Pair of skimmias growing fairly well - what to do now?

Shoxt3r

Hi there,

We've had a female skimmia plant for a few years now and until recently it hasn't shown much progress. Last year I planted up a male skimmia in a planter and have been feeding it with Miracle Gro (see below).

When the male skimmia started flowering I placed it within the bed, around 6ft away from the female skimmia.

Since planting, both skimmias have shown new growth (the green shoots only started to appear in the last few days, directly after planting the male) but I'm unsure if this is related to the skimmias' placement or the Miracle Gro.

Any ideas what I can do to continue this growth, or do I stop the feed and just leave them to it, watering regularly?

Both are placed in a reasonably sunny spot but they also get plenty of shade throughout the day.

Fairygirl

They shouldn't need food if the soil is right. The first one looks very anaemic. Is your soil acidic enough? They need neutral to acidic. They shouldn't need constant watering either,  once established. 
The first one should be a lot bigger and healthier if it's been in the ground that length of time, regardless of the other plant. It might be waterlogged if you're still watering it. 

Shoxt3r

Fairygirl said:

They shouldn't need food if the soil is right. The first one looks very anaemic. Is your soil acidic enough? They need neutral to acidic. They shouldn't need constant watering either,  once established. 
The first one should be a lot bigger and healthier if it's been in the ground that length of time, regardless of the other plant. It might be waterlogged if you're still watering it. 

I guess only one way to find out - I'll get a soil test done! I generally water the garden daily on warm/sunny days.

Oh I see, so it doesn't really matter that we haven't had a male plant in there? They both generally seem healthier because of it.

Anything else I can do to save them or do you think the new growth is a good sign? The green shoots on both plants only appeared a matter of days ago for example.

Fairygirl

Shrubs that have been in the ground for years shouldn't need watered, as the roots should be down and properly established, and able to access moisture when needed. Watering daily would only be needed for potted plants in the driest months.  Is your soil dry all the time? 
They both look very small which suggests that either the soil conditions aren't right, or the care isn't, but it also suggests they've been tiny when planted out, which makes it difficult for them to thrive and grow.  I wouldn't keep feeding them artificially either. It's better to add organic matter to the soil on a regular basis, which will improve the soil regardless of what type it is, but that first one is chlorotic, so it might benefit from the odd feed. However, if the soil is too alkaline, no amount of food or soil conditioner will help long term.
In the right conditions, they'd need no feed after being planted, although the odd light feed in spring would do no harm. The problem with feeding them is that it'll just get washed out anyway if you're watering them constantly. A slow release granular food would be better if you need to feed. 

Loxley

Confusingly, overfeeding also causes chlorosis. Personally I wouldn't feed these shrubs at all, but concentrate on increasing organic matter in the soil - dig in and/or mulch with compost/leaf mould. Especially if your soil is clay that bakes dry in summer and is cold and wet in winter, they hate that. Don't add manure, they don't need high levels of nutrients.

pH is supposedly not as big an issue for Skimmias as Azaleas etc, and I think if you can get the soil nice and crumbly and rich in organic matter, and the site isn't too baking hot, they should be ok. 

Fairygirl

It's the soil and site that are important. I still think they could be waterlogged if they're constantly being watered when it isn't needed. There's no nearby planting to help take up excess either. 
Lots of sun certainly isn't good for them.  An east, west or north facing site is best, although there are exceptions -  if the site is  shaded by other planting, and the climate is generally cooler and damper, they can manage sun.   

The organic matter is key though. 

Shoxt3r

Thanks both! The soil does tend to get very dry, even on pretty mild days.

I will get a soil test kit to check the pH levels.

We have bark in storage (some of this is visible in the pictures) but I presume we need something wetter than this to boost the soil?

Silver surfer

Pic 1. It looks to be rather deeply planted to me.
It is not a good idea to plant it any deeper than when bought and in a pot.

Fairygirl

I thought that too @Silver surfer. I don't know if it's just that bark has been put over it, or if it's been buried a bit. 
Get plenty of organic matter around it regularly @Shoxt3r . That will help whether the soil is dry or wet. Compost, leaf mould, rotted manure etc. The composted bark is better  than the chunkier stuff as it'll break down more quickly. They'll all help the soil structure over time.   
If it's only the top inch or two of soil that's drying out, it wouldn't really need watering, especially if you're adding the above, as that will help retain moisture. If the soil's damp lower down, it'll be fine   

Shoxt3r

Ok great thanks for the tips - will look into some options

Shoxt3r

Sorry for double-post but I should point out that the male skimmia was grown from a small cutting and grown up to the current size in a pot. The female was purchased and both were planted level with the bed (the bark surrounds both and is quite deep).

Oh and by the way, will the mulch help with the "anaemic" side of things or will the soil test prove this either way? I presume that if it's found that the soil isn't acidic enough then we should be looking at getting other plants anyway. I think I naively thought that I could supplement low acidity soil (if indeed that is the case) with food.