Question of the Week
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My gazania and other drought-tough plants are rotting in the middle, what's up?
Others, like me, are having problems with drought-lovers, like the gazania, that I recommended as plant of the week. These are great plants! But right now, some of them are dying back in the middle.
Once again, it's a case of too much water. Of course, we can't do much about rainfall! But we can control our own watering.
What tends to happen is that we think they are too dry and we need to water them. Actually, they need so little water that what's happening is they're getting too much water.
We did have a wet spring, so if you have some clay in your bed or the water drains into your bed, these plants are getting too much water. So, cut back on your watering or move them to a dryer spot. If you plant them on clay soil, consider raising them up a bit with decomposed granite to improve the drainage.
Gazanias are perennials and they can sometimes be evergreen, so if you can get them through the summer, you can move them in the fall or even next spring. For now, just watch that water and cut back the damaged foliage.
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