I bought a Texas Sage (San Antonio Rose variety) from Home Depot about a month ago, and it’s been slowly declining ever since I put it in the ground. Leaves are drooping, turning brown. I’m surprised because I thought this plant was supposed to be hardy af. Granted, it is summer in Texas, which is not the best time to plant things. At first I thought the heat/dry spell were too much for it, so I gave it some water (on average, I’m watering it once a week until established). I figured, it’s slightly above grade so it shouldn’t stay wet very long. I did add a little mulch so the sun doesn’t sap it dry before the roots can drink. But then today I noticed that the topsoil around it REALLY holds moisture, like still moist two days after watering. So I replaced some of the topsoil near the roots with a succulent soil mix, hoping that will drain better. I put some rocks on the soil instead of organic mulch.
Why is my Texas sage dying and am I making it worse? How do I fix this?
by Buscards_Murrain
4 Comments
Start by getting rid of those rocks and lay down a 1-2 inch thick layer of mulch (you can buy this at HEB). Water it every other day for the next week or so and start spacing out until the cooler months.
Water and mulch. Sage is hardy. It’ll come back.
Ya, it needed more or less daily watering when you first planted it to help get it established. Almost any new plants need more water (especially when this hot and dry) regardless of their eventual water requirements. Give it some long deep waterings, leave a slow drip hose on it for a while.
You planted it with half the root ball above ground then covered it with rocks…. maybe dig a deeper hole and cover the roots with soil.