The Wollemi Pine UK

The first Male cone to appear on a 9 year old tree in Western Australia

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:46:29 +0000

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The new growth emerging on the Wollemi Pine is bronze or brown in colour.

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:14:33 +0100

We assume that because of the extremely cold weather this year that some of the new growth is emerging yellow, bronze or even brown; in the past we have observed that as this growth matures it returns to a green colour. The Wollemi Pine starts to need copious amounts of water when this flush of growth arrives. It may also be worth applying some slow release fertiliser into the soil around your tree. Westland’s Feed All Slow Release is a suitable fertiliser (please follow the incorporation rates on the fertiliser packaging). In the meantime an application of a proprietary liquid fertiliser to the tree will help.

If there is brown tipping on the leaves and you consider it unsightly it can be trimmed off using a sharp pair of scissors, this will have no adverse affect on the overall health of the tree. If the branch is dead it is best to remove it, for large diameter stems and branches (greater than 5cm) use sterile, sharp pruning equipment to match the size of the stem or branch being pruned. We have however seen more mature trees, having lost lower branches naturally start to produce new growth from lower down the trunk and this could be the case with your tree.

Giving your tree the best chance of surviving a cold winter?

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:13:12 +0100

To give the Wollemi Pine the best chance of survival protect it from the worst of the winds during the winter it should flourish if left outside. If you are putting you tree in a container use a 50:50 mix of John Innes no3 and Ericaceous compost. Incorporate some slow release fertiliser into the compost along with the sachet of RootGrow that is supplied with the tree. Westland’s Feed All Slow Release is a suitable fertiliser (please follow the incorporation rates on the fertiliser packaging) Put a layer of crocs (pieces of broken clay pots) into the bottom of the container so that the drainage holes do not block. If it is outside make sure that the container is well drained and raised slightly off of the floor to aid the drainage. The Wollemi Pine starts to need copious amounts of water when the flush of growth arrives in the late spring, until then just make sure that the compost is just kept moist.

How has the Wollemi Pine faired through this last cold winter

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:11:10 +0100

It seems in general that the trees need to have -12 to -15 degrees centigrade for fairly long periods to actually kill them (as seen in central Europe in the winter of 2010/11). There have been a handful of reports of trees not surviving this last winter in the UK but on investigation this has been in the main due to the trees already suffering from a fungal root disease called Phytophthora which is a wide spread and very common disease with the ability to affect many garden plants. A simple investigation should give some clues to the demise of your tree. Make a small 'nick' in the bark at the base of the tree and if there are signs of healthy white wood and greening on the inside layer of the bark it could be that the roots are still alive. If there is no sign of life then lift the tree and look at the roots they will be dark brown and there is unlikely to be any white or light brown 'healthy' root. If you hold a root hair in between your fingers and you can slide the outer layer of the root away from the inner core it is a sure sign that the tree has succumbed to Phytophthora.

What can I do?

Unfortunately Phytophthora is a widespread disease and quite hard to control. The addition of green compost into the growing media or soil can help. To our knowledge there are no chemicals available on the retail market to help control or prevent the disease. The Mycorrhizal fungus (Rootgrow) supplied with your tree also helps the root system to fight off Phytophthora but it will not prevent it. For further information below is the Wiki link to the form of Phytophthora that Wollemi Pines suffer with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_cinnamomi

Alternatively the Wollemi Pine is known to coppice so if you think the top of the tree is dead or dying but the roots are OK, the best thing to do is remove the top of the tree either 3 inches above soil level or above the healthiest looking branch using sterile secateurs or a pruning saw. The tree will produce a white exudate which should seal the wound. Hopefully if the roots are still alive green buds will develop on the remaining trunk producing a bushy tree. If you want a more upright tree in the future it would be best to choose the strongest leader and remove any side shoots.

Wollemi Pine in Amsterdam

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 16 May 2011 08:37:41 +0100

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Wierd cone configuration

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:52:37 +0000

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Wollemi Pines in Nick Johnson's front garden in Perth

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:40:58 +0000

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WP in the Natural History Museum garden in Paris

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:08:48 +0100

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Look at my Cones

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:34:12 +0100

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Wollemi Pines planted at Kew reach maturity

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:24:12 +0100

The first Wollemi Pine planted outdoors outside of Australia by Sir David Attenborough in May 2005 along with the tree planted in April 2006 by its discoverer David Noble at RBG Kew both now bear male and female cones. This makes these trees amongst the first Wollemi Pines in the northern hemisphere to reach sexual maturity.

Research carried out at Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney and Mount Annan Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, in Australia shows that female and male cones are produced on adult trees with pollen release from the male cone occurring in spring. Seed cones mature 16–19 months later in late summer and autumn and appear to be produced annually. Approximately 10% of the seed produced in two consecutive years was viable. Germination of this seed took up to 6 months - so it could be another 2 years before we see any seedlings appear.

wollemi survival in a cold European winter

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:20:20 +0000

Posted on behalf of Dara Wyer by Mark Taylor

Just to let you know that I have a wollemi in county Dublin. It is in a large pot and has survived very well through a sustained cold snap lasting over three weeks with temperatures going as low as -12 C. One thing I did notice was that it seemed to shed some branches- two of them came off as soon as I brushed past them. This may be a survival thing or the plant may be stressed- hope this is of interest.

Regards

Dara Wyer

Main Wollemi Pine in Sydney Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Of A.P. Hamilton)

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:12:27 +0100

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Male and Female Cones on WP in Mount Annan BG (Courtesy of A.P. Hamilton

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:07:12 +0100

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Basal Branching on WP in Sydney Botanical Garden (Courtesy A.P. Hamilton April 2009)

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:04:05 +0100

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Tree in Mount Annan Botanical Garden "Courtesy of A.P.Hamilton"

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:41:05 +0100

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Tree showing Basal Growth (Courtesy of A.P.Hamilton)

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:37:07 +0100

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Picture sent by Richard Rowe

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:03:39 +0100

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The next step towards immortality for a tree that was on the brink of extinction

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:40:51 +0000

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Illustration of Male Wollemi Pine Cone

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:33:05 +0100

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Illustration of Female Wollemi Pine Cone

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:26:12 +0100

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Ben Alfos with his oldest Wollemia, planted in May 2006

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:37:26 +0100

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Detail of young cone

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:31:27 +0100

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Male Cones on young Wollemi Pine in North Wales

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:06:08 +0100

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Cone producing Wollemi Pine

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:59:00 +0100

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Wollemi Pine at Hobart Botanical Garden ( Courtesy of Treenibley)

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:57:05 +0100

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Tree at Sydney Harbour (Courtesy of Treenibley)

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:53:53 +0100

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Wollemi at Sydney Botanical Garden (Courtesy of Treesnibley)

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:49:54 +0100

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Wollemi Pine planted by John Haddington in East Lothian

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:08:11 +0000

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Wollemi Growing tip Jan 2008

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:22:04 +0000

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Wollemi Pine planted on 25 May 2006 in North Wales

Mark Taylor, Wollemi Pine UK — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:18:47 +0000

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