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I bought this bush/shrub/plant about a month ago but I can't remember the species. It was very green, the leaves were curled and very little and it had very little white flowers. When I bought it everything seemed ok, but now, with the hot weather, it started to dry and I think it is dying. The soil is humid and I took it out of the sunlight (only takes some in the morning). The other day I watered it and add some vitamines to it and it seemed to get better, but I am afraid to put more since it can be too much. What should I do?

(Sorry in advance if my English is not the best)

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maria
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  • It may be beyond saving - looks like it suffered a serious lack of, or insufficient supplies of water, even if you were watering. Is there a drainage hole in its pot? Does the inner pot reach to the bottom of the outer pot? – Bamboo Jul 13 '20 at 14:02
  • I can't check that right now, but I think that there is neither a drainage hole nor the inner pot reaches the bottom of the outer pot. – maria Jul 13 '20 at 15:37

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If the outer pot has no drainage hole, and the inner pot does not reach the bottom, it's possible the outer pot has a lot of water in the bottom which may, or may not, be in contact with the plant. Sitting with its roots in water for a long period can kill a plant, but by the look of your plant, it looks more dessicated, that is, it's suffered significant drought, so the other possiblity is that, because the inner pot does not go to the bottom of the outer pot, any water you put into the plant simply runs straight through and is sitting inside the outer pot. This can easily happen if the plant has been allowed to dry out too much - when the soil in the pot is dry throughout, water will just run straight through.

You need to lift the plant out of the outer pot to see what has happened, but either way, if you want to try and save your plant, it's probably best to cut it down to about 2 inches, stand it in something else that's big enough for it to sit in properly, like a tray, water well and keep watered aas necessary ongoing if it shows signs of growth. Do not apply any feed, fertilizer or vitamins, just use water - the plant is unable to take up any fertilizer anyway, in its current condition.

In terms of ID for the plant, it's difficult to be certain because it's nearly dead, but it could be Leucothoe axillaris 'Curly Red' - it has pinkish red new growth in spring, which then turns plain green. It also produces small white flowers in spring. If it is/was that, Leucothoe does not like to dry out; it prefers damp but well drained soil conditions, and prefers partial shade. It is not a plant that recovers well from drought. See here https://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/leucothoe-axillaris-curly-red-unique-twisted-evergreen-foliage for images and some information on the plant.

Bamboo
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  • I don't think that that is the species, but thank you! I'll try and save it. Just one more thing, since I am no expert, how exactly do I cut it down to about 2 inches without letting it die? – maria Jul 13 '20 at 15:55
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    Its dying or dead anyway, or at least the topgrowth is - by cutting it down, the hope is to encourage new growth off the roots, if they are still alive. Dead topgrowth is no use to anyone, least of all the plant... if you can see any signs of life lower down, cut back to that. By signs of life I mean green, healthy leaves... You can tell if a branch is completely dead or not by scraping back a little of hte surface with a fingernail - if its brown and dry inside, its dead, if its live, it will look a little green and moist. – Bamboo Jul 13 '20 at 15:57
  • I get that, but how do I do it? Do you recomend any tutorial or something? – maria Jul 13 '20 at 15:59
  • Sorry, updated my last comment while you were posting yours, so read it again - no, no tutorial, its not difficult, just cut it back with sharp, clean secateurs, but its probably worth checking the stems with a fingernail first in the manner described - try at the top, halfway down and near the bottom to check before cutting it down. Cut down to what looks like live wood in the branch/es, if there's any... If not, take it down to 2 inches in hopes the roots are still alive. – Bamboo Jul 13 '20 at 16:00
  • The stems are still green inside, at least since halfway down – maria Jul 13 '20 at 16:05
  • Okay, there you go, cut back to halfway down. I expect more leaves will fall though because they;re too far gone, hopefully it will shoot new growth off those stems – Bamboo Jul 13 '20 at 16:06
  • thank you once again! – maria Jul 13 '20 at 16:12
  • Sorry to bother, just one more thing. Do you think that the sunlight is a problem? – maria Jul 13 '20 at 16:15
  • Hard to say if its not a Leucothoe; probably best to situate it where it gets half a day's sun, preferably morning sun if possible, or dappled sunlight. Just keep up with the watering - it will probably need daily watering if it gets hot sun. – Bamboo Jul 13 '20 at 17:18