Hi All,
I purchased two gorgeous Slowmounds in June. I waited until the weather was less hot to plant them in a pretty shady spot with good drainage and good quality soil (lots of good worm activity). Over the past several weeks of hot weather, I have been distracted by family matters and neglected watering them. They are now brown and brittle underneath and in the centre of the plant (looks nice and green on top, though which explains why I didn’t notice the die-off right away). I gave them both a nice deep soak yesterday. I know that overwatering is just as dangerous as underwatering. Can you please advise what else I can do to save them or at least prevent further die-off? I presume it is too late in the season to fertlize them. Any advice will be appreciated. Cheers,
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners.
You’ve chosen very attractive evergreens for your garden. New plants need a lot of water to become established so keep watering thoroughly twice a week, especially when rainfall is inconsistent. Mulching around the plants would also help keep the plants more consistently moist.
The planting location is described as a “pretty shady spot” whereas the nurseries list the light requirements for Pinus Mugo ‘Slowmound’ as full to partial sun. Could you check how many hours of sunlight the evergreens are receiving as 4 hours of direct sunlight would be the minimum required.
You’re right, fertilizing again would occur in the spring.
Happy Gardening.