How to revive uprooted pittosporums?

taliaelyse

I planted 10 pittosporums about 18 months ago and 8 of them are thriving, however the other 2 were knocked out during a fence replacement project and are severely shocked. 

They were both replanted as soon as I could get them back in, given seasol about 5 days ago, and I even trimmed them back and gave them and good soak yesterday because the ground was super dry. But today the leaves on both have gone really crunchy and seems to be worse off. 

Hoping I can get some advice/reassurance on how to bring them back! 

JacobZ

Hi @taliaelyse,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

Unfortunately, once a plant has been fully uprooted and left exposed, even for a relatively short period, it can suffer significant root damage and moisture loss. What you’re seeing now is a fairly typical transplant shock response, where the roots are no longer able to supply enough water to support the existing leaf mass, so the foliage dries out and becomes crispy. It is not a lost cause, but they are unfortunately under significant stress.

At this point, the most helpful thing you can do is to reduce stress and be patient. Avoid further feeding or treating for now, and absolutely no more pruning; you don't want to introduce any additional stress. 

The best thing you can do at this point is keep the soil evenly moist and wait. The root system needs to heal, and right now, rest and plenty of fluids are the best thing for it.

Additional support from some garden stakes to help support them would also be handy, as they are not solidly anchored to the soil right now. It looks like you already have a small stake in place, but you should consider adding some taller ones if it feels like they are at risk of falling over.

It’s also worth noting that pittosporums are quite tough, and even if all the existing leaves fail, they can still recover by pushing new growth from the stems or base over the coming weeks. So, keep the water up, be patient and don't panic. Hopefully, they will bounce back shortly.

Jacob