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To contact us: |
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Email: handh@heathsandheathers.com |
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Drought Stress |
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The Heather Specialists |
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If your heather, new or established, has died, there are clues to tell if it is from drought. Even with watering, a new planting can die if it is too hot for too long.
They usually die in this order:
Erica cinerea Erica mackayana Erica carnea Daboecia Calluna vulgaris - gold, orange, red foliage Tree heaths Erica tetralix
The toughest are the Erica x darleyensis and Calluna vulgaris that are green or silver. Erica vagans seems to do better as well.
We have heard reports of new to decades old plantings not making it through the brutal summer of 2002 and 2015.
It is better to deeply soak the soil with water once per week for a few hours than to water daily for 20 minutes. They can still dry out and die with short daily watering.
For those that do make it and are struggling, give them a shot of acid fertilizer next spring and water well. If it is a brutal winter, the water stressed ones may die then as well.
If you have soil that is too high in pH (4.5-5.5 is ideal for the acid lovers of the group), they will succumb to the stress of improper pH and drought pushing them over the edge.
Heather is considered a drought tolerant plant once established, but only to a point. They must never completely dry out. If they look dry, they are already dead.
You might experiment with an anti-desiccant. This can help with both summer and winter stress. There has not been an official trial, but we do know people that use it with success. One grower I know swears by it.
Mother Nature is merciless, is she not? |