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problems with Grevillea
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Posted by nada1712 Costa Blanca Spain (My Page) on Mon, Aug 18, 08 at 17:42
I don't know what I am doing wrong. I planted a Grevillea olivacea in april ...late spring here...and its curling up its toes. I have mulched it and put on bark chippings, we had alot of deep rain unusually at the beginning of June and since then no rain. But its watered daily on a drip and by hose. We are on a rocky coast alkaline soil which is clayey. I planted a Westringia fruticosa at the same time and that is looking great. I planted a G. robusta 2 years ago and that is fine although no flowers yet. I also planted
Grevillea johnsonii
Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘Rosy Posy’
Grevillea x Robyn Gordon and none of of them are doing that well.. please help as I adore grevilleas, as an expat Kiwi I love a bit of down under
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: problems with Grevillea
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Your problem is your soil, most grevilleas detest poor drainage (ie clay soils) and prefer slightly acid soils. Westringias seem to grow in anything. I dont know what you are going to do as your options are limited. You may be able to dig them up and pot them if they are not too large yet (they may not live) and raise your garden beds, adding sulphur, pine needle mulch...anything that will acidify your soil (only short term, you will have to repeat this each year). Or keep them in large tubs?
Note: grevilleas also hate fertilizers with phosphorous and if unsure only fertilze aus natives with blood and bone - or nothing at all - increases the flower show.
A far better bet would be callistemon in your soil conditions.
Sorry to put a damper on things for you. I love grevilleas too!! |
RE: problems with Grevillea
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Grevillea olivacea does well west of Toowoomba, where the soil pH is 7 or more, which has made me wonder whether it's a bit of an exception to the "prefer acid soils" rule. Does anyone else know this? I'd like to know what the pH was, before recommending adding sulphur and acidifying mulch. A healthy G. robusta would seem to be an indicator that it's acid enough.
It may be hating the daily watering regime, too. And if you've fertilised, the Grevilleas may be a lost cause, as it's hard to remove phosphorus once it's been added. (G. robusta is phosphorus tolerant, however.)
But as lillypilly says, the most likely cause is the clay soil. Raised beds with imported sandy soil might give you more success.
But is it worth it? Growing plants to suit the soil can be altogether more rewarding than trying to modify the soil to suit the plants.
Best of luck
Trish. |
RE: problems with Grevillea
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I too am having troubles with getting a Grevillea Robusta to flower, as well as a Giant Bird of Paradise.
I live in Perth, a mile from the coast near Fremantle, the soil has a lot of limestone, well drained, mulched, and I have been feeding them NPK, Osmocoate, sheep manure, seaweed. Lots of green growth but no flowers. |
RE: problems with Grevillea
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| They don't like lime! Eremophila coccinea (from WA, south of Perth) grows in sandy soil over limestone, but I tried dolomite under sandy soil and mine failed - just died. My second one, just planted, waterd in a few times to settle, and then left alone to live or die (in the eastern states) in well drained red volcanic soil has lived now 4 years and flowers each year. No lime at all! |
RE: problems with Grevillea1
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| No, no, not eremophila, Banksia coccinea. |
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