Pittospurum dying

[Don]

Folks

as like most of you we are in really dry conditions. I have a garden of
many different types of Pittospurums and have been limited in water. I live
in a cool to cold (Adelaide hills) very wet area (normally around 1400mm pa
rain). I have two 6 year old pittospurums that are starting to die from
within. There are branches and leaves within the plant that have gone
completely dead. They have dried off to a crinkly brown and the branches
just snap off. The trees in question are maybe 15 foot high and the rest of
the leaves etc look fine. Any ideas?

regards

Don

[FarmI]

"Don" > wrote in message
> Folks
>
> as like most of you we are in really dry conditions. I have a garden of
> many different types of Pittospurums and have been limited in water. I
> live in a cool to cold (Adelaide hills) very wet area (normally around
> 1400mm pa rain). I have two 6 year old pittospurums that are starting to
> die from within. There are branches and leaves within the plant that have
> gone completely dead. They have dried off to a crinkly brown and the
> branches just snap off. The trees in question are maybe 15 foot high and
> the rest of the leaves etc look fine. Any ideas?

I don't know if it will help you at all but there has been a number of
widespread reports of pittosporums dieing suddenly in the past few years
(which seems to have co-incided with our drought conditions).

I did a hunt and found this article:
http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1914648.htm

The remedy to try would be long deep watering, followed by an application of
seaweed emulsion and more long deep watering. Dunno how you can manage that
in drought conditions though. If it is phytophora then I think it might be
a case of "goodnight nurse".

[Terryc]

Don wrote:
> Folks
> I have two 6 year old pittospurums that are starting
> to die from within.

which particular one(species)?

We lost the one at home (P undulatum) when the borers got in and slowly
pruned it back to a tall stump,

Could be drought as the local native ones all like moist gullies.

Our P revolutum haven't survived 6 years yet, so could be a end of
natural life cycle, althought they are only a bush really.

[Don]

thanks for the article reference. Mine are mainly bush to small tree
variety and I think its a water problem. Will see how they pick up if we
ever get a deep soaking (assuming they hang on long enough)

regards

Don


"Terryc" > wrote in message
...
> Don wrote:
>> Folks
>> I have two 6 year old pittospurums that are starting to die from
>> within.
>
> which particular one(species)?
>
> We lost the one at home (P undulatum) when the borers got in and slowly
> pruned it back to a tall stump,
>
> Could be drought as the local native ones all like moist gullies.
>
> Our P revolutum haven't survived 6 years yet, so could be a end of natural
> life cycle, althought they are only a bush really.