Help! My lilacs are sickly...?
Answers:
dspell gave good advice except for the fertillity part. Please do NOT fertilize in fall! You are encouraging new growth at a time when the plant will soon go dormant. New tender growth is apt to winter-kill. Let the plant's energy go into the roots so it will be strong next spring.
In fact, it's really unnecessary to fertilize a tree or shrub at all. Native soils will support them just fine. You will see gorgeous lilacs growing around old cellarholes where they have been abandoned for generations!
Sounds like insects have been at your leaves too. Don't worry, it's too late in the season for them to do any real damage to the shrub. They should both be fine come spring!
Other answers:
I live in Wisconsin also. It has been really hot this summer girl. Plenty of water and fertilizer was major this summer. I mean alot of water, really. I planted some hydrangeas and I think they would have died if I wouldn't have watered them every morning heavy.
Good Luck. Try giving it some good TLC.
By the way, did you amend the soil before planting it? Lilacs and many shrubs are picky about their soil.
I live in Wisconsin also. It has been really hot this summer girl. Plenty of water and fertilizer was major this summer. I mean alot of water, really. I planted some hydrangeas and I think they would have died if I wouldn't have watered them every morning heavy.
Good Luck. Try giving it some good TLC.
By the way, did you amend the soil before planting it? Lilacs and many shrubs are picky about their soil.
The brown spots and dry edges are evidence of lack of water. You might try spraying them with something called Cloud Cover. It helps keep moisture in the leaves. I don't think anything has been eating your leaves.
This fall, after all the leaves drop, rake and clean them up. Before the buds begin to swell and open in the spring, spray the plant with a dormant oil spray. This will help kill any fungus or insect eggs that you can't see. Don't spray if the buds have opened.
You shouldn't have too much more trouble. Keep water off the leaves and deep water (let a small stream of water run around the roots for a half hour or so) at least once a week in the hottest months. Lilacs are pretty hardy!
Do you have the beetles in WI? I live in Northern Indiana, and they are bad here. They are tricky in that you can see the damage, but the seem to eat at night and its hard to find them actually on the shrub / tree. I started checking my plants 3 -4 times per day and it took over a week to finally catch the pesky culprits. By then they had done so much damage, the bushes are done for this year, but luckily the beetles did not go for any of my new plantings this year.
Is your soil clay like, or is it a nice mix and drains well. In Indiana, the soil is clay and to plant we mix top soil with peat moss 50 / 50. This allows for good drainage if we get a heavy rain, and the roots don't rot this way. I would dig down almost to the roots on one of the bushes to see if there is standing water of some kind or if it is dry. If soil is very wet, you will need to remove plant, mix new potting mixture, and replant quickly. If soil is very hard, you know you have not been watering long enough for it to reach the roots. If the soil is moist, then you know its not a watering problem.
No matter the soil condition you find, I would start weekly fertilizing of a spray on variety. This will give the plant the best chance coming into fall and winter. Follow the manufacturer directions - trust me more is not better in this instance.
If you have a college or university in your area, they may have a botany department or outreach program. In my area, they actually run a help line for area residents and only the Master Gardner's work the phone lines. They are terrific resources, because they live in your area and are familiar with your specific climate, critters (good and bad), and water / soil conditions.