Is this viburnum doing okay, or am I missing something?

Nessdizzle Formally 6a, now 9b Central Florida

8 years ago

I planted this, this spring..I planted it along with a few other shrubs and can't for the life of me remember where I put the plant ID tags? So I can't remember the name of the viburnum to be able to google to see if this is all normal? It's looked like this pretty much all season...lots of reddish golden leaves..but when I google viburnum w those type of leave I don't get many answer...so of course I figured I'd come to the place that give me better answers than google, right here in Garden Web !! Hahaha

Featured Answer

Embothrium

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I wasn't talking about the color - which probably indicates a need for fertilization* - as much as the firmness of the leaves. Dig around in the original soil ball or mass and look at it before you decide the plant is getting enough moisture.

Moderate, but FREQUENT watering is needed for a period from 3 to 6 weeks for plants
grown with good nutrition and in RootMaker® containers with air-root-pruning to extend fibrous
roots into the surrounding soil far enough to be ‘established’. By contrast, it may require 12 to
24 weeks or longer for plants grown in conventional plastic containers to reach a similar level of
establishment.
WHY? Because once a soilless mix is removed from a container it goes from holding adequate to
excessive water in the container, abruptly, to holding very little water. Water is pulled away from
the container growth medium and into the surrounding soil very rapidly due to the greater
capillary attraction of the small pores in the soil compared to the large pores in the container
growth medium.

For the full discussion - based on 50 years of research - see Establishment of Container Grown Plants in the right hand column on this page:

https://rootmaker.com/knowledge-center

*My experience is that Viburnum tomentosum needs soil fertility levels to be kept up or it discolors like this, will actually soon dwindle away if the situation is not corrected

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Embothrium
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Needs to be watered. Also grass should be pulled back and soil around shrub mulched, this will help with water retention as the mulch will interfere with the sun baking the moisture out of the soil. Grass free area should be at least as big as top of shrub is wide at this time.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
looks like mine.. after 3 six week droughts this year ...

in tree or shrub time.. you cant rule out that it is and was stressed by planting ... so that might be part of why you think that its a bit ugly.. early.. going into dormancy in october ..

the first hard frost or freeze.. ought to clean all that up.. lol ...

it never hurts to give everything a good deep drink ... before you put the hoses away .. so they dont go into winter dry .. but it surely isnt going to resurrect those leaves ... its more of a root thing ...

ken
Related Professionals
Pine Bluff Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Sebring Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Cumberland Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Florence Landscape Contractors · Lafayette Landscape Contractors · Lewiston Landscape Contractors · Florence Home Builders · Cape Girardeau Home Builders · Hannibal Home Builders · Raleigh Home Builders · Charlottesville Home Builders · Fall River Home Builders · Lansing Home Builders · Salt Lake City Home Builders · Toronto Home Builders
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
let me rephrase what i meant to say ...

mine look very stressed from my droughts ... yours looks a BIT stressed ..

i did not mean your went thru the droughts like mine .. though if it was lacking some water.. maybe it did ...

i just meant it was a tough year.. and its fall ... and some things go to sleep early.. for a multitude of reasons ...

ken
Nessdizzle Formally 6a, now 9b Central Florida
Original Author
8 years ago
Yeah I was gonna say, it really wasn’t drought/lack of watering although it looks that way..all my shrubs and trees etc look pretty good...it’s just this one never really bounced back after planting? I thought maybe the foliage was just this color? Idk how to explain it..but it’s just always looked like it was dying of thirst...I did have a bunch of grass pulled out with full intentions on mulching all damn summer! Lol! But my days get busy and I never rem to order the mulch until it’s too late in the day hahaha...I did manage to grab a bunch of bags though when I came from Lowe’s..so hopefully I can get around to that this weekend.
Nessdizzle Formally 6a, now 9b Central Florida
Original Author
8 years ago
So would it be wise to fertilize now so late in the year? What should I use? I usually do the Alaska fish fertilizer to my roses and such...should I use that for it? Something stronger, weaker?
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
8 years ago
I have 9 of these..various ages and sizes..they droop faster than just about anything in my yard..we're way behind in rainfall and I've been watering ALL of these for weeks..even the oldest ones..my experience has been that they need a lot of water..a pic of my newest one(planted fall 2016)taken last spring..to me yours needs water..were the leaves on yours green when you got it?..
Nessdizzle Formally 6a, now 9b Central Florida
Original Author
8 years ago
You know I don’t really remember if they were or not...I know they had reddish orange to start..but it was mixed in with the green...I just assumed it needed to be in the ground and then it would rebound. This pic WAS taken after a random heat wave of 90+ degrees for about 4 days straight so it might have been a bit more thirsty and stressed...but trust me I water them all in really well..I have a Prague Viburnum about 8’ from this and it’s looking amazing along with all my other plantings in this area...so I more was curious if anyone has seen viburnum that had this color foliage and what type of viburnum do you think it is by looking at the leaves...or are there NO viburnum that has this type of foliage, and if that’s the case, what would be causing it to look like this.
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
check viburnum plicatum..some of mine have larger leaves like yours..5 of mine were labeled summer snowflake..I have a shady lot so my fall color is not that colorful..I've wondered if my big native trees are hogging the water..the shrubs that I've planted seem to need a lot of watering..