Regular Al
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Location: Raleigh, N.C.

Sweetbox Sarcococca

Hello My Fellow Gardeners,
I have a line of SS that have never bloomed. They only get afternoon sun and are somewhat under the front of the house.

Can I get some blooms if I move them to back yard where they will get dappled sun for most of the day?

Thanks,
Al
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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

According to this — it’s a shade lover.
Fragrant Sweet Box - Monrovia
https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/ ... sweet-box/

It’s supposed to bloom in spring. Is it possible you are pruning at wrong time and cutting off the buds, or maybe your area is just a tad too cold and fliwerbuds are being blasted by frost or feeeze just as they try to bloom?

Another possibility is you are feeding it too much nitrogen.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

The flowers are very tiny so they are easy to miss. It is a shade tolerant plant that is a winter bloomer. You will smell it before you see it. If you do prune it should in the the Spring after flowering has finished or as Applestar has said, you may be pruning off your flowering stems.

It does not require a lot of fertilizer and it does not need to be in full sun to bloom, so the location should be fine. You can try to boost bloom with a little vermicast or a small side dressing of bloom food. You don't want to give any plant a lot of nitrogen if you want it to bloom. High nitrogen fertilizer promotes growth. Low nitrogen and moderate phosphorus will promote bloom.

Regular Al
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Location: Raleigh, N.C.

Thanks both of you.
I've never pruned them.
They have gotten berries but never flowers. And I've never fertilized but was going to add some home grown compost this year.
Thanks for nitrogen tip.
We've been having mild winters here in NC.
Al

Regular Al
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Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:09 am
Location: Raleigh, N.C.

Two pics:
1. A closeup of the SS. Are those flowers on the way or berries?

2. Apparently the pressure treated wood is breaking down as there is a white glue like substance on the wood. The closeup
is near a japanese yew. All the plants look fine but wondering if I need to transplant now?

Thanks,
AL
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imafan26
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Those look like the flowers. The berries would be red. The wood is decaying and the white stuff is fungus that is feeding on the decayed wood.

The box is flowering, so it should not be transplanted until that is done. It is actually in a good place since it likes dry shade. The decaying wood should be taken out.

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applestar
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The fungus is there and will return even if currently growing material are removed. It’s just breaking down the dead wood chips/mulch. It looks like a white mycelial mat, and could be any number of fungi. It may fruit and grow mushrooms later at which point it will be possible to ID. It could also be just slime mold. If the appearance bothers you, stir it up a bit with a rake to expose to air and sun to disturb growths and dry it out.


Personally, I feel it’s better to let the decomposer fungi grow to break down the woody materials into plant-available nutrients, and I think their presence would compete with lifecycle of inimical fungi. Better to have good/harmless fungi than bad fungi.... But if you or anyone in the family is allergic to mold or penicillin, or fungi in general, it’s probably better to reduce fungal presence in the immediate area. This is particularly true if there are small children that might play in there, or pets that might bring the spores inside on their paws or fur.

FWIW, I do have some mold sensitivity, but am not bothered by most saprophytic fungal growths. And I use physical responses to exposure to help me identify my allergens. HOWEVER, each person reacts differently so use every precaution.

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applestar
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BTW I don’t think that is growing ON the yew, but the yew branches must have been dragging on the ground and got caught up in the mycelia growing over and around them. Trim you shrubs to remove or shorten branches that are in contact with the mulch.

Regular Al
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Location: Raleigh, N.C.

Hi All,

Yes, I stirred up the fungus to see where it's coming from and it's all along the wood for the entire length of the box.

No one in the family has mold issues and we have no kids but 2 dogs who would never go near there.

I had not thought of leaving the wood like that but if its no harm I'll leave it until next spring when I can replace. But I think the mold would come again wouldn't it? I'm disappointed that treated wood only lasted 6-8 years.

Excited about finally seeing some flowers. I hear the SS is very aromatic.

In this forum do you award points for help or something. I don't see how to do that.
Thanks,
Al



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