This one really hurts. I have had this tree for probably 10 years, it was started from a cutting and I spent a lot of time throughout the years working it to try to make a decent tree. This spring I decided to give it a repot because it had been a while and the soil had stopped draining freely. It was a normal repot, the roots were in good shape, and I used the same soil mix that I always use. It grew well all summer and got several prunings, then BOOM!, two weeks ago the leaves started shriveling up. Today, it is completely (well almost) leafless and I fear most certainly dead.
I guess I should mention that the tree is a serissa, variety "pink fairy". This particular variety of serissa is one of the tougher ones.
What went wrong?
I suspect a virus or fungus that killed the roots. The trunk is green all the way down to the nebari but the nebari is completely dead. I have been battling all sorts of fungi due to the really hot, wet, and humid summer that we had here. I will do an autopsy once I am sure a miracle won't occur. Here is a picture of it last year:
What went wrong?
I suspect a virus or fungus that killed the roots. The trunk is green all the way down to the nebari but the nebari is completely dead. I have been battling all sorts of fungi due to the really hot, wet, and humid summer that we had here. I will do an autopsy once I am sure a miracle won't occur. Here is a picture of it last year:
UPDATE:
Well, it seems that this lady said, "Not so fast!". As a last ditch effort, I did a ground layer on her and, well, I think it worked. New growth everywhere, here is the recovery:
Well, it seems that this lady said, "Not so fast!". As a last ditch effort, I did a ground layer on her and, well, I think it worked. New growth everywhere, here is the recovery:
Lots of healthy growth! Here she is after the trim. There is still a lot of work to be done to fill the pads in again, but it is better than how it looked before.
I am really excited how this turned out, look for a futrue update and we will take a look at the new roots.