Griselina Littoralis (NZ privet) - leaves turning brown..

 I obtained a couple of Griselina Littoralis shrubs (a.k.a. New Zealand
Privet) about 9 months ago. Shortly after aquiring them, I repotted them
into much larger pots and they did fine for six months. Then I repotted
them again into even larger pots using John Innes No.3. This was about two
months ago.

Very recently, I have noticed that many of the leaves are turning brown,
starting at the leaf tip. A few have turned entirely brown and are easy to
pull off. Some are turning yellowish. As this is supposedly an evergreen, I
am taking this to be a sign of some serious problem.

Here are three photos:

http://www.aalife.com/gris.jpg
http://www.aalife.com/gris1.jpg
http://www.aalife.com/gris2.jpg

Can anyone suggest what the problem is? My book on shrubs suggested frost
damage or root waterlogging. We have not had any frost, and while I have
occasionally soaked the soil thoroughly when watering, there are holes in
the bottom of the planters, so I wouldn't have thought that waterlogging
was an issue. John Innes No.3 is fairly well-draining, isnt it?

I know these are inexpensive plants, but they serve an important purpose
for me - or will, when they grow bigger...

Thank you...

Al

 

Only a guess but I suspect you've potted them on too swiftly and their
still quite young roots are drowning!  Even if you're letting them
drain between watering, they're still hanging about in very wet compost
and too much of it.  As the weather is getting colder, the compost
isn't drying out quickly, either.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

 

Thanks, Sacha. If you are right about this, can I save them from dying? Is
there an easy remedy, such as preventing further watering for a while? I
could move them indoors for a few weeks to allow the compost to dry out.

TIA

AL

 

I'll add to Sacha's comment - it does sound like waterlogging - by
suggesting that you carefully repot them. JI No 3 is a very claggy
compost on its own;  if its waterlogged it can really suffocate the
roots and, as it dries, can cake hard around them. It really needs a
lot of added grit or similar (I use Perlite as it's lighter; some
people use Vermiculite but grit's good to weigh the pot down in a
windy location). Using JI no 2 would probably be better at the moment.

An added problem may be that the pot is standing right on top of a
hard surface and this will further impede drainage - if you can move
the pot onto, say, a gravel area or lift it off the slabs on pot
stands, that will help a lot.

Check that it doesn't become pot-bound, though. Grisselina, once
established, can be a bit of a thuggish grower and you may find it
needs repotting into a much larger tub early next year.

Cheers, Jake
==========================================
Proud to  be a member of the Taffy Trio
along with Dave and Bill, especially as
the East End, where I'm at, is the drier one :)

 

Can't improve on that! I'd put it back into its last pot, in fresh
compost, as Jake suggests, and water sparingly now that winter is here.
 If you do have to water, it's better to do so in the morning, rather
than having pots stand about wet, all through the night. But
definitely, do ensure good drainage.  Yours is an example of why plants
get potted on gradually, something often asked on here.  Too much wet
compost 'drowns' them.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon