How to save pittosporum hedge?

[Dan14]

Hi bought the house a couple of months ago and noticed that the hedge was slightly brown, didn’t think nothing of it then got them trimmed and now they look like they are dying any advice to save them?

    

 

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Dan14. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about plant care.

It looks like your hedge of mature pittosporum plants is in pretty poor condition. At this stage, the likelihood of saving them is unfortunately quite low, but if there is any life left in the plants, the first step would be to determine why they have declined and address those issues immediately. Potential causes could include disease, pests, or drainage problems, though with mature plants, it’s less likely to be a sudden moisture issue unless something significant has changed in the soil.

I’ll mention @Noelle here to see if she has any additional thoughts or advice, but realistically, the chances of a full recovery are minimal at this point. If any part of the hedge does show signs of life, acting quickly to correct the underlying problem would give it the best chance of survival.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Noelle]

Hi @Dan14 

I'd have to agree with @MitchellMc that the outlook for the group of brown trees in the centre of the hedge isn't good - they look like they're beyond recovery at this stage. It is quite possible there is a drainage or other issue in that particular location that is affecting them, so I'd remove them, investigate a potential cause, rectify the problem if you can and then replant the same variety into improved soil.

If it's a disease that could potentially spread through the remainder of the trees, then that's a far more serious situation and may require a rethink on the suitability of that strip for a replacement hedge.