Question

Red Apple   I live in San Diego and have had red apple iceplant  in several large areas for approximately 8 years.  It has always been thick, green and lush regardless of weather, amount of water, etc.. Approximately 2 months ago, it started turning brown and appears to be dying.  I'm enclosing pictures to help you diagnose this problem.  I'm hoping this can be fixed so I don't have to replace these large areas of iceplant.
Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Barbara

Answer
Dear Barbara, You are not the only person in California who is having problems with the red apple ice plant this year.  Your area has had record rainfall this year which has likely caused most of the problem.  Even if your particular area is well-draining, the excess rainfall will take its toll on plants like this ground cover.  Other ice plants in California are having the same issues after the rain, and it is possible that a fungus is spreading among them.  I would try to clear out the dead areas and wait until the weather warms up and dries out in a few months.  Hopefully, next year they will do much better.  Sorry I can't give you much more help than that, but you probably can't do much until warmer weather.  You could try to spray with a fungicide, but I'm not sure it would help much.  Melissa