How do I deal with dead branches in a Lilly Pilly hedge?

[andygpage]

Hi Bunnings Garden Experts, 

Per the photos below, our Lilly Pilly hedge has a number of dead branches on it. Should I chop them off where the branch meets the tree? Or simply leave them? 

Any advice appreciated! 

Rgds, Andrew

 

 

 

 

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @andygpage 

A quick way to tell if a branch is totally dead is to break one close to the start of the branch itself. You'll notice that it is very brittle and quite easy to break. A branch that is still in good condition will often have fresh sap still travelling in the middle and they are very difficult to break as their fibres are still fresh and resilient. 

Don't apply too much force when testing. Just keep an eye on this when you begin pruning the dead branches. I also suggest having a quick look at this excellent guide - How to diagnose a sick plant by @Noelle.

Let me call on our experienced member @mich1972 and @Noelle for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Noelle]

Hi @andygpage 

Usually the wood inside a dead branch will be beige or brown in colour, compared to the white to pale green of a live branch. It is quite easy to see the difference.

Cut dead branches back until you reach live wood - this may mean cutting off entire branches in some cases, back to the main trunk. Do not leave stubs of dead wood as these fall easy prey to diseases and rots which could work their way back into healthy wood over time.

A fresh cut into healthy wood will dry out and heal over quite quickly, sealing the 'wound' you have created.

[andygpage]

Thank you! 

So if the branches are in fact dead, I should cut back to the trunk. What about if the branches are not dead and it just the leaves that are dead. Is the advice to leave as is or should I prune the branch back to a point? 

Thanks again for your tips!

Cheers, Andrew 

[EricL]

Hello @andygpage (Andrew)

In this particular instance, I suggest using your best judgement. If it looks like there are no other points of growth and the branch is not showing any new leaves it probably needs to be pruned. 

Eric

[MickV]

I have also been having a similar issue with my lilli pilli. It was quite thick and tall, then lots of random dead branches turned what was a very thick privacy hedge into a very patchy one. I’ve been cutting off the dean branches and we have been occasionally soaking the roots with neem oil, occasional water with seasol, and spraying leaves with eco oil. We also gave it a very hefty trim in height to allow the lower thin areas to get more light and all this seams to be helping as we are getting lots of new growth and it is thickening up. Is there a way to encourage new branch growth from the lower area of the trunk? Some areas are still quite sparse due to there being no live branches so was wondering if there was a way to encourage growth in certain areas?

[MitchellMc]

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

It's quite difficult to get new growth to form on old wood as the plant prefers to extend live branches instead of growing entirely new ones. Also, if those bare sections don't receive full light and are overshadowed by higher growth, no branches will form there. The plant tries to increase the leaf count with the least amount of energy.

You might like to post some images of the areas so our helpful members can better understand what you're working with. Let me know if you need a hand uploading images.

Here's a helpful guide: How to diagnose and revive a sick lilly pilly.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell