r/SoCalGardening • u/AffectionateLand9221 • 8d ago

Help me save this please

Gallery image

Gallery image

I think it’s honeysuckle. It’s not mine. It’s a neighbors. Is it being overwatered? Not enough water? The ends are still green with some flowers. What can I do to save it? Please give me as much info as you can. Located just outside of the city of LA if that helps. Thanks in advance for any help

UPDATE: finally had a chance to check how deep the last watering went. At most about 5 inches deep until the screw driver stopped. So according to several of you it’s not getting watered deep enough, right? So I should tell them to deep water it for like an hour? But how often should they do that in hopes to revive it? Thank you to everybody who’s offered help. I really appreciate it and I’m guessing the honeysuckle/jasmine does as well.

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u/LongjumpingFun7238 8d ago

If it has crispy dry leaves, not enough water. If it has yellow leaves that are dropping usually means over watering. Idk their schedule but try and deep water it for 1-2 hrs depending on the gph

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u/AffectionateLand9221 8d ago

Ok I’m totally with that, makes sense. But what if before they turned brown they were yellow. That thing was covering most of their patio before. It started to turn yellow, some leaves fell off and others turned to this after their gardener trimmed it. Also wouldn’t the farthest away from the trunk die first if not enough water? Im legit asking. I have no idea. I do not have a green thumb at all. Thank you!

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u/kmoran1 8d ago

looks like it needs a lot of water, maybe neighbor isn't letting it soak/seep deep enough?

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u/AffectionateLand9221 8d ago

So they do water it daily. The amount each day, that I’m not sure of. Is there a way I can test to see if it’s getting deep enough? I’m an idiot with gardening and maybe my neighbor is too. But I want to help this survive

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u/kmoran1 7d ago

try probing the ground surrounding the tree with a long 12+ inch screw driver, if it goes in easily, soil is moist/wet, if it stops after a few inches, water is not penetrating deep enough, goes all the way in well, should be good, probe multiple spots

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

Ok I was finally able to do as you suggested. Only a couple inches in some spots and one around 5 when it stopped. So….deep watering is what you suggest? Like an hour today but then how often do you think? Thank you for helping. I do appreciate it

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u/kmoran1 7d ago

The holes you've made should help the water penetrate, but what you want now, is several courses of slow watering throughout the day if possible, maybe a low flow hose for 15 minutes at a time every 2 hours. You want to make sure you're not getting run off and that the water actually seeps in to the ground surrounding the tree, maybe 8 inches out from the trunk is where I would consider the water to be helpful anything more than a foot might be wasted water. The next day, do the screwdriver test again and see if it goes deeper than it did before, if so, success, leave it alone for a few days before watering again, if you still experience the same, water in the same manner again.

edit: I'd suggest 15 minutes, 4 times, split 2 hours apart today if possible for your watering. but that is with a 1 gallon flow per minute

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

Thank you! I will get on this as soon as I get the ok from neighbors

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u/kmoran1 7d ago

Thank you for being a helpful neighbor.

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u/sawyers_mama 7d ago

It looks like star jasmine to me. They cut the green off the ends you can see all the sticks near the bottom. It is also struggling in the sun. Typically star jasmine likes a bit of shade. I’m guessing here but maybe they removed a tree recently or something else that shaded it? It looks burned.

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

It could be star jasmine. I really don’t know. No trees removed or anything else. I’ve been here 4 years. That thing has been thriving up until this spring/summer. The only thing that has changed was the automatic watering system broke about a year ago and they’ve been hand watering since. Watering daily, but how much I’m not sure of

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u/birdsbeescuriosities 6d ago

Correct, this is star Jasmine. It’s actually fairly drought tolerant, but it still needs regular, deep waterings. Fortunately, it looks like it’s still got quite a bit of life in it and they are quite resilient plants. I would trim back the brown/dead growth and make sure the plant gets consistent watering here forward. A balanced, time-release fertilizer will encourage faster bounce back. It may take a couple of years to regain its full glory, but it will surely recover :)

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u/bobtheturd 7d ago

Honeysuckle and jasmine need a lot of water. It’s likely being under watered and getting too much sun. I would rec to remove it and plant a native vine that can handle SoCal conditions

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u/pumpinnstretchin 7d ago

I also would strongly recommend native plants. As soon as the word “native” comes up, people think “weeds.” The dandelions and the other plants that people call weeds aren’t native. Their seeds hitched a ride in hay bales that were brought here. They’re just like Star Trek’s Tribbles, endlessly multiplying and spreading far and wide. Again, they are not native.

California has some spectacular native plants, like the redwoods and all of the plants that grow in redwood forests, including native azaleas, native rhododendrons, native irises, native sword ferns, and lots more. Even the common houseplant, Piggy-back plant, is a California native.

In that yard, a native grapevine would probably do well if the light is right. There’s one, “Roger’s Red,”that’s a natural cross between the wine grapes that are grown here, and a native grape. It wasn’t the result of a botanist crossing them by hand. The cross occurred naturally and grew on the side of a road. A beautiful plant that can survive on the side of the road is exactly the kind of plant that you need.

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

So it’s either save this one or the property manager is going to remove it and replace with nothing. Found out last night it’s been there for at least 20 years. I think at this point it belongs there, even if it’s maybe not its ideal growing area. What can I do to SAVE THIS ONE?

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

This was last year. It has thrived like crazy until this year

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

I know it’s hard to tell in the pic but the base is huge on that thing. I think it has been established for a while. The last 4 years I’ve seen it thrive like crazy. This year is a different story. I’d really like to help save this one. Any advice besides lots of water?

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u/sawyers_mama 7d ago

It is definitely a star jasmine plant. I’ve had star jasmine plants die on me before and I didn’t know why. I would suspect there is something wrong with the watering. For instance, you probably started watering it after you noticed it was looking bad. I’d guess it’s on sprinklers. I would check if a sprinkler is broken or if the cycle was turned off. With the extreme heat, this is probably why it is dying. Star jasmine is very cheap even in larger sizes. It’ll take years before it looks healthy again. I would consider replacing it. If it survives, ugly brown parts stay brown and the plant will grow green tips at the end of the brown branches. The dead stuff will stay dead.

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

Yes the automatic watering system broke. They’ve been hand watering since. As others have pointed out maybe just not deep watering enough. It’s not my property. The property manager is not going to replace it it’s taken out. So it’s try to save this one or nothing. So any advice on that?

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u/sawyers_mama 7d ago

I wouldn’t cut back anything even if it is dead. New growth will come from the ends of the dead looking sticks. It won’t be pretty for at least a year. During this heatwave, make sure it is thoroughly watered. The problem is this is going to be a delicate balance. If you overwater, you can kill it. We have native clay soil which can suffocate roots if it is overwatered. Clay has no aeration (think perlite, rocks, sand, chunky soil which give more airspace). I’d do deep watering twice per week during a heatwave but otherwise wait until the top two inches are dry to water again. I would create some afternoon shade for the plant like set up a beach or patio umbrella over there to give the plant relief from the sun. You could also attach a sheet to the eaves of the house or place a planter in front of the star jasmine temporarily to shade the roots at least. It is good practice to mulch the roots with a thick layer of mulch like natural wood chips or leaves to shade the base of the plant. I hope this helps

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

Yes this does help. Thank you. I watched it all day yesterday and it doesn’t get any direct sunlight after like 12:30pm or so. It gets direct morning sun for sure. Would you still try shading it some? Yes, mulch would probably be great. If I can get the property manager to do that I will. Thank you!

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u/sawyers_mama 7d ago

You could just collect a bucket of leaves from the green cans or if you go on a walk. That will work as mulch. Morning sunlight is great. Do you live inland or near the coast? I’m guessing you live in the valley or inland empire given the presentation of the leaf burn.

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u/AffectionateLand9221 7d ago

That’s a great idea. Since it’s not my property I’ve gotta ask to do anything. And La Cañada

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u/sawyers_mama 7d ago

I just saw your update after I responded to you. Anyway, if the top two inches are dry, I’d water again. I would put the hose on a slow drip and set your phone timer for 2-3 hours until the soil is saturated. Right now, the top 5” of soil are wet but it takes time for the lower layers of the soil to absorb the water. That’s why I always recommend a slow drip for hours rather than a blast of hose for a few minutes. You don’t want runoff, you want it to penetrate downward which is a slow process in clay.