Osteospermum (African Daisy) flowers drooping and going brown

Arwen10

Hi everyone

Could someone help me with my african daisy? It was gorgeous when I bought it and put it in but the flowers are getting smaller and now are drooping and the petals going brown before they've properly come out. The foliage looks healthy enough but the flowers don't!

They are in the garden itself and in a nice sunny spot.

I've been watering regularly and feeding them once a week but I must be doing something wrong. Any ideas? Thanks!

grannybroon

Mine are doing the same but are planted in pots.

Cordie

I think it may just be that the flowers have bloomed and are now dying. Dead-head them as they droop and you should get plenty of new flowers coming. Also make sure that you place them in a sunny spot as the flowers don't fully open in the shade or on rainy days.

azzabazza

Cordie wrote: »

I think it may just be that the flowers have bloomed and are now dying. Dead-head them as they droop and you should get plenty of new flowers coming. Also make sure that you place them in a sunny spot as the flowers don't fully open in the shade or on rainy days.

I too seem to be having the same problem. However, I regularly dead head the spent flower heads. It is definitely the new flower heads turning brown and not opening at all.

sobie

When you water do you water the soil or the plant?

grannybroon

I use a watering can with a fine rose so that means both the soil and the plant!

peter_the_piper

Does the plant go limp first? If so check the roots/soil for vine weevil.

pollypenny

I love them, but they don't do well for us. Our garden has an ancient hedge which takes all the goodness.

Arwen10

Mine are definitely new blooms too. It's like they form but then just droop followed by going brown and shrivelling. Strange!

sobie

If your getting the plant wet it may be suffering from grey mould.

try watering the soil only, and if you can first thing in the morning before it gets too hot/ sunny. so the plant gets a chance to dry out in the day.

Being a south african plant their optimum conditions is hot and dry, and other than a few days here and their its hardly been that.

azzabazza

'Being a south african plant their optimum conditions is hot and dry, and other than a few days here and their its hardly been that. '

I think the problem with my Osteospermums is that I have been overwatering them.