Q: Why does my plant look sick?
A:ย Two things jump out at me right away.ย First, this plant is too close to the building.ย You can see that the leaves don't have enough room to grow to their mature size. Likely this is a problem for the roots as well. The ideal thing to do would be to move this plant to a more suitable location before the summer heat begins. Secondly, the leaves are showing signs of drought and salt damage. The brown tips are your first clue. Salt builds up in the root zone over time because our soils and water are high in salinity and most fertilizers are as well. The solution for this part is to give the plant extra water every few months to wash the salt out of the root zone. Put the plant on a regular irrigation schedule of deep watering every 10 to 14 days in the summer, every 21 to 28 days in the spring and fall, and none in the winter unless we get no rain. Make sure the watering goes 12 to 18 inches deep in the soil.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. ย Questions may be emailed toย tucsongardensage@gmail.com
