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Myth 9: OMG!!! My plant has yellow leaves………it must be DYING!!!
Yes, yellow leaves can be an indicator of declining plant health. They can also represent nutrient deficiencies, over watering, under watering, insect damage, etc. Although, this is not always the case. I’m speaking specifically of evergreen trees and shrubs during the spring months. Inevitably, I receive a plethora of calls from worried customers asking if their gardenia or holly is about to bite the dust. During the spring months, the vast majority of the time the answer is NO! So what causes yellow leaves during the spring months on your evergreen plants? Good question. Deciduous plants lose their leaves every year. We do not freak out when our oaks, hydrangeas, spiraea, etc. change color and drop their foliage. Evergreen plants do the same thing……..just at a different time of year and in a different fashion. The yellow leaves that you see on your gardenia, holly, magnolia, or whatever evergreen you may have, are two or three year old leaves. They are dropped by the plant and replaced with new foliage on the ends of the branch. It works the same way with conifers like arborvitae, cryptomeria, and spruce. The difference with conifers is that the foliage turns brown not yellow like other evergreens. Take home lesson………don’t freak out if you have yellow foliage on evergreens in April or May.
Myth 10: Mulch………the more the better!
Mulch is fantastic for a lot of reasons. Mulch helps retain moisture, helps reduce weeds and helps moderate soil temperatures. Sounds great, right? Well, it is………..until too much is applied to the base of plants and around the trunks of trees. Too much mulch around the base of plants can interfere with water flow, discourage proper aeration and provide an excellent environment for fungi and bacteria to thrive. I don’t know about you, but I do not want fungi or bacteria hanging around my plants more than they have to (barring the beneficial types). That sounds like a pretty good way to develop root rot, different types of wilts, cankers and other diseases. It is best to keep mulch pulled away from the base of plants to avoid these issues.
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