Posted by trouble626 on February 24, 2011, 12:36 pm
Can someone help me please, I searched high and low for a bottlebrush
like the one my mother had that the council destroyed. Found it
CALLISTEMON rigidus.
I planted it last year, along with a smaller more plant like bottlebrush
and covered them over our horrible winter as she had told me they would
not cope with the cold until it was a few years old.
The weather has finally picked up and I've removed the "breathable,
protective" cover, all the leaves are brown, and covered in mildew
spots, the thing looks dead. However, the end branches are still very
pliable when you bend them, so it makes me think the plant itself isn't
dead.
I know you can prune them, but to remove all the dead leaves, I'd have
to cut it right down to the ground.
I've spent so long looking for this plant, and now I'm scared the -14C
weather has killed it.
Can anyone give me any advice?
--
trouble626
Posted by David Hare-Scott on February 24, 2011, 4:38 pm
trouble626 wrote:
> Can someone help me please, I searched high and low for a bottlebrush
> like the one my mother had that the council destroyed. Found it
> CALLISTEMON rigidus.
>
> I planted it last year, along with a smaller more plant like
> bottlebrush and covered them over our horrible winter as she had told
> me they would not cope with the cold until it was a few years old.
>
> The weather has finally picked up and I've removed the "breathable,
> protective" cover, all the leaves are brown, and covered in mildew
> spots, the thing looks dead. However, the end branches are still very
> pliable when you bend them, so it makes me think the plant itself
> isn't dead.
>
> I know you can prune them, but to remove all the dead leaves, I'd have
> to cut it right down to the ground.
>
> I've spent so long looking for this plant, and now I'm scared the -14C
> weather has killed it.
>
> Can anyone give me any advice?
Grow plants that are suitable for your climate.
David
Posted by lannerman on February 24, 2011, 5:05 pm
trouble626;913625 Wrote:
> Can someone help me please, I searched high and low for a bottlebrush
> like the one my mother had that the council destroyed. Found it
> CALLISTEMON rigidus.
>
> I planted it last year, along with a smaller more plant like bottlebrush
> and covered them over our horrible winter as she had told me they would
> not cope with the cold until it was a few years old.
>
> The weather has finally picked up and I've removed the "breathable,
> protective" cover, all the leaves are brown, and covered in mildew
> spots, the thing looks dead. However, the end branches are still very
> pliable when you bend them, so it makes me think the plant itself isn't
> dead.
>
> I know you can prune them, but to remove all the dead leaves, I'd have
> to cut it right down to the ground.
>
> I've spent so long looking for this plant, and now I'm scared the -14C
> weather has killed it.
>
> Can anyone give me any advice?
Hi Trouble, Firstly, its very important that we know where you live ??
Secondly, alot will depend on how and where it was initially raised ??
Its possible (depending where you live) it has spent most of its short
live (at the nursery) inside or under cover ! Even down here in
Cornwall, my young bottle brushes (18" tall in 2 litre pots and grown
outside) have some brown leaves due to the bad winter ! You say the
branches are still pliable but scratch them and see if they are still
green ?? If so, you may be lucky and it will shoot again. I wouldnt do
anything yet, no pruning but I would leave it unwrapped, as im thinking
maybe, while it has been extremely cold, some of your problems might be
due to it being wrapped up ?? You dont say how big this plant is ? but
Id leave it until end of March and then halve the stems and if its going
to shoot, it will then do so fairly quickly ! If your unlucky and it is
indeed dead and you replace it, try to find one thats been raised
outside !!
If your comming to Cornwall this summer, we have loads down here and
a reasonable price to pay (depending on size) would be about £4-50. We
raise them outside so that they are as hardy as possible (with our salt
winds) and thats what you want to look for ? but your success will
depend on your location and maybe, a good thing next time would be to
grow it in a tub for a couple of years, so that you can give it some
protection if these bad winters continue before planting it out. One tip
I can give you, after flowering, remove the small hard seed pods (cut
them of behind the old flowers) all they do is to sap the plant of
vigour and energy producing seed you dont want !!
hope this helps, Lannerman
--
lannerman
Posted by Tring14 on February 27, 2011, 8:08 am
lannerman;913670 Wrote:
> Hi Tring, you say this fern was in an outhouse ? how dark was it ? and
> you say you also wrapped it up ? what with ? Another thing that puzzles
> me is that you say the leaves are still unfurled, thats quite odd, were
> they unfurled when you wrapped it up because the main flush of leaves
> appear in the spring and while you get the odd new leaf through the
> summer by the time you bought it, most of that seasons leaves should be
> up and matured ? Is it possible that what your seeing are new leaves ??
> Its a bit early but to have brown unfuled leaves now is very unusual ??
> Lannerman
I've probably confused things by saying unfurled, the leaves were tied
loosely up and now untied they've flopped but are still twisted. It was
wrapped in netting material for this purpose, there was a fair amount of
light, but lack of water looks like the real issue. Certainly getting
enough now with all the rain past few weeks but could be too late...
--
Tring14
Posted by lannerman on February 27, 2011, 3:28 pm
Tring14;913768 Wrote:
> I've probably confused things by saying unfurled, the leaves were tied
> loosely up and now untied they've flopped but are still twisted. It was
> wrapped in netting material for this purpose, there was a fair amount of
> light, but lack of water looks like the real issue. Certainly getting
> enough now with all the rain past few weeks but could be too late...
Hi Tring, Yes, could be suffering from lack of water but luckily because
they have been fairly dormant through the winter, my gut feeling is that
you might just be lucky !! So, dont panic, just give plenty of water,
especially around the crown and you should get some new leaves in the
spring You didnt say how tall the trunk was ? but if it is dead, heres a
little tip you might like to use. Quite a few tree ferns have been
killed recently, even down here in Cornwall and what weve done which
seems to be quite successful is this.
Buy a very small Dicksonia, make a 'basket' of fine chicken wire, lined
with moss, place the 'basket on top of the old dead trunk and plant the
new small plant in the basket. Keep well watered and quite quickly the
roots will secure it to the trunk and give it a couple of seasons to
establish and 'hey presto' a new tree fern (with a trunk).I know its a
cheat but better than throwing the dead trunk out ?? they aint cheap !!
best wishes, lannerman
--
lannerman
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> like the one my mother had that the council destroyed. Found it
> CALLISTEMON rigidus.
>
> I planted it last year, along with a smaller more plant like
> bottlebrush and covered them over our horrible winter as she had told
> me they would not cope with the cold until it was a few years old.
>
> The weather has finally picked up and I've removed the "breathable,
> protective" cover, all the leaves are brown, and covered in mildew
> spots, the thing looks dead. However, the end branches are still very
> pliable when you bend them, so it makes me think the plant itself
> isn't dead.
>
> I know you can prune them, but to remove all the dead leaves, I'd have
> to cut it right down to the ground.
>
> I've spent so long looking for this plant, and now I'm scared the -14C
> weather has killed it.
>
> Can anyone give me any advice?