If you are wondering if you can over water grass trees. The answer is yes. Once or twice a week is usually enough during summer, but make sure that you keep the actual trunk of your grass tree as dry as possible. Water on the trunk can soften it, leaving it vulnerable to pests and diseases.
This is perfectly normal. As new growth emerges from the centre, it forces the older growth to the outside which eventually dies off and hangs down beside the trunk. In the wild it would eventually form a brown 'skirt' of dead leaves until a bushfire came through and burned it all up making the black trunk.
If the leaves are yellowing or new growth is soft or limp, then it is most likely a result of poor drainage. Grass trees also suffer from Cinnamon fungus which causes root rot. Good drainage is the key as this fungus thrives in waterlogged soils.
Take a cup of brown sugar, put it in a bucket of water and water your grass trees once a month for two years with that mixture. The sugar feeds the mycorrhiza and gets it going and your grass tree will survive.
But in reality, grass trees have an amazing ability to survive – and going dormant for long periods of time is one of those strategies that make grass tree stunningly unique. Patience and consistent watering is the best way to nurture it through this dormancy period. Regular seasol won't hurt either.
Give Your Grass Tree Enough Water, But Not Too Much
Once or twice a week is usually enough during dry spells in the summer, but make sure that you keep the actual trunk of your grass tree as dry as possible – too much water on the trunk will soften it, leaving it vulnerable to pests and diseases.
Wettasoil your gardens, lawns and pot plants, then nurse your sick plants back to health with Seasol. This plant tonic, encourages plants to grow new roots and as autumn approaches you will be amazed how quickly your sick plants come back to life. You can't overdose on Seasol.
Yates Dynamic Lifter and Acticote+Instant Booster are great fertilisers for grass trees.
Grass trees can go into decline if there drainage is not very good. They dislike having waterlogged roots and in fact resent any kind of root disturbance as they have a very special relationship with certain fungi that live in the ground – without healthy fungi you wont have healthy grass trees.
No Pruning Needed
Leaving a healthy grass tree alone to grow as it will is probably a perfectly viable choice. There are, however, some caveats that could indicate that pruning is both necessary and desirable. These include fire prevention, esthetics and perhaps the health of the plant itself.
Yellow Leaves + Fading to Green + or Bright Yellow =
These symptoms together mean that your plant is overwatered. Usually lower leaves drop first, although the whole plant may be affected. The solution = repot (to remove soaked soil) and water less, or let soil dry out and water less.
Nitrogen and iron are two of the most common deficiencies that cause yellow spots on your lawn. Nitrogen deficiencies cause leaves to turn yellow-green or yellow and your lawn will have stunted growth. Large collections of clover are also common in nitrogen-deficient lawns.
Most species are extremely slow growing . Studies of some of the taller species found that trunk height increases at about 0.8cm to 6cm per year, but this varies with local environmental conditions 1 . In any event, grass trees are often very long-lived; some are estimated to be 350 to 450 years old !
Start by raking dead grass spots to loosen the soil and remove the expired blades. Lightly rake the healthy areas to get rid of dying grass and aerate the soil for root stimulation. Once you have the land prepared, take a rotary seed spreader and lay down new grass seed over the dead spots.
Use sharp scissors to cut away the dead, brown areas. Just follow the leaf's natural shape. You'll still have a thin brown line along the cut, but the rest of the leaf will stay green and healthy as your plant moves ahead.
Solution: Time and adequate watering.
Add a layer of mulch around the tree to help conserve soil moisture. Newly planted trees often look a little rough with a few dead leaves during the first year. Making sure to give them enough water will help them come back stronger the following year.
The mulch should be at the same level as the soil was in the pot, keep the mulch away from the trunk of the grass tree as this can cause fungal diseases. Lastly back fill with soil and water in. Don't water the grass head, always water the soil around the base.
Also known as "frog-eye", the disease is caused by a species of soil-borne fungi called Ophiosphaerella korrae. These fungi infect the roots and crowns of grasses, causing them to produce small, dark brown lesions. Over time, these lesions can expand and coalesce, leading to large circular patches of dead grass.
As the grass begins to mature, the roots will start turning dark brown or shiny black, a symptom unique to Root Rot. Over the course of the growing season, the disease continues to progress throughout your lawn, the grass in the affected areas appearing yellow or lime-green and then brown before dying off completely.
Apply Seasol regularly for several months before any fertilising is done. Once the tree is starting to respond to the Seasol treatment, apply an organic fertiliser such as Dynamic Lifter, blood and bone or slow-release tree tablets. Note: Sadly, some trees will be damaged beyond repair.
We don't suggest the pellets be placed in water and then be applied as a liquid. The pellets can be dug into the soil, watered in and then a mulch placed on top of the soil. This may help to deter your cat from being interested in the pellets.
Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser is ideal to use on all garden plants. Always water well after application.
Do I need to water in after apply Seasol or PowerFeed? Seasol and PowerFeed are liquids, they are readily absorbed into the soil and the plant foliage. Therefore you do not need to water them in.
Do not apply when rain is expected as it will just get washed away. Spray should not come into contact with foliage/roots of plants that you do not want to kill. Seasol Another brilliant product! A seaweed extract and great health treatment for your garden.
After mowing apply Seasol hose-on to strengthen leaf blades to reduce stress from heat and drought. Apply it early morning so the grass has time to dry before the onset of a cool night. For more details check out our video “How to Care for Lawns – Mowing & maintenance”.