looks over watered ... does that pot drain??

will it be going in mother earth soon???

the buds above the sprig look great ...

you do understand.. its still winter ...

it is most likely stressed for some reason .. it is most likely NOT HUNGRY .. we prefer not to fert stressed plants.. until we define the stress ...

was it indoors at any time.. was it recently moved to full sun???

i grow lilan in mother earth mineral sand ... and except for once at planting. i NEVER water them ... they are near indestructible ... from this i infer they like high drainage ... and to dry between waterings ...

yours is in a peat media which holds a lot of water by design .. and you water it every day ... perhaps this is where we should start in defining its problem ...

planting it out.. will probably solve the pot/media issues.. if any ...

ken

Thanks,

I do have a habit of over watering, especially since I am growing seedling at the moment. I am not used to the dry heat - I also water to compensate for the dry climate. I will cut back on the water I give it.

I thought that over watering lead to yellowing, wilt and shriveling that falls off easy.. these leafs don't fall at all in fact I have to pull off the dead dry damaged growth.. isn't wilting at all.. It doesn't have a problem producing buds and growing leafs just keeping them from a crispy brown death is the problem. Please help.

I understand it is winter.. This has been an on going issue with this lilac plant since I bought it last spring.

Currently I keep it indoors at night and outside in full sun during the day. This plant is probably confused haha. However, the problem at hand is the same as last season when I kept it outside in sun day and night.

I do plan to plant it in the ground. I was worried I'd lose the plant altogether so I wanted to wait until the plant was strong enough to tolerate high winds, dry heat, and the area best suited for it here was prepared. I live in a desert climate zone 8a and I am worried that I simply can't plant it in the ground and not water it. I used to live in Ohio where I had them in my yard and never watered them. How should I prepare my ground for a lilac?

Thanks rhizo_1, I was afraid of this. But I guess I saved from death by dumpster at Biglots.

What do I do to help it since I cannot change any of these facts? I don't want to keep it in a pot inside and my planned outside location will give it safety from direct summer sun. I only planted it in a pot temporarily to nurse it to a stronger size that might stand a better chance in this region, and also to help pick a best suited outside location. I don't see what the big deal is about having it in a pot, if i were to go buy one from Lowe's it would be a bigger plant in a smaller pot.

What about the crispy leafs? Is it in fact too much direct sun?

I've tried to do some digging to figure out what are its ideal temperatures. I didn't have much luck but I am certain its not this area.

Maybe if I plant the Persian Lilac that is more tolerate to this area near this lilac to help shield it from harsh environments? Guess if I lose, it I lose it, and it would have died anyway seeing as it was sold in an inappropriate region? By my hand or not. :-/

Any ideas to help me keep it alive and healthy? I want to give it my best shot I've kept it alive for one year so far.

I will cut back on the waterings allowing it to dry out in-between while it's in the peat media dirt and pot.

I was worried I'd lose the plant altogether so I wanted to wait

==>> that is fully within the definition of 'loving it to death'

first.. i put NO pot in full sun .. ever ... [we arent talking annuals/perennials here] .. with the caveat.. i still cant figure out where you are??? z8 WA is a bit different than z8 AL .. maybe i missed it

second.. its a deciduous plant ... it is supposed to shed its old leaves .. they turn yellow and fall off .. usually in fall for most of us ...

third ... a pot that is not in full sun.. and has a shrub in it ... does not need that much water ...

4th ... if rhiz is right .. and you dont have a micro climate to squeeze it out [you might if they sold it locally] ... then plant it out ... and lets see what happens .. if it dies.. it dies... you really have no alternative.. other than moving to a proper zone for it ...

5th .. its a near non-killable lilac [in its proper zone]... dig a hole about the size of the pot.. bare root it ... plant it in native soil ... and drench it in.. add some mulch ... and dont water again.. until you finger.. inserted 2 or 3 inches.. indicates it is drying down there ... if planted in full sun ... shade it for a week or two to let the roots get pumping... sometimes i just put a patio chair over small plants for such ... see link below

and favored location .. might be where it gets morning or evening sun ... but is shaded in the heat of the day ...

ken

planting

--UPDATE--

Lilac doing much better, I moved it to a bright shaded area with part sun. Water it less often and leave it outside over night. Looks much happier, however it's still in pot.

Looks good now, we'll see what summer has to say about that!