What's wrong with my Rottnest Island Tea Tree?
Rottnest Island Tea Tree. Approx 3 metres high. Planted approx 4 weeks ago. Planted in Burns Beach, Perth. Same trees used in street scape and doing well. Used cow manure. Watered in the day planted. We have had a considerable amount of rain since then. Tree now looks brown and leaves are crispy and dry. Do they die back after planting?
Hi Robyn,
this plant (Melaleuca lanceolata) likes alkaline soils so adding the cow manure was ok as long as it had broken down and it wasn't fresh. Look at the soil and make sure that it has had good deep watering and the water is going through the profile and not sitting up the top and around the base of your new plant.Sometimes it looks like plants are getting enough water but you need to check deeper into the soil just incase the soil is repelling moisture. Check for green growth and try some seaweed concentrate around the roots until you start to see some new fresh foliage.
yates
Answered: 22 Jun, 2014