brown spots citronella

Question

My citronella appears to be very sick. Can anyone help me understand what I’m doing wrong? Some background:

– It gets a lot of sun from about 6am to noon
– I recently planted it and used a ready-mixed miracle grow (Moisture control potting mix)
– It was doing very well for about a month then got super sick
– One day, I noticed a bunch of white stuff on it – I’m wondering if this is bird poo
– Another day, I noticed a big hole in the soil – I’m wondering if a bird dug a hole.
– The plant sits on the balcony – about 30 stories up.
– Roughly 3 days ago, I used my scissors to cut off the sad leafs – leafs that were very brown, white, or very damp and moist (to the point that they sat on the soil and lost all composure)

You can find pictures here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ooiryybhjnwgn8o/AAC2pl48ZXm5KWF13WDi3gMia

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Thanks for all the pictures. I would say that first of all the soil is too wet. “Moisture retentive” soils aren’t good for anyone except the manufacturers, in my humble opinion. And does the pot have drainage holes? I can’t tell from the pictures. So first thing, if you want to rescue your plant, repot it; pot should have drainage holes, soil should have good drainage — try cactus mix or african violet mix, with half again the volume of perlite added.
The white stuff is probably either powdery mildew or mealy bugs, either of which has attacked because of the weakened condition of the plant. Here are some articles to help you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/scented-geranium/mosquito-citronella-geranium-plant.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/powdery-mildew-homemade-and-organic-remedies.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/mealybugs-white-residue-on-plants-leaves.htm