What time of year can you cut back a bottle brush tree?
Advizo
12 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (20)I think the sun-starved fruit tends to drop early for lack of adequate energy. I didn't keep up with scab on pears- I actually didn't realize that it can be a season long battle when it's as wet as it was this year. My 2 Boscs are 60% defoliated and dropped pears early though some are still on tree as did Highland which lost most pears too early to be worth anytning. Seckels did the same, but at least they have decent sugar. Bartlett and another unknown Bartlett type, but later, have completely healthy foliage and great fruit. Aurora stayed healthy but fruits not sweet enough. Most of the Honeycrisp apples, where foliage was fine, dropped a bit before ideal ripeness, or would have if I didn't pick them. Jonagold is thinning itself more than I'd like. All other apples were or are fine. I don't care at all about sooty blotch and fly speck....See Moreproblem with bottle brush trees dying?
Comments (3)It is hard to tell from your posting whether the trees have been in the ground for a number of years or if they are newly planted. If they have been there for a while, then watering MAY not be the problem. Check around the roots and see if it is especially dry. Mulching would help keep whatever moisture there may be at the root level, to do some good, since I am assuming that it's more likely to be dry than wet. If it doesn't seem to be moisture that is the problem, I would take a few branches/twigs/leaves to your county extension agent - look in the phone book under state or county agencies - and see what they can tell you. You can also take them to a GOOD nursery, if there is such in your area, and try to talk to the manager/owner. If you talk to one of the employees, they MAY not know anything - I would be slightly suspicious of any response that immediately tries to sell you "this great product", although, in fairness, you may need one or the other of the products! If the trees are newly planted (within the past year), then probably, since you say you are in drought conditions again, they need more water. You can save the water that you run in the kitchen or bath faucets, waiting for the hot water to get there, and use that for watering - I would use most of a bucket on only a few plants, rather than a bit on all of them, as that way the whole root system will get wet. If you can't do that, then I can't think of what else it might be of use - posting a photo would help....See MoreTrying to save a bottle brush tree, any experiences welcomed.
Comments (2)I had a seedling pop up at the edge of my pond amongst the coral rocks. I figured I'd leave it there as it looked interesting. When in one year, it grew to 5' and lush. I took it out because I didn't want the roots to invade the lining of the pond. Well I found that the root ball was HUGE. It apparently was quite happy being a 'water plant', maybe too happy. I had to dig this gigantic hole to plant it because most of it was roots. It is now doing well and I can't wait for it to grow larger because I like to attach orchids to it. Of course now that it is in the ground it is growing much slower. Go figure... I think your new plant will be fine....See MoreBottle Brush trees keep dying
Comments (3)Any suggestions? We had an unusually cold winter this year with 6 inches of snow in February. I have 2 bottle brush trees in my front yard that are brown all over & look dead. There is some new green sprouts coming out now but I was wondering if I need to cut back the brown limbs or just leave them? Some of the new growth is actually on the brown limbs. They look awful....See Morebrandon7 TN_zone7
12 years ago
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
12 years agoMarie Tulin
12 years ago
PROAnita Lee Homes
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
I'm a renter and the gardener pruned a magnificent bottlebrush tree (in bloom) back to just strands 2 weeks ago. Now the few strands he left look wilted and most are dead. It's dropping the dead leaves like a flood. I will be so devastated if it dies. Is there anything I can do to mitigate its stress?
User
6 years agobrandon7 TN_zone7
6 years agoUser
6 years ago- PRO
Anita Lee Homes
6 years ago 
shaxhome (Frog Rock, Australia 9b)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoIf it's a Callistemon, they're as tough as old boots. The traditional time to prune is after the flowers die, and just cut off behind the spent flowers as the seed pods form. Otherwise, it'll start looking like this, with fewer and fewer flowers over the years...
And it's a common practice to cut the whole tree/bush back to near ground level, where it'll come back bushier and healthier than ever. They do like moisture, and I've commonly seen them growing on the banks of rivers and dams, where some of the roots are constantly wet.
They're not bothered by frosts or summer heat. They grow here happily through -5C (23F) winters and 40C (104F) summers.
- PRO
Anita Lee Homes
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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brandon7 TN_zone7