My new DL purchase came in much much smaller than expected.
It has 7 or 8 leaves and all are turning brown.
Unlike the bonus that came with it, there is no new growth at all (has not been long at all, but the leaves get more brown every day so I may need to act fast).

It has a small scape beginning in there, so I am wondering if this is the reason for no new leaf growth? The logical thing to do would be cut the scape so the plant will put more energy into healing and growing (if it is not already too late).

So I wondered if I could transplant the top of the scape to that of another plant I already have growing scapes on, to get the best of both worlds?

Has anyone done this before? Any advice?

It was my most expensive purchase which is why I am even considering wild ideas.

I don't think any of use have ever tried doing anything like that with transplanting in mind. But, I think maybe a lot of us have done something very similar when a scape blasts. I have on a few occasions used a splint and tape to keep a blasted scape long enough to see blooms. Now, I don't recall doing that when the scape had completely blasted to the extend it was totally separated, but it was hanging on by a thread so to speak. Still the buds bloomed. Now, looking at your photo, I would just suggest giving it a lot more shade and trying to nourish it back to health, rather than trying an experimental scape transplant. Still, you might make daylily medical history if you were to be successful.

Whether anyone has tried it or not I don't know but typically monocots are not graftable although there is apparently a new rather involved technique that makes it possible:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research...

I expect you've already checked, but is there enough moisture under the mulch? I once looked after a garden that had a wood mulch like that and unless the irrigation system was on it for a loooong time the wood soaked up all the water and very little actually got through it to the soil and plant roots.

Interesting. Thanks. Yes, I have been watering it every day as it is new (and has a scape). It has also been rainy since it came in (I did not water on those days). Plus its shipping-mate is 2ft away and looks like it should with nice growth spurts after the same treatment.

I think I have made up my mind that the precious scape will have to come off, I just hope I can rescue it. I have nothing to lose in trying.

Daylily surgery was not in my original plan for the week.

I wouldn't do that with a plant with the idea that I wanted to use it as a parent. But I might just to see what happens some time. I am really curious about things like that... often thinking I could graft out the middle section of a long filament to see if I can get, say, Mascara Snake to be a pod parent. I know they make little grafting sleeves, and I've thought, doctors use super glue to seal cuts, so maybe a grafting sleeve and painting a sleeve of superglue to keep things from eating away where it comes together... I kind of want you to do it so I can see what happens.

However, I think your best bet to do any parenting with that plant this year is to let it go and if the scape doesn't abort, only use the pollen. or even freeze all the pollen off the first bloom, and then cut the scape off so the plant can get to focusing on growing. I'm guessing the root system was as sparse as as the top. If that's true, as has been stated, you'll need to water often to make sure the roots that are there can reach wet soil without working hard. And if it doesn't abort the scape on it's own, maybe in a week or so you can start adding a little bit of a liquid fertilizer into some of the waterings. I wouldn't try to set a pod on it, but then again, I wouldn't graft it. So what do I know?

I would cut the scape back and what little energy it has left can go towards recovery. That's a much better idea in my mind then making a plant at "death's door" bloom.

Oh, Bill. I think you misunderstood very slightly. In theory, I would remove the scape from the plant at deaths door (scape-donor) and attach it onto a vibrant happy scape of a second plant, an entirely different cultivar (scape-recipient).

So the sick plant puts no more energy into growing its own scape, which is now amputated, and can focus on getting better. But the amputated/donated scape now grows on the healthy recipient instead, stealing nourishment from that one, to grow blooms. Like a parasite. All completely hypothetical.

But I read the article of Sooby. It may not at all be possible with monocots anyhow. Which is sad.

So, with that in mind, I decided to give the plant a couple more days to green-up and look a bit healthier (I take daily photos to compare). Or at least try and poke out the beginnings of a fresh leaf. It will mean I do not make any rash decisions.

Man, I missed that! Gee whiz, I am sorry.

You could cut off the brown bits of leaves. They won't come back to life. And the outside leaves should continue to get brown, but the inside leaves might not, which would cheer you up.

I'm in the same zone, and had a few new ones stall also. I'm blaming our weather. The one pictured was especially bad. It is my most expensive purchase this year, also. I would move the mulch well away from the base of the plant, sprinkle some alfalfa pellets, again well away from the base of the plant. Get close and smell for crown rot, though it doesn't look like that's what's going on. My plant had almost no green a week ago, after being in the ground for 10 days, now growing new foliage. Did not want to further stress, so did not trim foliage

Trimming foliage on transplants should reduce stress by cutting the amount of water needed for transpiration. If the leaves are wilting they are not photosynthesizing in any case because the stomata are closed.

I would not fertilize a struggling plant because that can draw water away from it if one isn't careful. Best to wait until it has re-established itself. (Of course something like alfalfa pellets would take a while to kick in, I'm thinking more of an immediately available fertilizer).

Yesterday, I moved the mulch. Just in case. But the soil underneath was indeed a nice dark wet look. The plant already has slow-release Osmocote pellets and organic matter compost.

However, I am going to try (as of yesterday) watering twice a day, 12h apart, just in case it is dehydration.

The backstory for my post is that this fan is small, smaller than many of my seedlings that are only 6mth old. I am guessing it is a new-growth side-fan from 2022, given the small size. One of my fall 2021 seedlings this year of similar size bloomed nicely a couple months back but then the foliage was dying off at the same time. I cut the scape after only 2 buds bloomed, with 1 green leaf left.

The plant died back completely, I thought it was toast and I was too late. But then a new fan popped out a few weeks later. It is getting bigger now. I think I convinced myself I got there just in time by chopping off that scape. Conversely, I have plenty other early-blooming seedlings I chose not to cut the scape that are now 100% dead.

So, really it is a competition of greed versus logic. Greedily, I do not want to wait until next year to see a first bloom if a scape is sitting there looking at me today. But logically, I should put the plant itself first, for long-term interests. I think I just wanted to have my cake and eat it too.

@sooby. Actually the Alfalfa pellets were applied as a source of triacontanol, plant hormone that acts as a growth promoter. In this case I think it helped.

Thanks, Tina. I will try anything. My alfalfa pellets arrive Thursday and my 90% pure triacontanol powder, hopefully next week (I will test the latter on a cheaper plant or seedling first, assuming I can find something appropriate to dissolve it in - any kidnappers lend me some chloroform?).

Alfalfa pellets are available at Tractor Supply. Standlee and Dumor are the ones I use, no additives. I have no idea where to buy chloroform! If it makes you feel any better, I cannot cut a scape either.

I got mine from Amazon. I searched out the cheapest they had (6 bucks). They are for humans, I think. The plant will never know.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QVDM66H/
This is not the first time I have gotten human supplements for plants. I previously bought vitamin B pills as I read that helps prevent transplant shock in plants. No idea if they did anything, mind.

do you have dragons in your beds?? I have some too but don't have them all out yet, here is a baby I put out last week. Not a great pic but the only one I have at the moment. I wish I had more but they are so pricey, looking for one that is playing hide-n-seek, but never have found it.




Do you think your dl is getting crown rot? I had some that looked like that, kind of browning and sad, and they lost foliage a little bit at a time til it just flat out rotted. I don't know about dl, but on my iris I put ajax powder on them if they start to rot. I think it helps.

Yes, producing a scape does affect the vegetative growth (leaves, etc.) of the daylily plant depending on the growing conditions and environmental factors. There are trade-offs between vegetative (leaf) and reproductive (scape, flower, etc.) growth.

If/when? you cut off the scape I would cut it as high as possible. That way the plant has the largest amount of tissue left on the scape from which it can scavenge resources for later vegetative growth.

Anyone who is interested in a reasonably valid test of the triacontanol idea should remember to also do a control. For example, if say a tablespoon of alfalfa pellets are added to the planting hole of five test plants then a tablespoon of some other organic pellet (not known to contain triacontanol) should be added to the planting holes of five other test plants. Of course the test plants in the two groups should be matched so that they are as similar as possible in all respects.

Yes, Frillylily. Keen eye. I have a thing for dragons and gargoyles. They are dotted all round the yard. Initially it was an act of rebellion. I live in a somewhat Catholic neighborhood and was bored seeing the same religious statues everywhere in people's yards, over and over again. So I figured I would spice things up, and add a splash of variety.

I do not think the plant has rot. It is barely in the ground and despite being small, looked healthy upon arrival. Of-course, if it did have rot, my increasing the watering regimen will only make things worse.

Thanks, Maurice. I will do that regarding the cutting when the time comes. I never considered the plant could resorb much energy from the scape. Good thought. The triacontonol/alfalfa is just for fun. I read that H. fulva roots already contain over 10%* (and I assume other daylilies are similar), so adding more may not do much, especially given it is not water soluble how does it get from the alfalfa pellets into the daylily? It cannot be through rain or other watering.
* https://www.researchgate.net/p...

Acually, there have been several trials conducted. Makes for good reading.