Is this plant dying?
I planted it in April last year and it was doing well. It flowered that year and produced some berries. Earlier this year I put some decorative pebbles in the pot and recently I've been worried because it hasn't flowered and leaves have started to curl and fall off from the bottom up. I've removed the stones now as maybe they were blocking sufficient water getting to the soil?
by YouthfulDrake
2 Comments
Other people will know more than me, but often when you have a plant that starts to fail from the bottom up it’s actually root rot from too much water. I wonder did the pebbles keep water from evaporating and leave the soil constantly damp? And sometimes when a plant is looking sad our instinct is to give it more water, which worsens it if it’s root rot.
Myrtle is a tall shrub, eventually forms a good size tree. It’s frustrating to see plants like this sold to people as ideal container plants. They’re not. Garden centres don’t care, they make a sale and when they inevitably fail or die, you’ll have to come back for a replacement. It’s short term thinking and people will eventually get cheesed off.
So trees and shrubs and climbers are only happy in a pot for a year or two and only if you’re consistent with the watering, feeding and potting up rules. A day or two of drought will cause a plant to shed leaves. Plant it in the ground (decent soil, manure and post planting care) or prepare to say goodbye. It’s tough but true.