Wilting help needed

Author

Comment

don_sanders

Registered:1429304713
Posts: 219

Posted 1432077170	Reply with quote #1

Why is my tree wilting? Ever since I've propagated it from a cutting the leaves and stems have always been firm and would stick straight out. I don't know what variety it is. It's been outside for about 3 weeks and has been potted in a 5 gallon sip for about 2 weeks. New growth started since it's been in the sip. It has been sunny but cold today with a high of about 65 and a low last night in the 40s. It's hard to see in the pic but the leaves and stems toward the top are wilting with some leaves turned over. Thoughts? Thanks for any info. Attached Images 20150519_185627-1~2.jpg (674.36 KB, 78 views) __________________ Don - Columbus, OH. Zone 5b/6a Wish list: Rafed/Adriano's Genovese Nero, Your favorite fig.

dkirtexas

Registered:1341345900
Posts: 1,330

Posted 1432084445 · Edited	Reply with quote #2

Does not look like wilting, kind of curling. I would maybe do a little leaf pruning (removal) but nothing drastic. I do not know anything about the SIP so I can't help there but it may be a mineral deficiency. I always try a little Epsom Salt for anything related to the leaves. I don't think it is too bad, be patient, but watch carefully. Good luck, __________________ Thx, glad to be here Danny K "EL CAZADOR DE HIGO" Waskom Tx Zone 7B/8 Wish list: anything anyone wants me to have. LSU RED. Any LSU fig.

philos

Registered:1349018083
Posts: 122

Posted 1432091385	Reply with quote #3

Yeah, hard to see in there but How is the soil? is it very wet? does the bucket have good draining in the bottom? I have seen similar leaf behavior with some of excess moisture? That may be a cause. Or not! good luck! Jerry __________________ Jerry - Zone 6B Westchester, New York. 2015 Wish List: Florea, White Greek, Italian 258, Galicia Negra and any M. Pons varieties.

don_sanders

Registered:1429304713
Posts: 219

Posted 1432094902 · Edited	Reply with quote #4

There is a quarter inch hole about every inch. I would guess about close to 100 on the bottom. 40% compost, 40% peat, 20% perlite. About a cup of organic fertilizer and lime. I did pull it out of the bottom sip bucket and just into another bucket to let it drain around 4 hours ago. It is seeming a little stiffer than it was earlier but I can't imagine the moisture level in the medium changing much in that time. The new growth is returning back to the more rigid state it was in before. It seemed like it happened while I was at work today and seems to be getting better now at night. I have one other tree that seem to be experiencing the same behaviour but several others with the same medium and water levels that aren't. Does excessive sunlight cause wilting and curling sometimes? Could that have been it? Or maybe humidity changes? It had been rainy and wet for a few days and dry today. __________________ Don - Columbus, OH. Zone 5b/6a Wish list: Rafed/Adriano's Genovese Nero, Your favorite fig.

jdsfrance

Registered:1376988473
Posts: 2,591

Posted 1432114639	Reply with quote #5

Hi don_sanders, I wouldn't touch the leaves, just let them recover . If the colors are true, this is a cold bite . - old leaves don't seem affected and young tender leaves are hit harder by cold . It could be a problem with too much water or too much fertilizer though . Do you have standing water in the reservoir ? If so I would remove the water completely and touch the dirt to allow it to dry out before giving water again. It could be a wicking problem with your sip . Too much water at the bottom and no water at the top . Keep babying them . __________________ ------------------------ Climate from -25°C to + 35°C Only cold hardy figtrees can make it here

don_sanders

Registered:1429304713
Posts: 219

Posted 1432131354	Reply with quote #6

The leaves seem and stems seem to be pretty much back to normal. Not exactly sure what was going on. I had pulled them out of the water reservoir and they seemed to start perking up within a couple hours. Seems kind of fast to me though. That was also when the sun was going down. I was mistaken about the temps two nights ago. Only down to 57 F. Low of 42 F last night. This tree was propagated from cutting in November and has been growing inside up until a few weeks ago. I think the color seems pretty true but the lighter green seems to be from the new growth that started about a month or so ago. The darker green seems to be from the original growth flush. I'll keep an eye on them and let them dry out some more before adding them back to the reservoir. The top is most but I'm honestly not sure how to go about checking how most the bottom is without unpotting or digging down. The holes in the bottom are covered with landscape fabric in an attempt to help prevent weeds from growing through the holes. Thanks. __________________ Don - Columbus, OH. Zone 5b/6a Wish list: Rafed/Adriano's Genovese Nero, Your favorite fig.

don_sanders

Registered:1429304713
Posts: 219

Posted 1432170097	Reply with quote #7

Seems they are wilting during the day and perking up at night again. It can't be the heat because it's only gotten into the 60's today. Not sure what's going on. I still have them out of the water drying them up some. __________________ Don - Columbus, OH. Zone 5b/6a Wish list: Rafed/Adriano's Genovese Nero, Your favorite fig.

don_sanders

Registered:1429304713
Posts: 219

Posted 1433304801 · Edited	Reply with quote #8

I've come to the conclusion that the sip is just not wicking enough moisture to the top of the bucket for the plants. Top watering for now as a workaround about once a week. Not sure if I have to much perlite in the mix or just a bad mix in general. I would have thought 40% peat / 40% compost / 20% perlite would wick pretty well. Perhaps my home rotted compost wasn't finished enough? __________________ Don - Columbus, OH. Zone 5b/6a Wish list: Rafed/Adriano's Genovese Nero, Your favorite fig.

pitangadiego

Moderator
Registered:1188871011
Posts: 5,447

Posted 1433306341	Reply with quote #9

Tender new growth is very sensitive to heat (direct sun) and lack of humidity. Sometimes they will "wilt" in the hottest part of the day, and be fine when it cools off. Repotting is often a stress, as well. You do have to water a plant according to the rootball size, not just the pot size. If you are relying on wicking from the bottom and the rootball is at the top only, you ay have to top water for a while till the roots fill up the pot and the wicking can fully wet the potting mix. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com http://figs4fun.com http://webebananas.com "pitangadiego" everywhere

Rob

Registered:1320245426
Posts: 550

Posted 1433338058	Reply with quote #10

So excluding the perlite, which is essentially inert, it's half compost and half peat. Peat has a very low pH so maybe the pH is too low (acidic). Can you do a pH test? Just an idea. Any time I use peat in a mix for fig trees, I throw in some agricultural lime to raise the pH. __________________ Rob Maryland Zone 7 http://rbfigs.webs.com/

don_sanders

Registered:1429304713
Posts: 219

Posted 1433343580	Reply with quote #11

If my handy dandy ph meter is right. It's right around 7. I did through in about a cup each of Espoma Garden Lime and organic fertilizer per 5 gallons. I'm still watching them but I'm leaning more towards jdsfrance's and pitangadiego's thoughts about not enough water making it to the top. Hopefully, the roots will soon fill the buckets and resolve the issue :D Thanks! __________________ Don - Columbus, OH. Zone 5b/6a Wish list: Rafed/Adriano's Genovese Nero, Your favorite fig.

Previous Topic | Next Topic