Fruit trees drowning (forum)

Glasshouse starts with ...
Hi - We have recently had a huge amount of rainfall in the Brisbane area. In just under a week we had about 300mm. I just planted in winter a lot of fruit trees and the garden is now just mud. After 3 days of no rain I have put my hand into the soil and it is at least a hand depth of mud. It's not sloppy mud anymore but I could still easily push through it with my hand.
Do my trees have any chance of survival? Is there anything I can do?
Thanks

Time: 15th October 2010 5:30pm

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About the Author Glasshouse
Brisbane
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HappyEarth says...
Most fruit trees will not like the conditions you have describe and some may die. What are you growing? Id be tempted to dig up the flood prone ones and plant them up in large raised mounds once they have dried out a bit - this may save them

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

Time: 16th October 2010 7:56am

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About the Author HappyEarth1
Wollongong
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Glasshouse says...
That's a good idea. I bought some garden soil to build up around them but I didn't think of replanting them.
I am growing paw paw, black sapote (which I think is dead or dying), nashi pear, pear, macadamia, avocado, yellow dragon fruit and custard apple. I have some others as well but they are more established and the ground isn't as boggy around them.
Thanks for your help :-)

Time: 16th October 2010 10:37am

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About the Author Glasshouse
Brisbane
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Diana says...
Hi Glasshouse,

Re: your black sapote. Have a look at Dekka's comment (3 down, https://www.daleysfruit.com.au/forum/black-sapote-not-growing/ ). The plant's habitat in the wild is river floodplains, apparently they like flooding. If you have clay soil or it is young (sounds like it is), this might be different.

I agree that digging some waterlogged plants and replanting on a mound would be a good idea. I think macadamias and avocados particularly don't like waterlogging, so the quicker the better for them.

Some of my fairly established (3 year-old) trees have fallen over in the waterlogged soil during the gales a few days ago, and had to be staked up again. I hope they survive.

Good luck.

Diana.


Time: 17th October 2010 9:56pm

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Glasshouse says...
Hi Diana

My black sapote was only planted in winter this year and is about 1 metre high. The stem used to be green and it had a couple of leaves on it but they have fallen off and most of the stem is black with only maybe the top 1/3 green. Maybe it is the bark colour as mentioned in the other thread. Hope so! But I am thinking no :-(

I am thinking mounding is the way to go but I am a little scared that replanting might kill them too. I have scraped away the mulch on top to help speed up evaporation too.

Good luck with your trees too. It's funny we had plants dying due to drought a few years ago and now they are drowning. Can't win!

Time: 18th October 2010 11:45am

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About the Author Glasshouse
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BJ says...
Hi Glasshouse. Your black Sapote should be okay either way. If its grafted, you will loose the young graft easily, but the seedling rootstock should shoot back. If its a seedling, then it has a good chance of recovery. You can usually dig them up and put them in pots and they'll be happy for quite some time. I've got a 3* year old seedling in a pot which is flowering now. I've also got one which I got from the other Nursery just near Daley's who graft more mature (larger) plants, much higher up the stem. It died back in the winter while I was away for a week. Lost the graft, and it is totally black, but the rootstock is still growing okay (despite being black).

Time: 18th October 2010 12:38pm

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
Brisbane
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Glasshouse says...
I hope it will be okay. Out of all of the trees I am hoping the black sapote and custard apple survive the most. I might just leave it there even if it looks dead and just see what happens.

Time: 18th October 2010 10:19pm

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About the Author Glasshouse
Brisbane
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