It's so late in the season, I would expect some leaf drop. Also those poor plants have probably been in pots sitting around at Lowes for many months and a few weeks for you. That in itself would cause some stress and more leaf drop. Unless the plants look like they're croaking completely, I doubt you have anything to worry about. Get them in the ground so they have some time to establish themselves before winter - assuming you are in a colder climate. You don't give any info about where you're at. Kevin

Research biocontrol and Integrated Pest Management(IPM). For most pests, I prefer to let the good bugs battle with me. There is no way you can do that using something that says "kills 140 pests" on the side of the bag. Yeah, 140 bad guys and all the good guys too! Many fungal issues are another story and opposite of the whole identify first idea. But not really. For example, I get powdery mildew every year on my cucurbits(cukes, melons, squashes).. As a beginner, i had no idea what it was...then I identified. After a couple more years trying to treat the symptoms without much success, i found out that you have to treat it BEFORE symptoms show.to control it. Made things much easier...every year now, I treat them from the time I transplant. For PM, I prefer to use a couple natural solutions... potassium bicarbonate, milk, neem oil, sulfur. That natria stuff isn't bad...just the pyrethrins are a tad broad. still considered organic though, I think. Kevin

Because Hornbeams are supposed to be so resilient and they grew during the spring, I didn't worry about watering them as much this year. ==>>> 3 to 5 years for 12 foot trees to get over transplant shock ... and i would continue to water them for at least 2 more years ... reducing it each year .... frankly.. they look just fine.. considering 99% of their roots were cut off a year ago .. never forget.. most of the growing is going on in the root zone ... so i would be glad they look as good as they do ... they are stressed.. not hungry.. no fert ... what has been your ambient weather since planting.. including winter.. did you water at a reduced rate in winter.. or at least check soil moisture??? im not familiar with your zone ... and where are you.. z7 is kinda vague ... ken ps: i am in 12 weeks of drought.. all kinds of trees are shedding leaves to some extent.. its normal.. i figure they just sacrificed some of the canopy to cope ... some leaf loss in august is not that big a deal ...

Thank you!! I didn't realize mimosa pudica was so sensitive to water retention issues. I'll make sure to use more well draining soil next time, and in the mean time I'll make sure not to water it unless it's starting to wilt. Could the issue also be related to too much or too little fertilizer? For the longest time, my plant was tiny, grew incredibly slowly, and its leaves would constantly fall off. It finally started growing properly after using a 16/16/16 liquid fertilizer. Right now, I fertilize it every 2 or 3 weeks. Does this sound reasonable?