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| I've recently purchased a new property in a 2nd line coastal location. The property has a number of self-seeded Tuckeroo trees (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) at between 40 to 150cm - all are in inappropriate locations and I'd like to replant them elsewhere on the property. I'd like to know if the Tuckeroo is tolerant of root disturbance and relocation. Thanks TW |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi Tony Not sure about moving them, but I do know they are easy to propagate, as I have done so at my place. They are quite fast growing too. If you were to try and move them, I would do it in the winter. Popi |
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| They're pretty tolerant plants, so it's worth giving the "move" option a go. I'd have picked autumn as a good time to move, with a bit of warmth left in the season to get them started in their new site. All the rain around just now (are you getting any?) will mean there's good soil moisture. However, popi is right about them being easy to grow and fast - and if they self-seed in your area they're obviously going to come really well from seed for you. (Keep an eye out for tiny seedlings you could adopt.) It would be interesting to notice what other local natives come up on your place. cheers, Trish |
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| Hi Popi & Trish, thanks for the replies. I'll definately be giving the transplanting of the seedlings a try. They still have some very active new growth (infact the 1.5m plant is now 2 metres and perhaps beyond redemption) - so I'll wait until all the new growth slows down. While the property location is less than 200m from the beach it is in a very urbanised location. Way too many exotics exist in the area for my taste - I can tolerate the odd frangapani or exotic hibiscus but it really is overkill - as for other natives which self seed there really is only one and in my opinion it should be regarded as a weed in the Sydney area - that's the Pittosporum undulatum or Sweet Pittospourm/Mock Orange - and all of those self seeded plants will de dispatched to the green waste bin as soon as possible. Thanks for your advice. |
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| My experience of Tuckeroo related to the aftermath of one that the energy authority had to remove at our boundary line to make way for some works. That must be more than 2 years ago and its still suckering from roots up to 3 metres away from where the main trunk was cut down. Mind you I don;t know if this growth, left alone, would be strong or sappy (they are getting grubbed out here as they are popping up in the wrong spots) but they sure are vigorous so I think the plant is probably pretty tough, |
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| Pittosporum undulatum is such a pretty little tree, though. Is it really a weed, or just a pioneer plant doing what a pioneer plant is supposed to do? Is it locally native to your area? Pioneer plants are Mother Nature's way of saying "Hey, this is the kind of vegetation that should be here - not all those open spaces". If the Pittosporums really are locally native, and you want some small trees in your yard, you could thin to a few, which would grow and suppress the germination of others. Trish |
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| Hi Trish, agreed that Pittosporum undulatum can be a pretty little tree - but in it's native environment such as creeks and gullies - the problem is that due to man's desire to enrich soils in urban areas we have created an environmental in which it thrives outside it's indigenous habitat. As a result lazy gardners all over Sydney have let this profuse self-seeder get out of control. It's also become an environmental weed in Tasmania, Western Australia, Western Victoria and South Australia. Pretty as it may be it really is up there with the Cottamundra Wattle as native plants gone feral. Pioneering it is not - brutally dominating it is. Just because it's a native and pretty doesn't mean it should be treated as sacrosanct. Caution should be exercised. |
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| The key question is whether it's LOCALLY native, isn't it, Tony? ALL Australian plants have the ability to be feral weeds when grown out of their own environment. Here it's cadarghi (Eucalyptus/corymbia torreliana). I have no argument with the idea that people should avoid Pittosporum undulatum, because of its weedy potential, outside its natural range. (I can pick a bone with people who call all Australian plants "native", wherever they grow in Australia.) I do argue with the concept that they should also be avoided within their natural range, where they SHOULD (of course!) self-seed. They do it here in Toowoomba, where they are native to all our red soil. Despite self-seeding, they never become rampant here. They are a great pioneer plant, and should be recommended to anyone starting a new garden. Instead, our local nurseries have heard the "feral weed" story from down south and warn people off them, recommending New Zealand Pittosporums as a substitute. It's just mad! Trish |
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| The transplanting of the Tuckeroos was not succesful. The plants throw down a fairly large tap root and on plants up to 50cm in size the tap root is about 40cm. At that size they are just about all tap root and no laterals. During the week I got stuck into clearing section of the garden. In a 3 sq metre section of the garden I removed 47 Pittosporum undulatum plants ranging in size from seedling through to 2.5 metre high. The Pittosporum had far outcompeted other weeds such as Ochna, African Olive and Asparagus fern - no mean feat against those nasties! While Pittosporum undulatum might be indigenous to the Sydney region it is not indigenous to the coastal headland environment where I am located. The local council while not declaring it a weed does advise that Pittosporum revolutum should be planted instead because it "doesn't become a weed like P. undulatum." Wrigley & Fagg in Australian Native Plants describe P. undulatum as "a serious weed in the Sydney area" and Les Robertson in a Field Guide To The Native Plants Of Sydney sums it up pretty well by saying "Everyone either has or one day will have a Sweet Pittosporum in their backyard and it is a serious pest in urban bushland.", finally Roberton adds, "The other thing in it's favour is that it at least competes with Privet" ... enough said! |
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| DEFINITELY a weed, then! Anything that can compete with privet has my respect! I wish it did the same here, where privet is rampant. P.undulatum is being pushed out of its native territory here, together with so many other local natives, by this horrible weed. Trish |
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- Posted by ross windred nsw(windred1@tpg.com.au) onTue, May 24, 11 at 20:00
| Have a self seeded tuckeroo in yard close proximity to house. Now around 25 ft high. Somewhat concerned re safety in strong coastal winds. Beautiful healthy specimen and birds love it. Can it be successfully cut back ? |
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| I have a tuckeroo (cupaniopsis anacardioides) as a street tree. Mine is the only one where the leaves don't go glossy dark green as they always appear to have yellow through them. In hot weather some leaves turn bright yellow and drop off. The tree has spurts of growith instead of steadily growing like others in the vicinity. The leaves appear to "age" quickly and go leathery (before they should). I fertilize tree with Australian native fertilizer and have also tried iron chelate as recommended by local nursery but did not help. Tree is around 5 years' old. Soil is clay and in the Hunter Valley in NSW. Does anyone have a solution? |
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