Aeiou
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Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 7:26 pm
Location: Grants Pass, Oregon

Is this lilac sick or sulking?

Scaly, scabby spots, leaves turning brown and curling in, some branches already dead. Recently repot Ted with plenty of room. Fed with Miracle Grow Transplanting Food, sprayed on roots and leaves. Hoping to get it in the ground. I hear lilacs don't like containers. Any helpfull suggestions?
20150919_170010.jpg

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rainbowgardener
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What would "sulking" be? Seems like you answered your own question: "Scaly, scabby spots, leaves turning brown and curling in, some branches already dead" How could that be anything other than very sick?

Don't fertilize sick plants, it's just another stressor at that point.

You could try treating it with some kind of fungicide. The saving grace is that your lilac was going to drop those leaves soon anyway. If the disease doesn't spread to the main stems/ roots, it may come bac fine next year. When the leaves drop, be sure to rake them up and destroy, not in the compost pile.

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

If it was recently repotted, that soil looks awfully dense and dark for planting a liliac in. Lilac prefers limey (alkaline) soil which to me usually equates with sandy, gravelly, well-drained.

Regardless of soil pH preference, trees and large shrubs in large containers almost always need well draining soil and should have bark mulch mixed in for acid loving plants and something like chicken grit mixed in for alkaline loving plants.

...but I couldn't tell you if drainage issues would cause this type of reaction in lilac.



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