Why is my choisya dying? Possible reasons and treatment

Why is my choisya dying? Possible reasons and treatment

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I’ve already covered the reasons why choisya leaves may become yellow and droop in Why are my choisya leaves drooping and turning yellow? However, if your Mexican orange blossom plant is in much worse condition than that, you may be right that it’s dying.

Please also read my Choisya pests and diseases article as some of the issues discussed there could also result in the plant dying.

So, if you’ve ruled out pests, diseases, growing environment, nutrients, watering and sunlight, the only thing that’s left to cause dieback or die-off is cold temperatures which I briefly covered in my how to grow choisya guide, this is well worth a read too.

Damage on Choisya caused by frost

Damage from frost in winter and from hard and low freezes can cause parts of your choisya to start to die. Most varieties of this plant tolerate temperatures down to -10°C. But you do need to protect them if the thermometer falls to -15°C and below, especially for extended periods.

For plants grown in the ground, you can try and cover with fleece on very cold nights and choisya grown in pots can be moved inside a cold greenhouse or a more sheltered position, for example, against a wall or fence.

If you live in a region where the overnight winter temperatures regularly fall below -15°C, this may not be the best plant for you.

Take care of your plant in winter and, most times, it’ll recover in the spring and you will just need to lightly prune the damaged parts out and the new growth with soon have it looking healthy again.


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