots earlier this year, but hasn't done much good. Heres a pic of the first... http://tinyurl.com/l2syret The second bush/shrub does seem to have grown. But looks rather sparse and also has dead bits on it. http://tinyurl.com/mmtok8t I know its getting into autumn, but they don't look much better in the summer. Clearly they're not very happy, anything I can do to try and improve their look? Thanks in advance! A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. There is always the danger that if the plants die within a month or two, the stall holder will no longer be at the market, either because he or she is a seasonal seller only, took a stall for just a week or two to sell off homegrown plants or excess stock, or because they no longer have stock so there is no stall and therefore no comeback. The answer to ALL plant buying is to use a trustworthy source, whichever it is, listen to friends' recommendations and ask for guidance on what will be best suited to your garden. But the best plant seller in the world cannot be held to account for customers who don't water their plants in one of the driest summers and autumns for a very long time. It's possible the soil there is starved and poor but that is difficult to judge as it's covered in gravel. The OP could get a soil testing kit and see what kind of soil he has, clear off the gravel and dig in some organic matter now before replacing the gravel. He needs to know which way that bed is facing, too, so that he knows how much sun or shade falls there. In this instance, cut off the dead bits and give the plant a good, long drink. Repeat every couple of days re watering if we don't get rain and even then, check that the fence isn't preventing rain getting to the shrubs if wind is driving the rain over the top of the fence. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. I'm sure the family run centres are as good as they ever were :-) Too many round here appear to be part of large groups. Shrubs that don't sell hang around till the following year and the price increased because they're that bit bigger. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 2014-10-03 15:54:00 +0000, stuart noble said:
A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. I'm sure the family run centres are as good as they ever were :-) Too many round here appear to be part of large groups. Shrubs that don't sell hang around till the following year and the price increased because they're that bit bigger. Our experience with a gc near us is that they chuck things out, especially once they stop flowering. Only the very largest and most expensive things are kept over. They never, ever re-pot or pot on, which is a tragic waste of money and is of course a hidden cost passed on to the buyer! Nurseries, by contrast, do pot on and a higher price reflects that in terms of time, pot, compost, general nurturing. I do wonder if the OP, being rather new to gardening, checked the root system of his shrubs, and dug a big enough hole to let the roots spread easily into their new home. It is just possible that, if he waits for the plant to go dormant and then digs it up very very carefully, he'll find the roots still need a bit of teasing out. As you say, if they were pot-bound they won't get off to a good start. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 04/10/2014 10:01, sacha wrote:
On 2014-10-03 15:54:00 +0000, stuart noble said: A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. I'm sure the family run centres are as good as they ever were :-) Too many round here appear to be part of large groups. Shrubs that don't sell hang around till the following year and the price increased because they're that bit bigger. Our experience with a gc near us is that they chuck things out, especially once they stop flowering. Only the very largest and most expensive things are kept over. They never, ever re-pot or pot on, which is a tragic waste of money and is of course a hidden cost passed on to the buyer! Nurseries, by contrast, do pot on and a higher price reflects that in terms of time, pot, compost, general nurturing. I do wonder if the OP, being rather new to gardening, checked the root system of his shrubs, and dug a big enough hole to let the roots spread easily into their new home. It is just possible that, if he waits for the plant to go dormant and then digs it up very very carefully, he'll find the roots still need a bit of teasing out. As you say, if they were pot-bound they won't get off to a good start. Teasing the roots isn't always easy IME. I've had shrubs where cutting slits in the root ball was the only option. My local GC has just emptied all unsold seed packets into a dustbin and marked them down to 50p. Now that they're all jumbled up, they won't sell any. I know because they do it every year! |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
"stuart noble" wrote
sacha wrote: stuart noble said: A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. I'm sure the family run centres are as good as they ever were :-) Too many round here appear to be part of large groups. Shrubs that don't sell hang around till the following year and the price increased because they're that bit bigger. Our experience with a gc near us is that they chuck things out, especially once they stop flowering. Only the very largest and most expensive things are kept over. They never, ever re-pot or pot on, which is a tragic waste of money and is of course a hidden cost passed on to the buyer! Nurseries, by contrast, do pot on and a higher price reflects that in terms of time, pot, compost, general nurturing. I do wonder if the OP, being rather new to gardening, checked the root system of his shrubs, and dug a big enough hole to let the roots spread easily into their new home. It is just possible that, if he waits for the plant to go dormant and then digs it up very very carefully, he'll find the roots still need a bit of teasing out. As you say, if they were pot-bound they won't get off to a good start. Teasing the roots isn't always easy IME. I've had shrubs where cutting slits in the root ball was the only option. My local GC has just emptied all unsold seed packets into a dustbin and marked them down to 50p. Now that they're all jumbled up, they won't sell any. I know because they do it every year! Yes Wyvales do that presumably to save space for their Christmas display. I have occasionally saved a lot on seeds I want and did this year, but they hadn't jumbled them up when I looked. -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 04/10/2014 10:54, Bob Hobden wrote:
"stuart noble" wrote sacha wrote: stuart noble said: A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. I'm sure the family run centres are as good as they ever were :-) Too many round here appear to be part of large groups. Shrubs that don't sell hang around till the following year and the price increased because they're that bit bigger. Our experience with a gc near us is that they chuck things out, especially once they stop flowering. Only the very largest and most expensive things are kept over. They never, ever re-pot or pot on, which is a tragic waste of money and is of course a hidden cost passed on to the buyer! Nurseries, by contrast, do pot on and a higher price reflects that in terms of time, pot, compost, general nurturing. I do wonder if the OP, being rather new to gardening, checked the root system of his shrubs, and dug a big enough hole to let the roots spread easily into their new home. It is just possible that, if he waits for the plant to go dormant and then digs it up very very carefully, he'll find the roots still need a bit of teasing out. As you say, if they were pot-bound they won't get off to a good start. Teasing the roots isn't always easy IME. I've had shrubs where cutting slits in the root ball was the only option. My local GC has just emptied all unsold seed packets into a dustbin and marked them down to 50p. Now that they're all jumbled up, they won't sell any. I know because they do it every year! Yes Wyvales do that presumably to save space for their Christmas display. I have occasionally saved a lot on seeds I want and did this year, but they hadn't jumbled them up when I looked. Ah yes, Wyevales who became part of GC Group but are now apparently taking them over! Crazy place. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 2014-10-04 09:24:34 +0000, stuart noble said:
On 04/10/2014 10:01, sacha wrote: On 2014-10-03 15:54:00 +0000, stuart noble said: A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I have learnt not to trust garden centres in this respect. You're better off buying from a market stall where the turnover is high. Most nurseries and garden centres have a very rapid turnover! There are certainly some good market stalls and bargains can be found but it is then a case of caveat emptor all too often. I'm sure the family run centres are as good as they ever were :-) Too many round here appear to be part of large groups. Shrubs that don't sell hang around till the following year and the price increased because they're that bit bigger. Our experience with a gc near us is that they chuck things out, especially once they stop flowering. Only the very largest and most expensive things are kept over. They never, ever re-pot or pot on, which is a tragic waste of money and is of course a hidden cost passed on to the buyer! Nurseries, by contrast, do pot on and a higher price reflects that in terms of time, pot, compost, general nurturing. I do wonder if the OP, being rather new to gardening, checked the root system of his shrubs, and dug a big enough hole to let the roots spread easily into their new home. It is just possible that, if he waits for the plant to go dormant and then digs it up very very carefully, he'll find the roots still need a bit of teasing out. As you say, if they were pot-bound they won't get off to a good start. Teasing the roots isn't always easy IME. I've had shrubs where cutting slits in the root ball was the only option. My local GC has just emptied all unsold seed packets into a dustbin and marked them down to 50p. Now that they're all jumbled up, they won't sell any. I know because they do it every year! Ray is opposed to teasing out roots in general, as he thinks people often do more harm than good. But sometimes, if you get something really compacted, it's necessary but only in the gentlest way and with no forcing. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
Tease them out gently under/with a gentle trickle/flow of water of the right
temperature, but don't soak them Mike .................................................. advert will follow Ray is opposed to teasing out roots in general, as he thinks people often do more harm than good. But sometimes, if you get something really compacted, it's necessary but only in the gentlest way and with no forcing. -- Sacha |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
Teasing the roots isn't always easy IME. I've had shrubs where cutting
slits in the root ball was the only option. My local GC has just emptied all unsold seed packets into a dustbin and marked them down to 50p. Now that they're all jumbled up, they won't sell any. I know because they do it every year! Ray is opposed to teasing out roots in general, as he thinks people often do more harm than good. But sometimes, if you get something really compacted, it's necessary but only in the gentlest way and with no forcing. I never tease out the roots, I use a sharp knife and slice down the length of the root ball on 3 sides. The new roots then grow away from the old clump. David @ a rain free side of Swansea Bay |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
stuart noble wrote:
A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I always soak new shrubs overnight, but as a complete amateur I usually worry that if I tease out the roots this is likely to do more harm than good. Any advice on the best way to do this? -- Timothy Murphy e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
On 04/10/2014 13:16, Timothy Murphy wrote:
stuart noble wrote: A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens. I always soak new shrubs overnight, but as a complete amateur I usually worry that if I tease out the roots this is likely to do more harm than good. Any advice on the best way to do this? There isn't one answer that suits all shrubs or trees. Most seem to benefit from having their roots teased out, but there are exceptions. When you get your new plant home, do some research (unless you've already asked at the gc/nursery): if your plant is one of those which resents root disturbance, then soak it as usual, but plant it with as little disturbance as possible. -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Shrubs half dead
|
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Spork - half fork half spade | United Kingdom | |||
Half Apricot and Half Plum grafted tree -- Growers in Southern California ?? | Gardening | |||
Half Apricot and Half Plum grafted tree -- Growers in Southern California ?? | Edible Gardening | |||
Half Apricot and Half Plum grafted tree -- Growers in Southern California ?? | Edible Gardening | |||
Trees and shrubs are half price..... | Gardening |