Why Is My Sky Pencil Turning Brown Inside

Question

The plant has been on my northeast-facing patio for about 3 months (over summer), most of the time naturally rain watered. It was in its nursery container, which I put inside a decorative pot. Today I was going to repot it, but I discovered that the leaves on the inner branches are all brown, whereas the ones on the outside branches are green and healthy-looking. I tried to shake off spider mites but I didn’t find any. I pulled it out of the nursery container. The bottom of the root ball was wet, but I had watered it earlier today. The visible roots are whitish and there is no foul odor. Any idea what the problem is? Can it be saved?

Answer 1

When you water it, do you remove it from the outer pot? If not, there may be some root rot going on. Make sure to dump out the water in the outer pot after watering. You can trim off those brown shoots. Here is general care:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/holly/care-of-sky-pencil-holly.htm