Help! What's wrong with my lilac?

11 years ago

I bought this Albert F. Holden lilac bush this spring and put it in the ground immediately. I am in Colorado (zone 5b); the afternoon temperature is ~90-100F now. I water my lilac everyday with about half gallon of water. Fertilized with bone meal once. The plant is in full sun. I don't see too many bugs flying around it when I go watering it.

My questions are: 1) Look at its leaves! Is this caused by pests? If yes do I need to treat it? With what? 2) It hasn't grown much since planted. What can I do to make it grow stronger? I am not "in a hurry" for it to bloom or something, but I hear bushes that do not become strong enough during the year will not survive the winter in Colorado. I sure don't want that to happen.

Thanks a lot. Any suggestion is highly appreciated.

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Comments (7)

darthr2
Original Author
11 years ago
Photo with one leaf:

Photo of the whole plant:
Kimmsr
11 years ago
It can take a whole growing season for any plant to grow enough of a root system to start the top growth. Too much water can be as much of a problem as too little, but !/2 gallon of water every day might not be enough. How moist is the root ball? What type of soil is this Lilac planted in? Does the soil drain really well or is it water logged?
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Wow, it is puzzling. It doesn't look like an ower-watering issue to me, but since we're not coming up with any more likely possibilities, then it is something to consider. This late in the year, it has likely stopped growing, even in Florida temperatures. Pothos tolerates drying out pretty well, so let the top couple of inches dry between waterings. How long have they been in that soil? Did they grow well all summer? If so, they might be a bit pot bound now, which can cause some dry spots in the soil, or some roots to become so restricted that they aren't able to draw enough water. It isn't the best time of year to re-pot, especially if something else is causing the problem, but you should at least check this. Can you pull the entire plant out of the pot with the soil and rootball intact? If so, a photo would help us. Check the root ball and medium for dry or mushy spots, for discolored or necrotic roots, for root parasites, crowding, etc. A few, small disrupted places in the root ball where you dig in to check the condition won't hurt it, even this time of year, and if it's very pot-bound, you can plop the entire thing into a larger pot of soil until the spring when you can do a better job or repotting, detangling, root-trimming, and so on. What parts of the plant are affected the most? Were the oldest/lowest leaves on each stem affected first/worst/most, or is the damage worse on the younger, more tender leaves? Are there any parts of the plants that aren't affected? When was it last fertilized, with what, and how often? (Do not fertilize it now- that's the worst thing one can do to a sick plant if the illness isn't due to fertilizer nutrient deficiency.) It might just be lighting, but the plant in the upper photo appears to have an overall yellowish pallor. That would support Tiffany's hypothesis of too much water. Also, I see a yellow leaf near the base of a stem in the second photo near that little sprig of Acacia or whatever it is that's taken root there. Some yellowing is normal, but check through the lower leaves for more yellowing. Too much water or nitrogen deficiency both tend to affect older/lower leaves first. Evenly yellowing lower leaves is more indicative of too much water or poor drainage, while yellowing that begins at the leaf margins is more often nitrogen deficiency. Other things can cause yellowing though, and that curious staining appearance isn't typical of either issue, so don't fertilize at this point. More photos wouldn't hurt: Entire plant Root ball free from the pot Close-ups of the "stains"
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
your base problem.. is that you thought that a NEW TRANSPLANT.. would be vigorous and explode in growth ..

all i expect the first year.. is for it not to die ..

you water when it needs it.. and you find out by inserting your index finger.. or digging a small hole next the the part you planted.. and insuring that it is damp thru the whole root zone .. and then NOT watering again.. until it near dries.. NO GUESSING ...

i would NEVER feed nor amend the soil on a new transplant..
IMHO.. lilac NEVER needs fert ...

and you need a nice circle of mulch around it ...

and in 40 years of owning lilac.. i never used a chemical nor bug solution ever.. the leaf damage looks mechanical.. not chewing.. shipping damage?? hail??? dog.. kids???

lilac also needs full sun .. is yours in full sun???

you are on the verge of trying to love it to death ... water PROPERLY.. and step away from it ...

and forget about some special CO winter rules ... if properly watered.. and happy going into fall.. it should be bulletproof ...

water deep into fall.. but do not allow it to freeze its roots in a manmade ice cube ...

ken
darthr2
Original Author
11 years ago
kimmsr and Ken - Thank you very much for your ideas. I learned a lot.

My husband planted it while I was away. He told me he dig a big hole and planted it into gardening soil. The soil condition should be favorable given he used almost a whole bag of gardening soil.

It is in full sun.

I won't feed it again.

There was no leaf damage when I bought it. All my neighbors do own dogs (I don't) but they seem decent enough to keep their dogs from biting other people's plants...

I now think it was hail.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
on looking again.. it looks like cutter bees may have gone after the edges ...

if it is.. its not something i go after ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
Darth...never fertilizing your shrubs is not the advice you'll get from most sources. The need to provide fertilizer depends upon the existing soil...in the present and the past. I see that you are not using a traditional bark/pinestraw/wood chip mulch. Are you applying compost on a regular basis? If not, I'd bet that your plants would benefit from conservative applications of a low nitrogen fert. Stop any fertilization by late summer...you want your plant to be hardened off before winter.

The one thing I worry about, though, is the use of planting soil when installing this plant. Plants do much better when planted directly into the native soil, no matter what the condition.

Yep, looks like leafcutter bees have been at work. That and some miscellaneous physical damage. Your lilac can recover from both.
darthr2
Original Author
11 years ago
Ken and rhizo - Thanks a bunch. I Googled leafcutter bees. Seems they don't do real damage to plants.

I will stop worrying, keep watering regularly, and put mulch around the plant.

Help! What's wrong with my lilac?

Comments (7)

darthr2
Original Author

Kimmsr

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Help! What's wrong with my lilac?

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