My Bottlebrush tree is in really bad shape... what to do

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diddlydoo Miami, FL Jun 11, 2008

This bottlebrush tree has been on the property for over 30 years. However, since Hurricane Andrew, it has never been the same. It just looks absolutely dead with dead branches and bark chipping off. It's sad really. What can be done?

Below are more images of close up shots
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/yotsuya75/diddlydoo/img084.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/yotsuya75/diddlydoo/img085.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/yotsuya75/diddlydoo/img086.jpg

This message was edited Jun 11, 2008 2:40 PM

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 11, 2008

Sometimes there's not much you can do, when plants suffer severe damage from weather or other things it may take them a while to get back to normal, and some may end up not making it in the end. I'm not sure how long bottlebrushes typically live, but especially if it was on the older side anyway it may have a tougher time coming back from damage than a younger smaller plant. In cases like this, there's not generally a lot you can do to change the outcome, either the plant will recover or it won't but there's not a lot that you can do to influence that. Two things you could try that may or may not help but at least won't hurt would be a root booster like Super Thrive, and Messenger which is something you spray on the plant's leaves which is supposed to help boost its immune response and be more resistant to insects/diseases.

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peony01 Prattville, AL(Zone 8a) Jun 11, 2008

Be kind to the once wonderful plant and your love for it. Kill it. Cut it down, and move on. I'm going through this difficult process in my own garden where I now must remove several dogwoods (cornus florida). They received great stress from huricane IVAN and terrific stress from a tornado that ripped our neighborhood, destroying 80 homes, There are slight fractures emanating from about 3 inches from the base of these beautiful trees. Since they are susceptible to anthracnose, they just don't seem to have the strength to fight off the disease. I love them, but I think they are leaving. Fortunately, I propagate them from seed, so I planted more of them . Gardening is a wonderful thing. What I said at the beginning is just my opinion. I'm not an expert. I wish you well.

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