Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Thursday - July 25, 2013
From: New York, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Soils, Watering, Vines
Title: Trumpet Vine Dropping Buds
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
My trumpet vine is dropping its buds before flowering. This happened last year as well. Do you know what is causing this and what I can do to prevent it?ANSWER:
Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper or trumpet vine) is generally as a tough, vigorous (sometimes too aggressive) vine that can handle conditions from full sun to shade and having a cold tolerance down to zone 4 (-30 F.)
When your vine starts to drop its buds it is signaling that it is under some form of stress – too wet, too dry, too windy. While your vine can tolerate quite a bit of moisture fluctuations, dropping buds do signal that it isn’t happy with some aspect of the environment. Trumpet vine grows best in average soils with regular moisture in full sun. It needs a good amount of sun to flower well. Excessive winds, poor soil drainage, water-logged soils, dense shade and excessive soil drying can all cause stress on the plant and bud drop. Start your investigation with the soil and vine roots to see if you can determine what is causing your vine to drop its buds.
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