No matter what I do, all my plants always end up dying - what gives?

6 years ago

This has been a 10 year struggle where I can’t seem to keep anything alive and I have no idea why. These guys were all brought home from the nursery and planted on my west facing balcony. Organic potting soil from
Costco and a window box planter with coconut fiber.

It doesn’t seem to matter, everything manages to die. The oregano and thyme turn brown (photo is after 2 weeks), the basil wilts and shrivels (photo was after having it only 3 days) and the Cilantro just gave up the will to live and collapsed. Why is this happening? Everyone says that herbs are hard to kill and hardy, but in my experience they can’t survive me. Never mind the drooping chives and parsley- nothing seems to be safe. What am I doing wrong here!?

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Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
first. ... it usually matters .. where are you ...

second ... that media is bone dry .. and i suspect its the coor system ... i bet if you were dealing with plastic pots ... and as a newbie.. you might have better luck ...

in other words.. you are complicating your life with what i consider a hard way to do it.. and i have decades of experience ...

water more ... try to keep it damp ... and also try either a plastic pot ... or do pot-in-pot.. and plant the pot it came in.. in your coir dealie ...

i also wonder about wind on a balconey .... talk to us about that ..

my gut just tells me.. something is making water evaporate.. faster than you can resupply it ...

see if you can glean anything from this link: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=coir+coconut+fibre+problems+using&t=ffcm&ia=web

ken

ps: yes.. i know.. you can buy fully established plants in this type of container .. but they were started and grown in greenhouses.. and your balcony is not one .... hence.. your struggles ... imo .. fwiw ...
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
6 years ago
Everything does look bone dry. Is that a possible problem?
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Oops--did you let the fine roots themselves dry out? If so, they're almost certainly dead. What you want to lose the excess water in the soil, which will leave moist, not wet, soil that will provide oxygen from air between the soil particles to keep the finest roots aliive. Dead roots can't take up water for the leaves, which is why an overwatered plant generally looks just like an underwatered plant. Still, that little cluster of healthy leaves tells me that there are enough roots to allow the plant to recover--eventually. It will take some time for that to happen, and the water retentive soil will make it a challenbe to provide them with air and moisture, but if you're careful the fine roots will grow back enough to support healthy new growth aboveground. Of course the alternative is to get a new healthy plant and use what you've learned to keep it that way. No judgment; you'll have to decide for yourself whether to keep working on this one or give yourself a fresh start.
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no matter how hard I try, every plant always dies. What gives?
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This has been a 10 year struggle where I can’t seem to keep anything alive and I have no idea why. These guys were all brought home from the nursery and planted on my west facing balcony. Organic potting soil from Costco and a window box planter with coconut fiber. It doesn’t seem to matter, everything manages to die. The oregano and thyme turn brown (photo is after 2 weeks), the basil wilts and shrivels (photo was after having it only 3 days) and the Cilantro just gave up the will to live and collapsed. Why is this happening? Everyone says that herbs are hard to kill and hardy, but in my experience they can’t survive me. Never mind the drooping chives and parsley- nothing seems to be safe. What am I doing wrong here!?
...See More
Victoria D
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks both- but the soil isn’t dry- I test it and put my finger in and it’s moist. I don’t soak it but it doesn’t go dry between watering. The nursery told me herbs were easy and they preferred dryer soil so I water once a week but even so, they turn brown even when the soil isn’t totally dried out.

I used Costco organic potting soil

I live in Vancouver, BC.

Balcony has some wind but I am on 2nd floor. West facing.
sonni1
6 years ago
I have tried those hanging baskets with floral arrangements before. They were very pretty, but I got really tired of watering them - it got to the point they needed water twice a day. I can't imagine that once a week watering is keeping that soil moist. I recommend you get pots with drainage holes. Even in pots, once a week watering may not be enough, depending on temperature, sunlight and humidity. Water the soil, not the leaves - especially the basil.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Were the plants fully hardened off before planting outdoors?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The nursery told me herbs were easy and they preferred dryer soil so I water once a week but even so,

==>>> a newly transplanted plant .. of any kind.. needs enough water .. to settle in.. and get its roots pumping again ... before they will have any kind of drought tolerance ...

and.. these are NOT plants the favor lack of water ...

and your coir system does favor excessive drying ...

if you were growing them indoors.. in a sunny window.. i might also tell you to make sure you dont overwater ...

but out in the wind .. in that configuration ... i say .. water more ..

i only had one plant over the years in coir ... and it seems to me.. i watered it once or twice a day ... until the water ran out the bottom ... and it still usually ended up drying to the detriment of the plant ... in other words ... what sonni said ...

ken

ps: what im thinking ... with no pot walls .. the wind is running thru the media ... and drying it from the sides and bottom ... thereby increasing drying ... as compared to a plastic pot with sides and a bottom ...
Victoria D
Original Author
6 years ago
How can you tell if they are hardened off? I bought them at the nursery and the person there said to plant straight away (I asked if I had to keep indoors and move slowly outdoors to prevent shock) and she said they would be fine. Some others I bought at Home Depot, same problem.
Victoria D
Original Author
6 years ago
But if the soil doesn’t feel dry, how does that work? I put my finger in, the soil is moist, so I don’t water.
sonni1
6 years ago
Victoria, I can't explain why your soil in those baskets feels moist, especially since in the photos it looks pretty dry. Imagine, though, that you water the soil. There is no barrier to keep the water in the "pot". It drains right out. Soil will hold some water, but soil isn't exactly a sponge. Now you have soil that has some water clinging to it and the roots of the plant. Those roots now spend a week with air flow from all sides. Unless the air is saturated with humidity, it's going to pull moisture from that soil. The coconut fibers lining that wire cage do not inhibit this air flow much at all. Also a west exposure - are they getting a lot of sun? That will also increase the water needs of a plant. I admire your tenacity. Maybe try one herb in a pot (with drainage holes) and see if you have better luck?
Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
6 years ago
I agree it looks like a dryness issue. But for something like basil it is still way too cold in Vancouver. It’s barely been above 9 degrees c (50f). This week is warming up so should improve. Basil needs heat. I don’t put mine out until mid May or later.
Victoria D
Original Author
6 years ago
I have parsley and basil indoors as well that I have had since December. They’re alive but I wouldn’t say by much. They look like they’re clinging to life at best.

No matter what I do, all my plants always end up dying - what gives?

Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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No matter what I do, all my plants always end up dying - what gives?

Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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