Don’s Expert Answers: Jacaranda tree no flowers or leaves

Question From:
in Kingsgrove, Kingsgrove New South Wales

Nature of problem:
Jacaranda tree no flowers or leaves

Type of Plant (if known):
Jacaranda tree

Symptoms of Plant Illness (please try NOT to diagnose your problems yourself):
no flowers or leaves

Soil Type (e.g. sandy, clay or loam) OR Potting Mix Type:
clay

How often do you water the plant:
rarely

How many hours of sunlight does the plant get each day:
8

How long since you planted it:
Its about 70 to 80 years old

Have you fertilised? If so, with what and when:
no

Is the plant indoors or outdoors:
outdoors

Is the plant in a pot or in the ground:
ground

What other treatments have you given the plant:
none

Upload photo if available:

Other Comments:
My jacaranda is very old and at the moment (Nov 2019) it hasn’t flowered or have any leaves has it died or in remission from the drought.

Answer:
Water it as much as you can & cut off a couple of branches finger thick. Then scrape or cut them to find any green under the bark. Australia’s millennium drought began in 1996 and was thought to have ended in 2010, but went back into drought within a couple of years. It is now thought that we are still in the millennium drought in 2019 – that is a drought period of 33 years with a small weakening in the middle. The current drought is mostly due to the Indian Ocean Dipole. If you rarely watered the poor Jacaranda, it is amazing that it lasted this long.