Red Robin Issues

Hope you can help - I have a Red Robin bush / shrub which has 2No stems. The left is doing fine as you can see in the attached photo however, the left seems to be dying off with the leaves drooping. Never had any issues before - has anyone any ideas what is going wrong and what to do next?

 

Hi, and Welcome to the Forum,

Its been a strange start to the growing year, very hot, very dry, then frosty nights and recently the very strong winds.

The base of the plant looks like the soil is mounded up towards it, so rain / water might just run off and away as the soils surface can be quiet dry and hard.

Red Robin are generally very tollerant of poor conditions but would suspect yours is down to lack of water ? so you suggest you give it several good steady waterings over the next few days.

Those dropping leaves will probably fall off anyway, too late to save them now, but after a few weeks of being well watered and given a quick acting general feed, eg liquid Growmore or similar, you will hopefully see the hints of new shoots / buds just appearing on the branches.

 

Agree with Ricky. However I would hold back on feeding for a while. I have always been guided by the principal. Never feed a sick plant. Get an ailing plant back to having fuul sap streams etc, then feed.
From your photo. I'd be inclined to reduce the height of the centre growth. In circumstances like this. A plant that is suddenly deprived water will automatically race away. It is as though the plant is saying. Help. I am going to die. I MUST GO ON, to flower, set seed etc.

If I may, in my capacity as a plant patholgist and soil scientist. In brief our recent climate changes and rainfall patterns. There have been many ups and downs. Attempting to keep it in everyday language.

We have been undergoing conflictig periods of weather change.. Dry, perhaps exceptional dry spells in what noemally would have been out wet season, and visa versa. So

Please try and picture this.what's been going on?
So the garden has become dry, plants, even mature shrubs are showing signs of distress. Following a dry spell perhaps abnormal to your area. OH! Thank you God for a good downpour. The ground has become so dry and the downpour has landed and run away. Then other times the rain comes, and bingo, it stays put and soaks into the soil. This at last is helping the roots. At the same time. Within the vascular system of the plant. The valuable moisture is going up and down like the mercury in a thermometer.

So one minute the plant is getting enough moisture. Then the moisture is going up and down like a fiddlers elbow. So we on the outside witness many strange sights. Leaf fall, floweer problems. You name it. We get it. So what can we do? Seriously keep an eye on things. Water responsibly, givving the foliage is good, as it refresheshes and washes some of the muck of the foliage. The main topic is. Keep the roots watered and feed, carefully and responsibly.

 

Mike / Ricky many thanks for your help. Will trim and water the roots and do nothing else then for a while - a great help.