How to revive weeping lilly-pilly?

Hi. I bought the plant in a 100L bag and transplanted to a planter of approx 600L. Good soil and compost. Elevated for drainage. Plenty of sun...but growth is slow and sparse and most leaves have brown tips. Everything else is exploding this time of year, but not this fella...any tips 🙂

The images below show some growth and the brown tips

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @andypatkinson. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about weeping Lilly Pilly care.

It sounds like your weeping lilly pilly might be feeling a bit unsettled, which can happen after being moved from a 100L bag into a much larger 600L planter. Even with good soil, compost, and plenty of sun, they can sometimes take their time to adapt before putting out strong new growth. Could you let me know how long it’s been in the planter for?

It would also be good to know more about the planter’s setup. How’s the drainage looking? Since it’s elevated, that’s a great start, but you’ll want to make sure excess water can escape freely, as lilly pillies dislike sitting in wet soil. It’s worth doing a quick test: after a substantial watering or heavy rain, check how long the top 10 centimetres of soil stays moist. Over about five days, it should begin to dry out, and after a week the top layer should feel fairly dry. If it stays wet for much longer, the soil may be holding too much moisture. On the other hand, if it’s drying out within a day or two, you might need to increase watering slightly.

Lilly pillies prefer consistent but not constant moisture. Letting the soil dry out a little between waterings encourages the roots to grow deeper and stronger. How often are you currently watering it?

Lastly, have you applied any fertiliser since planting it? If it’s been in the planter for a while, a slow-release fertiliser formulated for native plants or a balanced controlled-release fertiliser might help encourage stronger, healthier growth once you’re sure drainage and watering are right.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

andypatkinson

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/59354#Comment_59354

Been in the planter for about 3 months. The drainage looks good - after a watering I can see it dripping out the bottom slowly / steadily.

I'll keep an eye on soil moisture over the next week or so.

Fertiliser, it had Dynamic Lifter mixed in with the soil / compost when planted and seasol thereafter.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/92094#Comment_92094

Hello @andypatkinson

I propose investing in a Brunnings 3 in 1 Soil Meter. It is designed for quick & simple checking of the soil through a combined Hydrometer (moisture testing, Photometer (light testing) and a pH Meter (pH level testing) to help you create the perfect growing environment for your plants. My best advice is to take good care of the pin probes and prevent them from getting accidentally bent.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

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