You say you protected them, past tense - that implies that they're not protected now, so what have your temperatures been like since you took the protection away, particularly night temperatures? have you had a cold snap, or a very hot spell of weather, and is the plant now exposed to full sun when it wasn't before you removed the protection? When you watered, how well did you water, and was the surface of the compost dry to the touch, or very wet already?