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Black elder wilting

itsueyitsuey Posts: 42
in Plants
I have a small black elder tree in a pot on my patio that up until a week ago looked fine, but I seem to have upset it when I scooched it across the patio and now it seems to be wilting. I thought maybe the sudden very hot spell had caused it to dehydrate so I watered it and we've had two torrential downpours in the past few days which has perked up the other plant I was a little concerned about, but still it looks unhappy. 

I bought it a new pot thinking it was about time it was re-potted as it's about a foot and a half tall, but now I'm not sure if I should disturb it. Do I go ahead and hope the extra space will make it happier? 
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,800
    edited June 2019
    I’ve found that sometimes new growth on Sambucus does go a bit floppy ... almost as if they’ve outgrown their strength. I’ve seen this happen in the wild as well. I think if you leave it alone it’ll recover.

    I wouldn't repot when it’s in active growth. I’d leave until autumn ... but to be honest in my opinion it’s not really a plant for a container ... it won’t perform at its best unless it’s planted in the ground. 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,985
    I have a mature one in my garden and it also flops in the sun, but recovers in the evening. It does it every year.
    They grow so quickly, sometimes they struggle to get water from the roots to the top quick enough
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • itsueyitsuey Posts: 42
    I went out to see how it was doing just after the sun had gone down and the tops with their little clusters of flower buds were looking a little happier, but as I touched a few of the wilted leaves further down they fell off. Do the lower leaves fall off as the top ones mature? I've never had a small one before, only mature ones.

    Should I leave it be in its pot until Autumn and keep an eye on it? Or would planting it out help it? 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,800
    I would plant it out now ... make sure the roots aren’t going round and round ... tease them out and plant it and give it a a good watering ... it’s hard to overwater a plant in the ground ... and then give it plenty of time to settle ... by next year it’ll be fantastic. 😊 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    I agree that the younger shooots can go a bit floppy, they certainly do on mine. 
    Many plants deliberately flop into sunlight too, by the way, then perk back up again when the temperature cools.
    Elders are large, tough plants by all accounts and need to be in the ground to do best.
  • itsueyitsuey Posts: 42
    Cheers guys :) Now I've just got to decide where to plant it.
  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    Decisions 😁
    They don't mind a bit of shade, but the leaf colour isn't quite as intense as in full sun.
    Love the flowers.
  • itsueyitsuey Posts: 42
    I found it a spot that's sunny most of the day, now I just have to hope the muntjack doesn't take a liking to it. 
  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    edited June 2019
    😳
    None of them in north London  😁but my current pet peeve are the family of young squirrels intent on using my new rose arch as a climbing frame, and in so doing ripping down the clematis trying to get a hold on it, as well as breaking off the branches of a very delicate climbing rose. Argh.
  • itsueyitsuey Posts: 42
    Ah wildlife, we try so hard to attract it and then complain when it's not quite the sort we wanted. I thought living next to a river I might get some cute river-dwelling things, but no, just an angry deer that ate my tulips, and some adorable baby bunnies that ate my newly planted roses.
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