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I think that they are being over watered. I consider (based on experience) wax myrtle to be very drought tolerant.

Not drought tolerant until they establish a vigorous root system -- takes about 2 years if receive sufficient water.

New plantings can easily run short of water in spite of apparently sufficient rainfall.

The reason: The top growth diverts the water away from the original rootball.

Moral of the story: Stick your finger into a few rootballs. Are they wet, dry, or soggy. (P.S.: Moisture content from one rootball to the next can, and will, vary.)

You transplanted at a time that is very challenging for anything anywhere. Give your plants some time to establish--like a year.

@Christopher C

Thank you. I have turned off the drip system until the rains stops for a few days.

@rhizo_1

Thank you. Irrigation is off until rains stop or if moisture reader says its dry.

@Jean

Thank you. Rootballs have been moist/wet per my measuring device. Will keep checking on them to make sure they don't get too dry.

@laceyvail

Thank you. I know I should have done this in Feb. or March but the vacant lots were cleared recently in June for new constructions so it prompted me to get these planted ASAP. Concrete block is already up on one of the new homes! I like my privacy and am used to a private/forested backyard. Will keep my eye on them. Hopefully they survive this stress they have.

what they all said.. with the caveat that if i planted 60 of anything.. i would expect a few losses ... its just the odds ... so if you do.. dont freak out.. and think all is lost ...

and yes.. july august is not really planting time ... anywhere .. but you do what you gotta do.. when you can do it ... but again.. if you have a few losses ... dont freak out ...

keep us posted.... ken

@ken_adrian

Thank you. Today I sprayed them all with a 3-in-1 insecticide, fungicide and disease control product hopefully that will take care of any potential issues. I tried it on only 4 of them first to make sure it didn't hurt them. They looked fine, if not better than the rest. You're right about the odds, I suppose a few will die at best. At least they are planted close together only 3 feet apart so in time they will fill in. As long as they don't ALL die which is my biggest concern. It didn't rain yesterday or today and I turned the drip irrigation off Wednesday. I think I will tur it back on tomorrow. I was told to err on the side of over-water rather than under-water when it came to young wax myrtles. Don't want to make them TOO dry. I think they just needed a little break. They probably were getting a bit too much.

Thanks for all of the replies. I will keep you all posted.

After doing some research I believe my wax myrtles had these three issues: 1) a bit too much water since it was raining a lot and I also irrigated. 2) the start of a disease called Anthracnose which caused the black spots and dying new growth but I got to it in time. 3) The other issue was caterpillars eating the leaves and wrapping silk around leaves to make habitats.

They are looking much better 1 week after spraying the 3-in-1 product. New growth is bright green again and no more caterpillars. I don't know if I can mention brands in here, so I'll just say the brand begins with a "B" and the ingredients are:

Imidacloprid - 0.47% Tau-Fluvalinate - 0.61% Tebuconazole - 0.65%

Target
pests: Aphids, Caterpillars, Japanese beetles, Leafminers, Spider
Mites, Whitelies, and other listed pests. Anthracnose, Black Spot, Leaf
Spot, Petal Blight, Powdery Mildew, Rust, and Scab.
For use in:
Roses, Flowers, Houseplants, Ground Covers, Vines, Ornamentals, Shrubs,
and Trees For use on non-edible plants only.

based on state agricultural standards ... selling 'clean stock' .. i am surprised that the stock you had for about 3 weeks was both bug and disease infested ... so badly.. that they needed a chemical response ...

i would have presumed it was clean ... and i would not have sprayed stressed stock .... in august heat .... after a very recent transplanting ...

i fear.. on some level.. you are trying to love them to death ... perfect watering .... and leave them alone for a year or 2 .... and hopefully you will succeed beyond your dreams ...

ken

Peter, I would love to hear how your wax myrtles are doing now - 3 years after you posted your issues with the new plantings. I planted 10 back in Jan. in my Jacksonville backyard and am having some of the same problems that you described. I’m on my way to Lowes to look for the 3 in 1 product that you mentioned. I hope that you now have a nice, full hedge between your yard and your neighbor’s.

Hi @Tee Bone, the max myrtles are doing amazing. I planted 60 of them in early August of 2018, and they were about 1 foot tall. 1 year later, in 2019, they were about 4 to 5 feet tall on average and were pretty much filed in between, no gaps (Picture 1). By 2020, they were already taller than me, averaging a little over 6 feet (No picture). In 2021, they were around 8 or 10 feet on average (Picture 2). Today in 2022, they range between 10 to 15 feet and is a very full hedge that covers the house build behind me, in addition to the view of a 2-story house they built recently across the street behind me (Picture 3). It has been in incredible investment. If I didn't plant these, the 2-story house would have had full view of my yard.

I had no other issues with the plants after the initial concerns I had mentioned here. I have kept them irrigated in the dry seasons (roughly March thru May). Just a few of them (out of 60) have spindly foliage, which I think should be expected when planting so many. But fortunately, there is plenty of foliage from other branches which keep it looking full and filled in. I would not hesitate to plant more in the future. Natives are the best.

I wish you all the best with your new wax myrtles. May they grow tall and full for years to come.

WOW - your wax myrtles look great!! I’ve sprayed my 10 with a 3 in 1 made by Fertilome which was recommended by the garden center and now I’ll keep an eye on them and see what happens. I bought plants in 3 gallon containers that were about 30 inches tall at the time of planting and they have grown about a foot so far this year. i did do a little pruning earlier in the year to get them to flush out more.

We have a seldom used neighborhood park adjacent to our lot and I wanted some kind of natural barrier between it and our backyard just in case it gets more use in the future. I had had some experience with wax myrtles as a privacy hedge at a home in South Carolina so thought they would be the ticket here. The difference there was that they were already established and I never had to be concerned with watering or pests. It‘s been so dry here in Jacksonville that I have had to hand water them a couple of times every week. The irrigation system we inherited is set up for grass, not newly planted shrubbery but that has given me the oppoortunity to closely inspect the plants with each watering, not only the wax myrtles but also the azaleas and camillias that I have planted since we bought this place.

Thanks for getting back to me. I’s good to hear that your plants are doing so well and are providing the needed privacy. Take care.

Hi Peter, I have one more question for you - did you ever use any type of fertilizer on your wax myrtles? I’ve used a light application of slow release 10-10-10 so far. Thanks

Hello, I planted my 15 gallon myrtles last month. Its hot in Texas and just overnight one has very curled leaves, almost crunchy. Is it dying? Too much or too little watering? other two seems fine for now. Thanks for any advice.

It looks parched.

It looks even worse today. i added some Super Thrive and hope it comes back. maybe its in shock, it was planted 6/14 but it has been 100+ this entire month so far.

Do I understand correctly that you planted more than one wax myrtle at the same time? If so, how do the other plants look - the same or are they healty? Unless you have soil that holds water really well, I don’t think you can water a newly planted wax myrtle too much, especially in that type of heat. Do they get any shade or are they in direct sun for most of the day?. Regardless, I would keep the root ball and surrounding soul saturated while the heat persists and keep a light layer of mulch over the root ball. Good luck!!!

I have three. The other two seem to be doing ok, maybe slightly drier looking today. The one in the picture gets mostly sun. I will add mulch. Thanks for the tips!