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RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 735 days ago

In nature, native plants do not need stakes. If you stake it it will always remain weak but if you leave it it will find its own strength and grow stronger.

If its growing too quickly make sure you are not over feeding or watering it...encourage it to do it tough for a few months and see if this helps to develop a stronger stance...
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RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 735 days ago

I'm wondering if your tree is growing tall and weak because it needs more sunlight.

Wattles don't live for very long so they grow fairly fast anyway.

RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 731 days ago

mikeo, I water it roughly twice a week since summer has started. I applied some blood and bone twice since planting it. I might back off the watering.
If I remove the stake the tree will fall straight to the ground. Will this be okay?

promolo, my wattle gets plenty of sun. Im told these trees last about 12 years.

RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 730 days ago

perhaps you should leave the stake in then but reduce the watering and fertilizing regime over the summer period....once it outgrows the current stake suggest you leave it on its own to develop its own strength...
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RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 723 days ago

Hiya, you could try triple staking it - make sure that it can still move in the wind as this signals to the plant that it needs to develop a strong root system. Make sure that you're deep watering rather than shallow to encourage the root system to go down. Seasol can help develop root systems and also make sure that the Blood and Bone that you're using contains Trace Elements and Potash as deficiencies can cause weak growth in different areas of the plant.

RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 722 days ago

Alirose, good tip about the triple stake suggestion...I think this may be an answer to this problem...
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RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 721 days ago

Can you describe what triple staking is? When I do water I give it a good soaking (constant hosing for about 10 mins). Thanks for your help.

RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 720 days ago

Howdy Beast,
triple staking is basically just a way to give support while still allowing movement. You need to put decent sized stakes ie jarrah etc, in a triangular shape a small distance (could be roughly 20cm depending) from the main trunk. Using tree tie (you can get it in metre lengths from a garden centre)you wrap around the trunk and stake in a figure of eight pattern ie there is a cross over of tree tie between stake and trunk that prevents rubbing and you repeat for all. don't do it too tight the idea is that the plant can still move - it's just got support against gravity and if it's too windy. The protective staking that you see in nurserys on young plants where there is one stake that is fairly tightly bound becomes pretty useless after they achieve a certain age and size. You should be able to move the plant around quite easily even when staked otherwise it's never going to be strong - just think of weeds - they can be fairly easy to remove but if you pull the foliage off and leave the root system behind next time you try it's bloody hard to get the whole weed out-They've learnt the lesson they need to be strong!
As for watering don't know where you're situated but here in Perth with our hot dry summers a wattle that's been established over the eight months shouldn't really need much - a once a week soak should be fine. Unless it's consistantly over 38 or so and then maybe the odd extra.Next year you shouldn't have to water at all. Unless the root system remains at the surface used to easy water.
Hope this helps.

RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 720 days ago

Thanks alirose for the explanation. I will give that a go.

RE: Queensland wattle

Posted 709 days ago

Hi Beast, don't you know that native plants are very resistent to Australian whether? let me tell you , some 15 years ago a lady gave me a little wattle I put that down near my boundary fence where I grow my tomatoes it start to grow quickly and tall mind you I never give it any water, when it grew to big to obscure what I didn't want to I chopped it down and died, believe it or not after a good ten years it came back and I fell in love, at first when was about two meters high, cause was near the fence and other trees where in the other side it start to bend down I staked it but as the tree grew taller the stake came off the tree whith the wind and as I started to talk to the wattle telling how beutyfull was it made me understand that native trees don't need to much pussy attention they are strong enough to look after by themselves!beast I never watered once or feed it and if you look this tree now it is a good 4 meters high and i collect seeds grow them and give plants away, Beast maybe other trees are in the side and the wattle is trying to reach the sky but after 8 months should stay upright by itself,I think too that you baby sitting that tree too much, anyhow leave the stake for a while and forget about it; really I would like to see that but too far to travel I leave in NSW Sydney region.
Good luck your syncerily
Tomatojoe48
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