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Sun, Feb 12, 12 at 21:50
| Hello
I have a recently established native garden (2yo approx) all has gone well until the last 2 months where a wholesale massacre has occurred - rows of very healthy pimelea rice flower, crowea poorinda ecstasy, dampiera linearis and also a swathe of pratia pendunculata have all died. The only change to the environment is a number of new houses being built around my block with lots of dirt, cement dust, lime etc being blown across the garden with every north wind. Do you think this could be the cause? If so - how do I decontaminate? Any ideas would be welcomed Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi. Yes, these plants are all susceptible to a high PH, perhaps buy a cheap kit and check, the presence of a high soda (High PH) soil is commonly not an instant death to many of the species you mention, unless it is extremely high, though they will be unhealthy and slowly degrade till they become susceptible to disease or insect attack, as PH rises (becomes more alkaline) you will notice a yellowing of the leaves, normally from the edges of the leaves and then moving inward over time, this effect is known as "Lime Chlorosis" I have seen a Isopogon growing in the middle of a fire trail with a blob of concrete that had been dropped on it and set there, the plant was stunted and yellow ... but was not dead and survived, I would wonder if a "Native Garden Hater" had not "Glopho'd" your garden? however, dust from gyprock is severely Soda and I would imagine could kill plants quickly, but as we have had so much rain (I do not know where you are from) I would think the dust would have been washed through evenly and a slow degeneration of health would be noticed, not sudden death, perhaps you have a fungal problem, perhaps Phytophora, check your gardens soils ability to drain, pull a a dead plant and see if the roots are black, especially around the point where the soil covered the roots/stock of the plant, the addition of iron, in chelate form initially, but it's effects are short term and you will need to keep applying it at rates to apprehend the problem if it is a PH related one, there are other forms of iron that last longer, but chelated iron works quickly, Lime locks up nutrients, and many Aus natives are not adapted to extracting nutrients in such a condition. Good Luck. |
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