By Seraphim
Limburg,
Netherlands 
I have found small yellow balls with a liquidy centre around the roots of my dying Ceanothus Concha. Does anyone know what these are.?
I was told they were fertiliser balls, but they weren't in the fertiliser when I planted the Concha last Spring, and they are not around the Concha where the fertiliser was put, but only in the roots.
11 May, 2017
Answers
They usually are fertiliser beads put in when the ceanothus was first potted up. I wish I had £1 for every question on here about them.
11 May, 2017
You and me both Cammomile!
11 May, 2017
Agree - the fertiliser pellets would have been present in the potting soil when the roots were fairly small at the nursery - over time, the roots grow around them , and that's why you never noticed them when you planted it out.
11 May, 2017
Osmocote slow-release - the fertiliser gradually leaches out of the balls by osmosis, leaving behind the coating full of water. Different colours relate to different release times and formulations.
Commercial nurseries use them in their potting mixes because it saves time and effort - no feeding needed after potting up.
Personally, I think they need to do more development to make the coatings biodegrade once the nutrients are gone. They are persistent little buggers.
12 May, 2017
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can you provide photographs?
11 May, 2017