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HELP - Miss Kim Lilac is dying...

17 years ago

I received a Miss Kim lilac shrub for a gift & since transplanting it from the pot to my yard, it is dying. The leaves are all turning brown & I'm not sure what to do. I water it 1-2 times a day, it's in pretty much full sun. I've used a miracl-gro type plant food all to no avail... Does anyone know if there is anything I can do to save this bush..?? It's really special to me & I don't want to lose it...

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
sounds like you are drowning it.. and killing it with too much love ...

is the soil draining away excess water ...??

never fert a new transplant ...

and never plant in august .... if you did ... it should have been left in the pot ... in the shade until early fall .. when there are cooler nights ....

i guess i would dig it up.. pot it in soiless mix WITHOUT FERT .... and make sure it dries between waterings.. including rain ... i would keep it in a lot of shade to give it a chance to recover ...

and i would presume that it is lost... and be elated if it pulled through .... not really what you wanted to hear.. sorry ...

good luck

ken
jodijode
Original Author
17 years ago
I actually planted it back in June. The tag said to plant in full sun in moist but well-drained soil so that's what I did... If I leave it go a few days without watering it, it gets worse... Guess I'll try moving it to another location.
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My neighbor has a lilac that is as tall as her house. It is not a Miss Kim. I think she said it is English Lilac. She does nothing with her plants except plant them no food no water and still they grow.. Her lilac is located near her foundation on the east side, and is shaded most of the time because of her other big trees. Ahhh I just have a gray thumb verses this lilac. I have a Persian Lilac that is 10 ft tall but it does not have the lovely lilac scent. The alkaline soil might be it. There is a HUGE Oak that drops it's leaves all around the area where the Miss Kim is growing. The tree and it's roots are not near the Miss Kim but in Fall the leaves get on it. Someone told me that Oak Leaves are acid. Oh NO, plus I put pine straw on it for mulch last year. I get it for free from one of my neighbors. Pine Straw is acid too, I think. I will change the mulch and try putting some bone meal on it. Bone meal helps to remove/reduce acid right?? I recently learned how to root plants from clippings and have been successful with Gardenia and Confederate Rose. So I might get a clipping of my neighbors Lilac and try that. I have to have a scented Lilac in my yard. My Mother is deceased, she LOVED lilac. The lilac reminds me of her.
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Since no one has responded, I'll take a swing at it. I would guess that your lilacs, like many other things, did not bloom because of the drought we had last winter. That drought affected many plants. My hydrangeas, for instance, did not bloom this year. I did not water them over the winter like I probably should have, and consequently, the bloom was killed. I doubt the lime had anything to do with it. What little water was available in the soil was probably utilized by the trees. I do know that lilacs like a lot of water. Hopefully, this winter won't be as dry as last, and you'll have blooms next spring. Susan
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Embothrium
17 years ago
A transplant may or may not need fertilizing depending on the nutrient content of the soil at planting. No advantage or reason to automatically withhold fertilizer because the plant was recently planted. If it comes from the nursery with still-active granular or pelleted fertilizer on the top of the potting soil/rootball or mixed into the potting soil and the full dose makes it into the planting hole with it, then it is safe to assume it will be good for some months afterward. Otherwise, it may need to be fertilized soon, especially if it has been sitting around for awhile in a retail outlet without being fertilized. Many places here display alot of stock that has poor color--especially in summer or fall, after it has been watered for months without being fertilized.

If your lilac looked good until recent hot weather, keeps wilting and then perks back up when watered then it is drying out. It may have a problem with coarse soilless potting mix on original rootball not retaining water, try leaving the end of the hose trickling near the stems to get that potting mixture re-wetted each time. If kept going until fall your shrub should root out into the surrounding soil this fall and become independent of the original material.

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