oleander problems

after having my oleander inside over winter it sudden ly started dropping leaves to the extent that there are only a few left on the end of the stalks ,why did it happen and can i do anything about it eg pruning?cheers brundlefly.

 

Hello brundlefly and welcome to GC.

You do not say where you live .. is it North, East, West or South as this helps people identify problems you may encounter with your garden.

You probably know that Oleander is not native to the UK. It is to where I live in Southern Portugal and grows wild here. I have two 4-5 meter tall double pink bloom shrubs I planted 8+ years ago and they smell heavenly in the late summer sun. They need warmth and sunshine to survive. Even mine get yellowing leaves and drop them which is normal.

I know there are a couple of folk on the forum in the UK who have them and hopefully they will come along and advise you regarding your location.

 

Hello brundlefly and welcome .

I have a few Oleanders here in Northamptonshire ..I generally have mine outside during the summer and autumn till about end of October .Then I pop them in a cold greenhouse and ease off on the water.I usually leave them in there all winter and keep them fairly dry giving the odd drop of water on warm days so as to dry it off before nightfall .In the coldest part of winter I cover with fleece . I do get some leaf drop but they keep better in the drier conditions than damp I wil start increasing the water ove the next couple of weeks .If you decide to cut back leave them a while yet ..

Dave

 

Hiya Dave

Isn't it strange, mine get their most water in the winter months, ie, now when we are having the most horrendous storms and torrential rains you can imagine and are at our coldest temperatures. Of course, mine are in the ground and will not get anything in the summer except when I water them ... unlike those that grow wild and only get water in the winter and nothing at all in the summer ...

PS My Carnation seeds are underwater and have probably drowned ...

 

Sorry to hear about your Carnation seeds mine just showing signs of germinating .. Thankyou ..
This thread just reminded me I have some rooted Oleander cuttings someware in the greenhouse . I will search them out tomorrow.I tend to put small pots of cuttings in odd places to save space ..

Dave

 

HI TO ALL AND THANKS FOR THE REPLIES I LIVE IN CHESHIRE AND BOUGHT THE PLANT LAST SUMMER IT DID REALLY WELL AND GREW LOTS OF NEW LEAVES AND PUT ON A REALLY GOOD SHOW, I BROUGHT IT INSIDE IN SEPTEMBER WHERE IT SEEMED WELL FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS UNTIL I WATERED IT THAT IS! IT IMMEDIATELY STARTED DROPPING LEAVES AND HAS DONE EVER SINCE (ODDLY ENOUGH THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH A LITTLE POTTED OLIVE TREE THE YEAR BEFORE )IS THIS SOME KIND OF SYNDROME ? DONT MEDITERRANEAN PLANTS LIKE WATER ?I REALISE PLANTS DONT NEED MUCH WATER BEING INSIDE IN THE WINTER MONTHS BUT I FAIL TO SEE HOW I COULD HAVE OVERWATERED AFTER TWO MONTHS DRYNESS,IS IT THE SUDDEN SHOCK?ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GRATFULLY RECEIVED MAYBE I NEED TO MOVE TO PORTUGAL ,ONCE BROUGHT A BIG SEED POD BACK FROM PORTUGAL THE HOTEL BARMAN TOLD ME IT WAS FROM A TREE CALLED ALFAROBA IT DIDNT GERMINATE THOUGH IF ANYONES GOT ANY TIPS ABOUT GERMINATING MEDITERRANEAN SEEDS THAT WOULD BE GREAT AS I ALWAYS BRING SOMETHING BACK.CHEERS BRUNDLEFLY.

 

Is it in the house Brundlefly?

If so, I'm guessing it might be losing leaves due to lack of light.

It could be Red Spider Mite.

It could be overwatering, but I doubt it.

If the leaves are dropping off, then the plant is still alive and should recover, but keep it a bit dry, especially now as it has few leaves left.

Some pruning will probably be required but as Dave said, wait until spring really gets going.

 

Hi again Bundlefly

Alfaroba (Alfarrobeira, Ceratonia siliqua) is the Carob tree ... it certainly needs warmth and sunshine and is a prime crop here used as replacement chocolate (old folk and kids alike eat the pods ... god only knows how they have any teeth left!) and it is ground down to put in cakes etc.

In order to germinate such seeds, which are usually large hard seeds, first you need to nick or slice into the seed and then soak it for at least 24 hours .. then you can plant it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob_tree

 

Well done Victoria, its good to know the local lingo.

I go along fully with your recommendations for germination.

 

great knowledge victoria thanks, miserable pete how hard can i cut it back it is now very leggy.cheers tim.

 

You can cut it back quite hard, it will delay flowering though.

But as its really leggy a cut back to a couple of feet might be in order, but I'd wait a while personally.

Mabe next month, when you cut back be careful of the sap, its poisonous, but just means you need to wash your hands afterwards

 

Goodness tmg, I should have died years ago ... .. I don't wear gloves cutting mine back ... gosh, maybe that's why I'm not quite right ...

On a serious note, anyone 'new' to a plant should be cautious when handling them ... I know I have no allergies to anything in my garden. In saying that, sometimes Lantana irritates my skin. In the UK it was Leylandii big time ...

 

When you cut it back you may be able to use the tips as cuttings ..I would ..

Dave

 

I think another reason for your Oleander dropping it's leaves is lack of humidity indoors as well as poor light. Mine are planted outside and have come through this winter with just a little scorch.

Follow the advice on pruning but as said it will delay flowering considerably as Oleanders flower buds are triggered by Spring warmth. Non pruned ones still flower late in the UK compared to Victoria's climate.

 

Hi Victoria TMG here,:D.

I was trying to be up market and PC in this day and age, hard hat and goggles would be be best, to be on the safeside when pruning an Oleander, but not essential.:D