I am located in South Portugal.
I bought one wollemi in the Sotheby's auction October 2005.
It is kept in a big pot outdoor.
The tree was fine until the summer 2006 (here the summer can reach up to 60ºC at full sun and 40-45ºC at shadow). The tree began to die which was a cause for very distress for us. We made our best but the main branch died. Then, other three minor branches began to grow and somehow replaced the bigger one that died. Now, almost all the lower branches have their leave tips drying and dying. We do not over water and only give water when the soil dries in the upper 5 cm. When we give water to the tree we always put a common water soluble fertilizer for conifers. Does anyone have any clue to what might be happening? Over water is not. Underwater is not. Over dose of fertilizer is not. Under dose of fertilizer is not (we follow the label instruction written in the fertilizer box). The tree has direct sun light about 3 to 4 hours daily.
Can it be a disease? Can it be a fungi disease? Does this kind of diseases make the leaves tips dry and die?
I did not cut completely the older branch that died in the summer because I was afraid of somehow hurting the tree more. Shall I cut it complete? Does its existence may cause any serious disease to the tree?
If some one can help I would be very grateful. I can send some photos.
Thanks
Luis

Hi Luis, I have been in contact with the Nursery in Australia regarding your question as we never experience temperatures of 60oC in the UK. Below are some suggestions and comments from the nursery manager in Australia, where the Wollemi Pines are grown.

We have found that the Wollemi Pine is quite hardy and suits a range of conditions. There are a few things that we have found that Wollemi will not tolerate. This includes over-watering, use of high Phosphorus fertilisers and excessive shade. In your circumstances I think we are really pushing the limit as far as high temperatures go. We do not believe that Wollemi will tolerate 60oC for extended periods. High temperatures can cause stem girdling at the base of the tree and root damage as the soil heats up. Wollemi has been tested from temperatures ranging from -12oC to 45oC and has done well in these situations.

WP will not tolerate being kept moist. In its natural environment it grows in mulch over sandstone rock so has very little soil to grow in. In this environment it has evolved to handle very dry periods. We recommend that Wollemi only be watered when it becomes dry. On the nursery in Queensland temperatures in the growing area reach 45oC. The large trees are only watered twice weekly. Each watering is a drench. During winter watering is reduced to once weekly but only if the mix is dry.

Wollemi pine is also an Australian native plant and is very efficient at utilising Phosphorus. Use of high Phosphorus fertilisers will result in toxicity and results in yellowing of foliage. We recommend that you only use low phosphorus fertilisers. A good NPK ratio for Wollemi is 18:3:10. It could be that the Conifer fertiliser used has much higher P levels.

We have also tested Wollemi in shady positions. If it is kept indoors it needs to be in a high light environment but is hardier when there is no active growth. For indoor or low light positions its best not to fertilize and maintain the plant in a dormant condition. It will still grow, but very slowly. Smaller pot sizes are hardier than large and we think this is because the small pots dry out quicker. The lower the light the less water use and the pots stay wetter for longer which causes death. Again rule of thumb is only water when the plant is just dry.

hello. i currently keep my wollemi indoors and have recently noticed that the leaflets are showing some signs of what looks like mildew?? i was just wondering whether there is anything specific i can do to stop this from spreading, and also, does this highlight possible problems with it's current environment? its near a well lit window and i never over water or waterlog the plant. any advice would be appreciated. thanks! and merry xmas!

I caught a caterpillar eating my WP over Christmas. I identified it as that of an Angle Shades moth Phlogophora meticulosa, and suspect it came from a nearby fern, which I know was showing some caterpillar damage in the autumn (ferns are listed as food plants). Thankfully, it had only eaten half a leaflet, but looked pretty sick as a result (didn’t hide away during daylight as is usual).

Has anyone else in Europe caught anything eating their WPs? Have they proved susceptible to any leaf eating inverts back in Oz?

Following watering (by immersion and drainage) the majority of the leaves have turned bronze and are drooping. When we water, should we water from above rather than by immersion to saturate the compost? The plant is kept inside, should we move it outside (north facing balcony in Edinburgh, Scotland).

It is important to allow the tree to dry out between waterings. They do not like to be wet around the roots. One of my colleagues has had a tree on a window sill through the winter and has only watered once every 2-3 weeks. The reason for immersion would be to enable the compost to re- wet as peat reduced growing media can be difficult to re-hydrate once it gets past a certain moisture point. If you do need to immerse the pot make sure that the any excess water has completley drained and refrain from putting the pot into a saucer. I may be teaching my preverbial grandmother to suck eggs but the best way of checking moisture content in the pot is by weight, once the pot feels light that is the time to water. It is a good idea to put the plant outside when the weather is a bit milder. If we have a mild spell during March and April give the tree a holiday outside for a couple of hours during the day. We do see some bronzing in trees but the drooping in the main is due to either under or over-watering.

Arrrggghhhh I think my tree is dying!! The trunk is turning brown and is green only on the top 2 inches, all the lower branches/fronds drooped and then fell off. Does this sound like overwatering? The root ball was wet when I re-potted it.. I did this to see if I could save the tree....unless it has some other disease? Does this sound familiar to anyone else? I have had the tree since Xmas and it has been fine till recently. Thanks for any feedback :o)

Unfortunately it sounds as though you may have over-watered the tree. We have found that the trees can be susceptible to over-watering when they are indoors in lower light conditions and only need watering once every 2-3 weeks. The over-watering would have caused the ‘browning’ symptoms that you described. I would suggest that the best indicator of the moisture in the pot is weight, as a guide we expect the 3 litre pot that we supply the tree in to weigh around 1500g when it has the correct moisture content and should not need any water until about 1000g when 500g (1/2lt) water can be added. During the summer months the trees requirement for water rises as it starts to grow and it is subjected to longer daylight hours.

On the 10th July I noticed brown patches on 6 branches of my WP. They were always towards the tips of the now full-size new growth, and on close inspection showed signs of the leaflets being stuck together by spun silk. Teasing these apart showed feeding marks on the inside surfaces. In only one of these brown patches did I find a culprit: a 5mm long caterpillar (which I have preserved in alcohol). That most of these ‘shelters’ did not contain caterpillars suggests it was nearly ready to pupate. These signs seem to fit the habits of Tortrix moths, but given its’ size it would be a specialist job to identify: anyone interested? I have sent a photograph of a typical damaged area for posting on the site in case anyone else notices the same thing.

Ian.

Thank you for the photo (which can be found on this site under photos) I think you prognosis is correct and the damage is Tortrix Moth caterpillar. We have found very little in the way of pests on the trees here on the nursery but Tortrix seems to have a particular penchant for Wollemi Pine. Consider using Tortrix Moth Trap; these use a pheromone to catch the male moth. Moths fly during the day, in early summer and again in early Autumn. In a heated greenhouse or conservatory they may be active all year round. The trap should be suspended above the plants which are at risk. Check the trap frequently. As soon as one moth is caught, spray the plants with Bio Sprayday Greenfly Killer Plus or Liquid Derris Plus.(Always follow the recommendations on the packaging). Spray again every 2-3 weeks while moths continue to be caught. The easiest method of control is to pick off affected leaves and burn them.

Many weeds are also seen as useful under certain conditions, for instance Patterson's curse is often valued as food for bees and as a wildflower, even though it can poison livestock. shade sails

Dear Wollemi friends.
Based in UK South East, I got my Wollemi Pine in May 2007.
Now outdoor in a larger pot, it has developed beautifully until the new light green shoots have arrived on most of the branches.
Each individual leaf on each new shoots have all turned brown half-way in.
Small drops of what I suspect is dried sap is present on some of the leaves in the brown areas.
Disease, over-watering or wrong soil - any help appreciated.
Problems occured after I repotted used additional soil. Obviously in conjunction with this watered quite a bit.
Sending through photo to the given address.
Regards
Philip

There are three possible reasons for the tips of the leaves of the Wollemi Pine to go brown.• Insufficient water, which causes the ends of the branches to die back • An incorrect pH balance of the soil or growing media • Insufficient fertiliser or too much fertiliser. Always ensure controlled release fertiliser is evenly placed around the tree and not in contact with the stem
Note that a yellow tinge on the very tips of the leaflets is a normal and common occurrence in both the wild and cultivated Wollemi Pines.
Severe cases of leaf tipping are most likely induced by one of the three factors described above. The best advice to on these occasions is: Re-pot either into a bigger pot or one of the same size. pH should not be a problem if ericaceous compost is used. In a high calcium water area (hard water area like South East England) it would be best to water with rain water. In most cases the problem will correct itself with good care techniques.

pestisides have greater effect on the plants but when it is consumed by humands because of the use of chemicals we get diseases.


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