On Jan 7, 10:28*am, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 1/6/2010 11:18 AM, Higgs Boson wrote:



At the back of my property , *near a block wall giving on an alley, *I
had some pittosporum *put in, oh maybe 6-7 years ago? *They have grown
very , very tall - maybe over 20 feet *-- practically reaching the
phone/elec lines. *Will this plant l take judicious topping, so it
will become bushier -- more of a privacy screen -- instead of tall &
skinny?

The landscaper's chart reads "pittosporum crassifolia", but when I
looked it up, it said only 8-10 ft. tall, but this is much more, so I
am somewhat confused.

In front of the pittosporum *(away from brick wall, toward house)
there is Erica, which has also grown much taller than it's "supposed"
to. *??

This is So. Calif coastal.

TIA

Persephone

I have P. tobira on the side of my house. *It will grow above the eaves..
*About every 4-5 years, I renovate them by cutting them to about 2-3
feet. *Even the bare branches will develop new shoots.

I cut mine in the spring. *Because we do get some nighttime frosts, I
don't want to promote new, tender growth in the winter. *As soon as I
have finished cutting, I give each plant a generous dose of
high-nitrogen fertilizer to push the new shoots.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: *California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

OK David, thanks for the info. In my area (SM beach) we don't
get frosts, so I'd feel safe cutting back now. I asked at Armstrong
and the employee said don't worry if the book says 8-10 feet
and yours is more; there's too much variation.

A little surprised about high-nitrogen right after cuttting rather
than
wait till "spring". Does this mean the plant is really not "dormant"
at all?
I would want to upset it if it was "resting" -- or DO they "rest"?

Any info on Erica?

TIA

Persephone