Lilac does not sprout »What can it be? (Syringa)

When the lilac does not sprout - the most common causes

If your lilac needs a little longer in spring, then watch it first. Sometimes the shrub just takes a little longer, for example if you have just cut it back heavily or even put on the stick to have. In many cases, however, there are problems in the root area behind the failure to shoot.

Voles

These small rodents pose a massive problem in many gardens, as they prefer to eat the plant roots and thus kill numerous garden plants. An infestation cannot initially be recognized from the outside, only when the lilacs die off or no longer sprout in spring can the damage be recognized by examining the roots. In this case, there is nothing more you can do for the lilac, except for it in its entirety dig up and to combat the vole plague in a targeted manner. You can have young lilacs with one Root lock plant and kill two birds with one stone.

Hard winter with heavy frost

True, the common lilac is hardy and gets through the cold season without any problems, but in very severe and frosty winters with extremely low temperatures even this robust shrub can freeze to death. It becomes particularly problematic when extreme, dry frost (i.e. without a protective blanket of snow) meets bright sunshine. With this constellation, frost damage is inevitable. Check the branches and twigs of the lilac to see if they are still green under the bark. Cut the shrub down to just above the ground and feed it with ripe compost.

Heavy soil / waterlogging

Waterlogging is particularly common in heavy, loamy soil, especially after rainy summers or a cold, wet winter. Lilac does not tolerate wet feet, and putrefactive bacteria and fungi settle on the roots that are constantly in the water - with the result that the shrub dies. If an affected lilac no longer sprouts for this reason, it can no longer be saved.