Mexican sage leaves turning yellow and falling off?

Question

Hi,

I just got a new mexican sage and planted it in my garden. The next few days I noticed that the bottom leaves are turning yellowish overnight and starting to fall off. Otherwise, the leaves on the top half of the plant look green and healthy. Is this normal? Am I watering it too much or too little?

Thanks a lot

Answer 1

Garden shops, especially the big box ones, tend to overfertilize plants so that they look irresistible in the store.  Then the hapless buyer takes the plant home and the plant no longer gets its overdose on fertilizer and goes into shock...by dropping leaves or wilting.  

It's common for plants to drop leaves.  My Mexican Sage did the same thing but then came back and now after three years it's a filled-out little shrub.

Mexican Sage is considered a drought-tolerant plant which under normal conditions means it likes to have its root dry out between watering.

If the plant does NOT recover, though, it could be something in your soil that's ailing the salvia.

Answer 2

It could just be stressed from the transplant, but most likely, it's just too much water.  Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Answer 3

Probably watering too much. Mexican sage does well with 1/2-1 inches of water per week in the summer and prefers well-drained soil.