Comments on: Alyogyne Huegelii

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sun, 02 May 2010 22:21:32 +0000

Alyogyne heugelii should tolerate the alkaline soil ok despite the yellow leaves indicating that it is the most likely culprit. There are two things that Alyogyne heugelii doesn't like and that's badly draining soil and ferlilzers with phosphorus. Despite the fact that you have sandy soil (which does often mean good drainage) you may have clay subsoil? I'd dig down near the plant and check to see if the soil is wet under the ground. Fill the hole with water and see if it soaks into the subsoil or not. If you have given it fertilizer then this could be the problem. If you have, then treat the plant with Powerfeed as this is high in the nitrogen and low in phosphorus. The nitrogen should counter the effects of the phosphorus. Also I have found the Eremophila Maculata is good at removing phosphorus from the soil as well but the is a longer term option. Alyogyne heugelii usually responds quite well to pruning and a healthy shrub should regenerate quite well. I don't think the way you've pruned it has caused your problem. Therefore if you know it hasn't been fertilized then I'd I'd check the drainage. I would say that 90% of problems with Australian Native Plants are cause by the use of fertilizer and planting in badly draining soil (and then over watering).

By: Veronika

Veronika — Sat, 01 May 2010 02:37:23 +0000

Hi, My Alyogyne heugelii is doing poorly- its leaves are yellow, it doesn’t appear to be growing and there are no flowers whereas bushes around our area in other gardens, are flowering profusely. We live in Altona by the beach and the soil is fairly sandy. I have just checked the PH and the soil is tending to be more alkaline than acidic. I pruned it quite heavily last year in the hope it would become bushier – can you over prune? Currently it is about a metre high and quite straggly. I would appreciate advice as to whether my plant is saveable or should I start again with a new one and if so, how would l prepare the soil.

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:50:32 +0000

You could try it but there are no guarantees any time you transplant any plant that it will be successful. The more preparation you do before hand and selecting favorable weather conditions greatly increase your likelihood of success. Pruning the plant before hand will help if it is large as it will make it easier to lift and shift. I wouldn't prune it the night before you shift it though. Give some time to recover from being pruned. Alygoynes can also be pruned quite severely as well but how much you decide to prune it though will depend on your judgment. If you do decide to precede it may be best to transplant it into a pot/container and keep it in the shade and away from any hot drying wind and then plant it in the ground once it's recovered in the pot and the weather is not too hot. I'm not sure if you have "Seasol" in California but I'd water it well, at least the night before, with a water and seaweed extract solution and also for a few days after you've transplanted it as well. So if you do decide to proceed just remember there are no guarantees and there is a chance it you may not be successful. Remember this Alyogyne does grow fairly quickly so if you did transplant it into a pot one option you have is to plant a new one in the new location and then in the Autumn/Fall you could then relocate the one you've transplanted into the pot, into another location (if you have one). All the best with it all and please feel free to let me know how it goes.

By: Charles

Charles — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:44:23 +0000

I planted a Alyogyne Huegelii last year and am surprised by it’s size this spring. It’s too large now for where I put it and I want to move it further back in the garden. Is there a better time to transplant it? I live in southern California and the summer’s are hot. Would I be smart to wait until fall or just do it now and prune it aggressively? Thanks for any help!

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:13:47 +0000

Hi Jenny Mine has a few yellow leaves as well but probably only 1 or 2 % the rest of the leaves are a vibrant green. The first thing I would check is the potting mix. How well does it drain, does it sit in a saucer where the water collects, how much of the pot do the roots occupy, does you think it may be over potted?
Honestly most problems start for Aust Natives with too much water, bad drainage and too much fertilizer.
Pot plants will need some Native fertilizer and maybe some Seasol but my bet is your problem might be drainage.
Also when most people place a plant in a pot they use a large decorative pot of some description to turn it into a feature. Whenever I do this I keep the plant in a smaller plastic pot that is the right size for the rootball and then place this pot inside the larger feature pot. This will ensure better drainage. Please let me know how you go.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:55:35 +0000

I live in Adelaide, where the temperature throughout summer is often in the high 30′s-low 40′s. I have a fairly young plant in a pot with regular potting mix and an initial dose of native fertiliser about 6mths ago when I transplanted it from a smaller pot. It has grown quickly and flowered through spring but now, although growing well, has a lot of yellow leaves that look a little like they might if suffering from red spider but there is no evidence of this. Spraying with pyrethrum had no effect. Despite the yellow leaves, it continues to grow well and appears otherwise ok. I have probably been watering it a bit too much given the weather but after reading this article will discontinue this practice. Any suggestions as to how to eliminate the yellowing?

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:33:05 +0000

I’m not a big fan of fertilizing natives that are in the ground but those that are in a pot will benefit from some native fertilizer. The first thing I’d do is check how well the potting mix is draining. Alyogynes don’t like wet feet so make sure you have a potting mix that isn’t soggy. Also when planting plants in pots make sure the size of the pot is the next size larger that one you took it out of. Quite often plants are potted up into pots that are way too large. You’ll find that you may be able to pot many plants up into pots several sizes larger but you’ll also find that you probably won’t get away with it with plants that require good drainage. Generally speakin the worst thing you can do with alot of Aus Natives is water them too much. Quite often when they do look unwell the first reaction of the gardener is to water them some more which just makes it worse.

By: Nicolette

Nicolette — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:09:59 +0000

Thanks for your article. Mine is in a pot with regular potting mix. In shade 2-3 hours during day, sunny the rest of the time. Fertilised with native fertiliser (before reading your article). Problem is a tendency to get yellow leaves, especially new leaves go yellow.
Any ideas? Thanks.

By: Noelle

Noelle — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:25:22 +0000

Hello. We grow this as well in Arizona. The flowers are so striking. Thank you for the great information.