I live in bristol uk I have a bottle brush plant that has flowered well in the last 2years but now looks as if it could have been frost damaged as all the tips of last years flowers have gone brown although the leaves are still green. Should I prune the tips or what other treatment should i use ?

On 5/4/2008 1:35 PM, tuck44 wrote:
I live in bristol uk I have a bottle brush plant that has flowered well
in the last 2years but now looks as if it could have been frost damaged
as all the tips of last years flowers have gone brown although the
leaves are still green. Should I prune the tips or what other treatment
should i use ?

Is your bottle brush Callistemon or Melaleuca? Both are in the myrtle
family and are native to Australia.

The flowers on Callistemon generally last only one season, so last
year's flowers should already be history. Callistemon can be pruned
severely, especially now before summer comes. However, prune only to
above green foliage; pruning below the lowest green leaf may cause the
entire branch to die (similar to pruning lavender). Pruning is not
really necessary except for aesthetic purposes or to remove deadwood.

I'm not familiar with the care of Melaleuca. However, I know that it is
considered an invasive pest in Florida.

--
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 pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

As far as targets go I have this section for you on pruning. Often myrtle
is topped and people claim it was pollarded - not true.
Mulching correct also will also correct. I am willing to help you anyway I
can.

Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Mulching -
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/mulch.html

If you would like to get more technical I recommend MODERN ARBORICULTURE,
the book. It can be obtained at your library or they can get it for free.
www.shigoandtrees.com

He was my professor in New Tree Biology Studies
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Tree Biologist
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.
Some people will buy products they do not understand and not buy books that
will give them understanding.


"David E. Ross" wrote in message
. ..
On 5/4/2008 1:35 PM, tuck44 wrote:
I live in bristol uk I have a bottle brush plant that has flowered well
in the last 2years but now looks as if it could have been frost damaged
as all the tips of last years flowers have gone brown although the
leaves are still green. Should I prune the tips or what other treatment
should i use ?

Is your bottle brush Callistemon or Melaleuca? Both are in the myrtle
family and are native to Australia.

The flowers on Callistemon generally last only one season, so last
year's flowers should already be history. Callistemon can be pruned
severely, especially now before summer comes. However, prune only to
above green foliage; pruning below the lowest green leaf may cause the
entire branch to die (similar to pruning lavender). Pruning is not
really necessary except for aesthetic purposes or to remove deadwood.

I'm not familiar with the care of Melaleuca. However, I know that it is
considered an invasive pest in Florida.

--
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 pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

"tuck44" wrote in message

I live in bristol uk I have a bottle brush plant that has flowered well
in the last 2years but now looks as if it could have been frost damaged
as all the tips of last years flowers have gone brown although the
leaves are still green. Should I prune the tips or what other treatment
should i use ?

I guess it depends on how old it is. I have cut a callistemon that was at
least 15 years old and almost 6 ft back very hard as it was leggy and ugly.
The first year I cut off about two third of each branch on one side of the
bush (back into bare wood) and when this repsonded brillaintly and bushed
up, I than cut back the back half of the bush hard the next year.

The following site at the Australian National Botanic Garden may be of
interest to you as it discusses pruning at various stages and in various
places;
http://www.anbg.gov.au/callistemon/index.html

I dont know how to help you with your problem but the name bottle
brush plant is really appealing to me. I dont know if you can post
images here but sometime when you get the plant going right, could you
post a pic? Take care and happy gardening. Judy
On May 4, 4:35*pm, tuck44 wrote:
I live in bristol uk I have a bottle brush plant that has flowered well
in the last 2years but now looks as if it could have been frost damaged
as all the tips of last years flowers have gone brown although the
leaves are still green. Should I prune the tips or what other treatment
should i use ?

--
tuck44

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"tuck44" wrote in message

I live in bristol uk I have a bottle brush plant that has flowered well
in the last 2years but now looks as if it could have been frost damaged
as all the tips of last years flowers have gone brown although the
leaves are still green. Should I prune the tips or what other treatment
should i use ?

I guess it depends on how old it is. I have cut a callistemon that was at
least 15 years old and almost 6 ft back very hard as it was leggy and
ugly. The first year I cut off about two third of each branch on one side
of the bush (back into bare wood) and when this repsonded brillaintly and
bushed up, I than cut back the back half of the bush hard the next year.

The following site at the Australian National Botanic Garden may be of
interest to you as it discusses pruning at various stages and in various
places;
http://www.anbg.gov.au/callistemon/index.html
The site does not help understand targets, dose or timing. TREE PRUNING
book would help there. www.shigoandtrees.com


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Tree Biologist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.
Some people will buy products they do not understand and not buy books that
will give them understanding.