What has happened to my House Leeks?
Powys,
Wales 
Following all the rain, wind and colder tempretures my bowl of these succulents look decidely poorly. Some have gone yellow and transparent looking. Early July (see photo uploaded then) they looked so green and healthy.I have moved them under a bench to give some protection and some seem to be reviving.
Is this purely the weather that has done this? But they go through our winters OK. Or is there something else going on, and what can I do for them? As they were my Grandfathers I don't want to lose them!
21 Jul, 2009
Answers
Thanks Nicky, I potted these in Cacti compost and have checked to make sure it was draining, all seems ok.
I have had a vine weevil problem on other plants, so must check the pot for them :-(
I hope they are not the problem....
21 Jul, 2009
Pottygardener i hate to say this but have you checked underneath the plant? as you know they root fairly easy... but i would dig this one out and see if you have an cream coloured grubs underneath eating at the roots.... i am thinking Vine weevil i had a problem with them last year with the Echeveria that i had growing in pots... had the same effect that you have here....
21 Jul, 2009
i'd go for vine weevil and or too wet.
hope you can save the other green ones.
21 Jul, 2009
I have lifted a couple of the poorlier looking ones out and can't see any white grubs. :-) May-be I'll treat the pot with the stuff I used in my other possibly infected pots, just in case.
Thanks for your help, hopefully it is just the wet.Will kept it sheltered until the sun is out!!!
21 Jul, 2009
If it's Provado you use, ive stopped as apparently it kills bees! Great! not...
21 Jul, 2009
Oh dear......
Tried to get one that Hywel recommended with parasitic nematodes that eat the larvae of the vine weevils. But couldn't find it so opted for provado as I was anxious to save my plants from the invasion.
Will have to look for it again, with ernest!
21 Jul, 2009
best of luck, glad you did'nt find any... you could also try to re-pot all of the healthy ones... if finding the right bug killer is a problem it might help for now... if you remove all the soil completely and just rinse the roots with water...and pot up into fresh compost might do the trick... i doubt it will harm the plant... they root fairly easy from just a sork in my experience....
22 Jul, 2009
Thanks Angie, for now I have left them under my bench to give some protection. Some seem to be greening up a little in the middle, but I will look at re-potting if they seem poorly still. Let's hope for some sun soon!
22 Jul, 2009
mmmmm i know what you mean...
22 Jul, 2009
I would think its down to the rain and un-summery conditons as giving them shelters seems to make them better!
It may the soil is free draining enough and they are sitting in moist wet cold soil as they prefer free draining soil.
Possibility of Vine Weevil, the whiite grubs/larvae about 0.5-1cm long live in soil before turning into the black adult beetles. The grubs feed on roots of plants in containers esp, Houseleeks.
Turn some out of pot to see if you can see them in soil.
But more likely to be weather related
21 Jul, 2009