Flowering gum in distress

by Jodie Moloney
(McGraths Hill NSW Australia)

Hi,

My partner has never had any luck with flowering gums. We planted one a couple of months ago and noticed the leaves were starting to droop - it then died.

We watered it and gave it seasol and magnesium but none made a difference. We decided to try again and as soon as the plant was in the ground it has started to do the same. We left it in the pot for a while and it was fine there. We thought the heat might have killed the first one but this one has been in wet weather so we know now it wasn’t that.

Comments for Flowering gum in distress

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Jan 31, 2021

Not Familiar
by: Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist

First of all, I'm not familiar with this tree, or your conditions, but looking at your soil, or mulch that shows in your pictures, that seems to me to be completely unsuited to these plants.

The fact that your first plant died, and then the second one started showing the same symptoms, but only after you planted it, is telling us something. There is something wrong with the soil itself, or something with the drainage, or something in the soil that is causing it. It sounds like there is possibly some kind of pathogen in the soil, which attacks this particular genus.

Suggestions; find a knowledgeable expert in these plants, and who is local to your area. They would be more familiar with any problems.

Don't plant the same type of tree again! Is it possible to dig this one up and replant it in a large container? This would tell you that it's something in the soil. Also, I don't recommend using any type of fertilizer until a tree is well established (like a year after planting it).

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