can plants get too much rainwater

Hi folks its me again with another daft question. The reason i ask if plants can get too much rain is, i have a dwarf peach i got this year, which has got good drainage and is well fed. However, all the tiny new leaves are turning yellow and dropping. In my wisdom i thought to myself "ah ha the wee fella is getting too much rain" and today i draped a bin bag over his pot, hoping to give him a chance to dry out before the next daily rainfall. Am I doing the right thing or should i just leave it

 

I don't know about your peach tree (which is a 'she', not a 'he' by the way, all fruit trees are girls, men can't bear fruit), but yes, plants can get too much water.

A few years ago when we had that summer where most of Britain did its Atlantis impression, I had to take drastic action to save my Rosemary bush which was suffering badly. It was in a large container, but even so, it wasn't draining fast enough. I had to take my electrical drill and make many new holes all in the sides of its container to get it to drain better, and to let some air get into the soil.

Its also possible that with too much water will wash nutrients out of the soil/compost, so that the poor thing starts to go hungry. If that happens, maybe you'll have to give it some more feed.

 

Ah thankyou for that advice clueless. I shall drill some holes into the side of the pot and give him a bit more grub and see how he gets on. Aw to me he will always be a he bless him.

 

Yes they can. Flooding can ruin things every bit as much as a drought can. One of a gardener's biggest dilemmas is finding that perfect balance between when to water and when to wait for nature to take its course. Study those weather patterns!

 

Thanks Astroturf. Yep this is the sort of thing I have difficulties with, but I have to say Ive had some good advice on here for which im so grateful.

 

I'm getting the same problem with my lobelia & busy lizzies in the hanging baskets,they're starting to rot with all the rain water they're getting Grr!!

 

I dont have many busy lizzies this year sweetpea and thankfully they seem to be okay.

 

I was worried about my olive tree so put it on those little feet ,so water has plenty of room to drain away

 

My understanding is leaves of peach trees need direct sunlight. Without direct sunlight (due to long spell of rain or the shadow of other trees/buildings), their leaves are likely to drop. Also, as you know, they grow best in well-drained soil and shallow planting.

 

Hi, Im new to this. Back in the autumn my son's beautiful laurel bush in a terracotta pot blew over and smashed in a very high wind very late at night. Next day I repotted it into a plastic tub as a stop gap. Unfortunately, there are no drainage holes in the bottom and the temp turned into perm! Sadly with all the rain the pot became water logged and my son didnt notice and I had forgotten all about the drainage problem. The plant now looks very sad indeed. Yesterday I removed it to my plant hosp. for TLC. I cleaned out the plastic pot which now has drainage holes and stones in the base. New compost with a little vermiculite. I stripped the soil slightly from the roots and trimmed off all the leaves from the green and "blackened" stems to aid new grow. Can anyone give me any further advice to try to resussitate please. I have left it in a sunny spot where I can keep an eye on it.

 

Keep it in a sheltered position and leave it alone. As it was waterlogged it needs time to get over that and probably make new roots .Also stand it on something so it drains freely

 

If we were talking about tender/borderline bulbous plants then the answer is yes. I've just lost half of my seed grown Albuca shawii thanks to this combination (and my stupidity as well).

But we weren't talking bulbous.

 

My belief before that water is good for plants had changed. It is only good if an appropriate amount is given. Most especially with plants in a limited container as too much water will cause its roots to rot and eventually die.