Feijoa tree appears to be dying (forum)

feijoa tree owner starts with ...
Hi, my feijoa tree appears to be dying. We planted it 18 months ago, after is was given to us as a gift and it was very small at that time. It appeared to flourish for about a year but the last 4-5 months the leaves have gone brown and started falling off. We can't plant it in the ground as we are in a rental. We are in Melbourne, so it is cold here now. It has been watered regularly and given a liquid fertiliser a few times (the same one I use on our veggies). Any ideas how I can save it? Thanks.

Time: 9th August 2014 5:11pm

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About the Author feijoa tree owner
Surrey Hills
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A.C says...
It would be far cheaper to get rid of plant and get a new one.But I will say use a premium potting mix not the cheap ones because they have very low levels of sand and get quite soggy.Water logging will kill most plants.The sand aids drainage and speeds up drying time.

Time: 9th August 2014 6:26pm

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About the Author AC1
Cowandilla.S.A
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feijoa tree owner says...
Thanks AC.

Here is a picture, it doesn't seem to have attached to the original post for some reason.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 9th August 2014 8:44pm

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Surrey Hills
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MaryT1 says...
Hi feijoa tree owner - is it a grafted variety? Could it be that the root stock is taking over? It looks like the lower growth are from the rootstock and looks healthier than the top growth?

Time: 10th August 2014 4:59am

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About the Author MaryT1
Sydney
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feijoa tree owner says...
Thanks Mary, I'm not sure if it is grafted or a seedling as it was a gift. Do you think I should perhaps prune the top dead looking part to make way for the lower growth? Thanks :)

Time: 10th August 2014 5:44pm

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About the Author feijoa tree owner
Surrey Hills
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MaryT1 says...
If it is grafted you should be able to see the graft - the joint. Is the top dead or just dead looking? Scratch the branches to see if they're still green. IF there is a graft and IF the top is still alive, you should take off everything growing from the BOTTOM, that is the bits from BELOW the graft. If the top is not dead it should take over again with care. You don't want to grow the rootstock.

However, if there is no graft then I'd still check if the branches are still alive and prune off any that are dead. It may just be reacting to the cold and should come back with care. Or it may be suffering from some pests; get a magnifying glass and look at the back of the leaves. If you find anything you may have to spray.

If it's still alive you might consider re-potting it in premium potting mix.

Time: 10th August 2014 7:46pm

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Original Post was last edited: 10th August 2014 7:39pm
About the Author MaryT1
Sydney
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