Why is/does it seem like some sections of my pittosporum hedge (Silver fern I think) is/are dying?
Community manager's note: Check out How to diagnose a sick plant for expert advice.
A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @digger64! We're delighted to have you join us and we look forward to assisting you with your D.I.Y. home improvement and gardening projects.
Thanks for your question on your plant. Our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be back on the site tomorrow and will be happy to provide his thoughts. Also tagging our gardening experts @Noelle, @mich1972 and @Adam_W for their thoughts on their meantime.
While waiting, I recommend reading Noelle's guide How to diagnose a sick plant for tips on taking care of infected plants. The Bunnings guide Planting, growing and pruning pittosporums might also come in handy.You can also check out the following discussions in case they help:
Akanksha
Good morning @digger64 Sending you a warm welcome to the Workshop Community and thank you for sharing your question about your Pittosporum hedge. 😊 Pittosporum doesn’t like to be overwatered and also under watered. But especially overwatered, the root system can rot. They prefer a deep watering as needed. I just wondering if that may be the issue. I can’t tell from the photos if it’s a fungal infection or pest infestation. I’m going to tag @Noelle into the conversation to ask her what she thinks. Also when you get a chance please have a read of the other posts that @Akanksha @has shared. 😊🪴
Hi @digger64
I agree that watering /drainage is probably the most likely cause - trying to find the happy medium can be tricky sometimes depending on soil type as well as your location and climate. A deep watering maybe twice a week over summer if there's no rain is the best approach, to encourage the roots to grow down deep to find moisture. Shallow or surface watering only draws the roots to the surface where they are even more susceptible to drying out rapidly.
I would doubt it is disease- or pest-related but as @mich1972 has said, the photos are not clear enough to diagnose accurately.
At this time of the year, it would be beneficial to use a seaweed-based soil tonic and also an organic liquid fertiliser to give the plants a little more stamina to withstand summer heat and potential dryness. There are several products fitting these descriptions available in Bunnings - follow the dilution and application instructions on the label. Repeat in about 6 weeks for optimal results.
Thank you for the fast response @Noelle 😃 I agree with you as well about a good soaking of Seaweed solution 🪴
Hi, I'm on the, Victorian, Mornington Peninsula and we have had a particularly wet winter/spring!What do you suggest for me to enable me to save this hedge and individual plants?Regards, Digger
Hi @digger64,
There's not much you can do about the weather, though installing adequate drainage can help remove excess water from the area. That becomes troublesome if you already have established plants such as these. You could look at adding draincoil in the lawn area to divert some of the subsurface water elsewhere, but it would need to be spaced at least 60cm out into the lawn so as not to disturb the plant's roots.
The best suggestion for saving the plant is limiting the watering that you are doing to only the necessity. As mentioned, a couple of deep and long waterings twice a week should be sufficient during summer and would be the best approach. The soil needs time to dry out slightly between waterings. If it constantly remains wet, this can become a problem.
Once you are through this wet spell, your plant should recuperate and put on new growth.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi. I have some Thrive All Purpose soluble fertilizer and was wondering if this was OK to use on my Pittosporum shrubs?
Regards, Digger64
Our resident horticulturist @Noelle has advised above to apply a seaweed-based tonic such as Seasol 600ml Complete Garden Health Treatment and an organic fertiliser such as PowerFeed 600mL Fertiliser Liquid Concentrate.
I feel these organic products would likely be a better choice.
Hi Mitchell & Co ( @Noelle )Can someone please let me know just how much of the diluted PowerFeed (using a ratio of 90ml per 9lt water, as per instructions for established plants) liquid I should apply to the base of the Pittosporums Tree/Hedge (NB: approximately 6feet high) as it doesn't offer that specifically on the bottle, only suggesting that 9 litres diluted covers approx 2-4 SQM (FYI: my hedge is 12mt long x 1mt wide and I will be using a 9lt watering can) TIA
Hedge, Showing signs of leave/plant issues on right hand side.
Since you have a 12-meter-long hedge, I propose dividing it into 3 sections. Each section would be in essence 4 square meters as the hedge is only 1 meter deep. Your watering can will hold 9lt of water and is estimated to cover 4 square meters, I suggest watering the first four meters with one can only.
You'll then need to mix another batch of 9lt for the next four meters and another batch for the remaining four. Taking the advice given to you earlier in the discussion, if the soil is very damp, I suggest holding off on watering the hedge and letting it dry out first. Applying that much water might prove detrimental for your hedge. Especially if the soil is waterlogged.
If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Eric
Eric has made a suggestion of dividing the hedge into roughly three sections, each one comprising approx 4 sq metres, and applying one watering can of Powerfeed per section. This sounds like the best option, so 3 watering cans on to the bed under the outer edge of the foliage of the hedge. If you have access to the other side of the hedge, you could repeat on it, so 6 cans in all. If the other side is not accessible, then try to cover as much of the soil in the bed and on the lawn on your side where the feeding roots will be found.
Since Powerfeed is not terribly strong, diluted as per the label and then applied generously it will not burn the roots.
