Can I cut back foliage that is not doing well without hurting the plants?
Question:Due to the drought in our region I have some Astible's that really seem to be suffering despite ( ok pretty infrequent ) watering. I really would like to just cut this sparse and wilted foliage down to the ground and mulch well (that needs to be done too, I have been waiting for rain) around the newly trimmed plants. This is the 1st year for these astibles- I planted them last fall from bare root stock. Any suggestions on how to make these plants happy?
Answers:
I have planted a couple of astibles myself and am not having very much luck. Out of 3 that I planted last year, only one is coming up. To my understanding of these plants, they do best at waters edge, which is telling me they need lots of water if not able to be standing their feet in the water. So I have been watering the heck out of the one that is alive. It gets a bucket full of rain water every other day.
one idea on how to make the plants happy is to dig them up and give them to someone with enough responsibility to water the poor things, I mean comon, if your not enough of a adult to take responsibility for the things you take into your care you shouldn't be taking care of anything
yes. you can. in fact it may help the plant recover.
to make them more happy, make that infrequent watering a little more regular. Perhaps even a liquid fertilizer feeding would be good.
When you trim off badly wilted or dying parts from a plant, you're actually doing the plant a favor. It's highly unlikely the damaged parts of the plant will recover but they'll still sap a certain amount of energy and food from the healthy part of the plant in an attempt to do so.
Wait until the fall to cut them down to the ground and mulch. For right now you can trim the yellow or dead foilage off.
You will have much healthier plants next year if you start watering and fertilizing them, TODAY.
If you don't have time to water or take care of plants, I may suggest a pretty rock garden with a sculpture or some other pretty outdoor ornaments.
Or you can always set up a drip system on a timer, then you won't have to worry about being a space cadet about watering and caring for them.
More Related Questions & Answers...