How to Grow Pittosporum

Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. In areas with heavy or clay soil, to help improve soil structure and drainage, add gypsum and mix in well.

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down.  Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed.  Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.

Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Feed in autumn and spring with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser to promote strong root development and healthy foliage.

Pick a variety that can be grown in a pot.  Choose a pot at least 300mm wide and deep. Position in full sun.

Fill chosen pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter Potting Mix.  Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well.

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Feed in autumn and spring with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser to promote strong root development & healthy foliage.

Pittosporums grow best in fertile, moist and very well-drained soil.

For garden-grown Pittosporums, feed plants with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

For pot-grown Pittosproums, feed plants with Yates Dynamic Lifter Liquid Concentrate.

Pittosporums need regular watering until they are established. During hot weather, deep water and keep the soil moist.

Pittosporums are naturally bushy growing plants, so require minimal pruning if grown as a shrub, tree or informal hedge. Simply prune off any leggy growth to keep the plant more uniform.

If you are growing your Pittosporums as a semi-formal or formal hedge, occasionally lightly tip-prune the plants to make them bushier.

If planting your Pittosporum hedge as a screen, plant every 1-1.5 m apart.

If planting your Pittosporum hedge as a semi-formal to formal hedge, plant every 0.5-0.75 m apart.

Pittosporums can grow up to 1 m per year.

There are various reasons why a Pittosporum plant goes brown and dies, most of the time it is a water-related issue.

Pittosporums need exceptional drainage and are highly prone to waterlogging and Root Rot diseases. To prevent this issue avoid panting at the bottom of a slope where water collects, avoid planting in clayey soil, and only water when the soil starts to dry out. In periods of heavy rain, you can apply Yates Anti Rot to boost the plant’s own defence mechanisms to help prevent diseases like Root Rot.

Conversely, Pittosporums are only moderately drought-tolerant and need regular moisture to thrive and look their best. Make sure you are feeding the plant/s with an organic-based fertiliser (e.g. Yates Dynamic Lifter) to maintain better moisture and treat the soil if it is hydrophobic.

Other issues include pests, such as Thrips, Mealybugs and Scales.

In a hedge, there is going to be variation in the availability of water, light and nutrients. Too much or too little of any of the above will affect a plant's growth and survival. Other factors include soil depth, a plant's life history, natural vulnerability, and pre-existing pests and diseases. Within the first year of planting a hedge, it is not uncommon to lose 5 % of your plants.

Why is the One at the End Dying?

It's important to pay extra attention to the plant at each end. When you are watering, make sure you visit the plant on the end twice as much as the rest of the hedge; and don't forget to feed the one on the end too.

Why is the one Not on the End Dying?

Aside from watering and feeding, check the plant closely for signs and symptoms of pests and diseases.

If there are holes in the trunk and sap/gum oozing out, then it is most likely a Borer. There is no chemical control for Borers. Most of the time, Borers attack uncared-for trees, so just make sure you are keeping the trees well-fed and watered to keep them healthy.

Bumps or lumps on Pittosporum stems and leaves are usually an indication of Scales or Mealy Bugs. Spray trees with Yates Nature's Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray.

You can prune at any time of year, but it is best to prune in autumn and spring.