My sedum sod is dying! - Ask Extension
What would cause this? The round patch was planted last year & thrived through the winter. The rest I planted this spring. It was doing fine, now ...
Knowledgebase
My sedum sod is dying! #790874
Asked May 15, 2022, 1:15 PM EDT
What would cause this? The round patch was planted last year & thrived through the winter. The rest I planted this spring. It was doing fine, now it is all yellowing and failing. I am frantic. I planted this all by my own hand. Any ideas?
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
It's hard to say what the original cause was, though overlapping factors may be involved. Is this site very sunny in the summer? Does it stay moist or is it near a source of water, such as a roof downspout outlet or regularly-used irrigation system? We see a healthy-looking Hosta and Azalea close by, suggesting that this location doesn't receive too much direct afternoon sun (as that would stress them both). Sedum, with rare exception, thrive in full sun and very well-drained soil, so too much shade or soil moisture can result in a failure to establish. Full sun is about 6-8 hours (or more) of unobstructed sunlight in summer.
Is one of these Sedum varieties 'Angelina'? We see foliage that looks like it has the texture of this cultivar. If so, since that variety is normally a bright golden-yellow, the fact that it's fairly green here also suggests that the site has more shade than the plants prefer.
Aside from root rot due to poor drainage or over-watering, it's unlikely a disease caused this drastic of a dieback this quickly. Is this soil stepped on (some Sedum are sold as walkable groundcovers)? If so, the soil compaction and stem breakage from the foot traffic could have contributed to plant stress.
Some sedum species are more cold- or heat-sensitive than others. You mentioned that the center of the planting seemed to come through the winter ok; are the surrounding Sedums the same variety as one of those in the main patch?
If this location is somewhat shaded and moist, you can try Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) instead. It's a native species well-adapted to a less-than-full-sun exposure and sites with a bit more soil moisture than Sedum typically prefers. This species doesn't have colorful-leaved cultivars, but its bluish-green leaves can turn a bit pinkish is winter, and the spring blooms are white.
We would also recommend using a diverse mix of plants in this spot if you want to have a carpeting groundcover planting. That way, any one issue (temperature extremes, drought or sogginess, disease, pests) in the future is unlikely to affect the entire planting equally severely. We are happy to offer some suggestions based on what the conditions are. For example, if somewhat shaded and damp, various native Violets and Partridgeberry are a good options; if shaded and drier, native Pussytoes are another option.
For now, you can try to trim back the bare stems and see if the plants resprout, but if they have not produced new growth by now, it's likely their roots or crown (where above-ground growth emerges from the roots) has suffered too much damage. Give some of the dead-looking plants a light tug and if the stems easily detach from the roots, or if the roots come up easily, then root death may have been a cause. (This can occur as a secondary issue after something else began plant decline, though, so it's not a certainty that root rot was the main problem.)
Miri
Is one of these Sedum varieties 'Angelina'? We see foliage that looks like it has the texture of this cultivar. If so, since that variety is normally a bright golden-yellow, the fact that it's fairly green here also suggests that the site has more shade than the plants prefer.
Aside from root rot due to poor drainage or over-watering, it's unlikely a disease caused this drastic of a dieback this quickly. Is this soil stepped on (some Sedum are sold as walkable groundcovers)? If so, the soil compaction and stem breakage from the foot traffic could have contributed to plant stress.
Some sedum species are more cold- or heat-sensitive than others. You mentioned that the center of the planting seemed to come through the winter ok; are the surrounding Sedums the same variety as one of those in the main patch?
If this location is somewhat shaded and moist, you can try Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) instead. It's a native species well-adapted to a less-than-full-sun exposure and sites with a bit more soil moisture than Sedum typically prefers. This species doesn't have colorful-leaved cultivars, but its bluish-green leaves can turn a bit pinkish is winter, and the spring blooms are white.
We would also recommend using a diverse mix of plants in this spot if you want to have a carpeting groundcover planting. That way, any one issue (temperature extremes, drought or sogginess, disease, pests) in the future is unlikely to affect the entire planting equally severely. We are happy to offer some suggestions based on what the conditions are. For example, if somewhat shaded and damp, various native Violets and Partridgeberry are a good options; if shaded and drier, native Pussytoes are another option.
For now, you can try to trim back the bare stems and see if the plants resprout, but if they have not produced new growth by now, it's likely their roots or crown (where above-ground growth emerges from the roots) has suffered too much damage. Give some of the dead-looking plants a light tug and if the stems easily detach from the roots, or if the roots come up easily, then root death may have been a cause. (This can occur as a secondary issue after something else began plant decline, though, so it's not a certainty that root rot was the main problem.)
Miri
