Question From: H. Virden - Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Q: My boxwood bush that is planted in a container I think has a problem! The outside edges of some of the leaves are turning yellow/brown. I am in Utah with 95-100 degree tempts right now. I was told by the garden store to water two times a day because of heat and they were planted just one month ago. I have one inch of peet moss on top of them. Are they being overwatered/under watered ?
A: Hard to tell Holly, the symptoms are almost identical. The root ball should be kept moist not sodden. A moisture meter from luster leaf should help to determine whats happening. They are available in the houseplant sections of garden centers, big box stores, and online at Amazon.com. Gardeners often line the bottoms of pots with stone for drainage, but in fact that works the opposite and encourages the soil to hold water. I would also remove the peat moss and replace it with an organic mulch such as composted wood chips. The sphagnum peat moss repels water when it dries and is hard to rewet. It may keep water from reaching center of the rootball and causing it to run down the insides of the pot. Hope this helps. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy
