One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn having a garden is something the The Mountain Man told me “a garden is not a sick bay!”
Yesterday I had to pull out a Camellia japonica that was not doing well nor was it ever doing to do well. It was part of a hedge I was making and all the other camellias were doing perfectly fine, gloriously fine.
This camellia had reached its economic threshold. “An economic threshold is the insect's population level or extent of crop damage at which the value of the crop destroyed exceeds the cost of controlling the pest”
Which basically means it would cost me more to deal with the problem than it would to replace the plant.
You see this plant had been attacked by scale and I treated it. It then got a little sick and I treated it. It appeared to be well enough to plant in the hedge, then it got attacked by scale again and then it started to have die back and then it got mealy bug.
Yesterday I had, had enough. I had already spent time and product (money) reviving this plant. I weighed up the cost it would take to bring this plant back to vigour vs a new plant of a similar size and it was not worth it. Out it came and a new plant went in.
I felt guilty the moment I ripped it out. Maybe I should have tried harder etc… but this morning as I stare at my now healthy, glorious looking camellia hedge all I feel is joy and I’m glad I took the plunge and did it.
Is their a plant in your garden that you’ve reached economic threshold with?