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Australian Native Plants

Unhappy plant or impatient gardener.

19 years ago

I planted a Callistemon viminalis Pink Alma,

8 months ago. Am I expecting too much, too soon.

This plant has not budged, it just sits there and looks

just like the day I planted it. I have this gut feeling it is not happy and is going to curl up its leaves and die.

It is like looking at a still life.It has no personality and isn't even trying, while I have almost killed it with kindness. Does anyone have any experience with this shrub

of the year 1999. Thanks

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Comments (4)

gardenlen
19 years ago
g'day nemo,

reckon you should be seeing some signs of new growth by now, have you seen any?

what condition where the roots when you tipped the plant to plant it? eg.,. where they all root bound and in a tight ball/clump?

if so then i would suggest that it could have been root bound and most natives won't exist past that stage, if that where the case try to buy plants with healthier root system and not balled up roots.

one of the gardens i had there was a nz xmas bush very small it would give the odd flower and not much more no real growth at all, then it up and died and when i pulled it out of the ground its roots where all balled up in a knot the same as it was in the pot, almost no new roots had grown beyond that ball.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page
nemo
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks Len,
The root system must have been ok as I would have remembered if it wasnt, I do check this out so I know what you mean. It did throw out 2 little flowers around spring and that was it. It is still just sitting there,no new growth at all.I would love to know what is going on under the ground. Is the root system happy,it is a mystery.
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The fertilizer I used was Miracle Gro organic choice bone meal. 6-9-0 available at Lowes/HD. I did not mix it in strong, but I did add a fair amount to the wheelbarrow I was mixing the new soil in. I've attached a pic of what they all look like (all tucked into the garage for the night - mid 40s here). The smaller seedlings are a bit more yellow than I'd like. I have a fertilizer called Essential Elements which is a 4-3-3 organic sold by Len Pense / Pensaroda Farms in MO which I can use - tablespoon per pot? With the MG Bone Meal 6-9-0 do you still suggest I flush with straight water even though I didn't go very heavy? I also have some Neptune Harvest Fish Emulsion (2-4-1) and also NH Seaweed (0-0-1) I could use for quicker absorption or so I assume. I've tried to errr on the side of less feeding, but this is my first year really starting peppers and tomatoes from seed so I'm in a very learning mode even though I want them to turn out right. I'm about 10-15 days from putting them in the garden since our temps have warmed and are forecasted to be warm (nights in the lower to mid 50s) through mid-April, but I want them to be in good shape before I put them out. This is side to the main question, but the plants are roughly 1' tall and some are putting out a few flowers. Should these first flowers be pinched off to focus energy on plant growth instead of fruit production? Here is a link that might be useful: Scotts / MG Bone Meal
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justcorreas
19 years ago
I wouldn't give up hope on it just yet Nemo, as I have a Callistemon "Kings Park Special" which sat idle for the first twelve months. Now after 3+ years it's now 3 metres high, so if yours still looks healthy, just leave it as I'm sure it will make a move soon.
pos02
19 years ago
Callistemons will survive in dry spots, but they are a riparian species, so prefer to have good moisture. They never tell you these things on the tags, so don't pay much attention to them. They only way to find out what the plants really need and where they naturally grow is to look them up in a reference book (there are plenty around).

If you provide enough moisture (water once a week should be fine), I think you should see some growth. As mentioned before, they can take a few years to take off.

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