I have a small (3ft) monkey puzzle tree in a large pot.

I noticed that some of the leaves are going a bit brown along its edges
and the lowest branch looks as though it is dying.

Any ideas what might be causing this?

TIA
ff.

In article , flower faerie
writes
I have a small (3ft) monkey puzzle tree in a large pot.

I noticed that some of the leaves are going a bit brown along its edges
and the lowest branch looks as though it is dying.

Any ideas what might be causing this?

They're a bit iffy while small - sensitive to drought and to cold winds.
If it hasn't been raining for a few days, give it a couple of gallons of
water, and do this for the rest of this season. And this winter, give it
a rough windbreak - though at three foot it should be toughening up a
bit.

If you are unlucky and lose it, try replacing it with a much smaller one
- although you have to protect them in winter, they seem to settle
better, and they soon catch up.

Remember once they're settled they can grow easily 18 inches a year, so
site it accordingly!

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Kay wrote:

In article , flower faerie
writes

I have a small (3ft) monkey puzzle tree in a large pot.

I noticed that some of the leaves are going a bit brown along its edges
and the lowest branch looks as though it is dying.

Any ideas what might be causing this?


They're a bit iffy while small - sensitive to drought and to cold winds.
If it hasn't been raining for a few days, give it a couple of gallons of
water, and do this for the rest of this season. And this winter, give it
a rough windbreak - though at three foot it should be toughening up a
bit.

If you are unlucky and lose it, try replacing it with a much smaller one
- although you have to protect them in winter, they seem to settle
better, and they soon catch up.

Remember once they're settled they can grow easily 18 inches a year, so
site it accordingly!


I was worried about the prospect of it having some kind of disease, I'll
make sure I keep it well watered and keep an eye on it.

ff.

Kay wrote:

They're a bit iffy while small - sensitive to drought and to cold winds.
If it hasn't been raining for a few days, give it a couple of gallons of
water, and do this for the rest of this season. And this winter, give it
a rough windbreak - though at three foot it should be toughening up a
bit.

I think it is also as well to remember that this (Araucaria araucana)
is a potentially massive growing tree (100 feet or more) with a root
system evolved to coped with the rugged, rocky soils of a
mountainside. Consequently, the roots delve very deeply needing lots
of vertical space and t is very difficult to provide this within the
confines of even the largest of pots. A. araucana has to be planted
out eventually if it is to develop into a well balanced, healthy tree.
Rather like quite a few of the larger pines, they simply do not enjoy
permanent confinement in pots and will deteriorate over a period of
time.

I don't know what size the pot is, but if I was keeping a 3 footer in
a container, I would select one that is much deeper than wide and
probably opt for a conventionally sized plastic dustbin with plenty of
drainage holes drilled in the base. Even this will only suffice for 4
or 5 years and then you have the exceptionally painful and difficult
task of planting it out. My advice is to plant in a suitable spot
(sunny, well drained and at least 30 feet away from your house) as
soon as possible. The present warm, wet conditions will aid rapid
establishment.

HTH
Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

"Dave Poole" wrote in message
...
Kay wrote:

They're a bit iffy while small - sensitive to drought and to cold
winds.
If it hasn't been raining for a few days, give it a couple of gallons
of
water, and do this for the rest of this season. And this winter, give
it
a rough windbreak - though at three foot it should be toughening up a
bit.

I think it is also as well to remember that this (Araucaria araucana)
is a potentially massive growing tree (100 feet or more) with a root
system evolved to coped with the rugged, rocky soils of a
mountainside. Consequently, the roots delve very deeply needing lots
of vertical space and t is very difficult to provide this within the
confines of even the largest of pots. A. araucana has to be planted
out eventually if it is to develop into a well balanced, healthy tree.
Rather like quite a few of the larger pines, they simply do not enjoy
permanent confinement in pots and will deteriorate over a period of
time.

I don't know what size the pot is, but if I was keeping a 3 footer in
a container, I would select one that is much deeper than wide and
probably opt for a conventionally sized plastic dustbin with plenty of
drainage holes drilled in the base. Even this will only suffice for 4
or 5 years and then you have the exceptionally painful and difficult
task of planting it out. My advice is to plant in a suitable spot
(sunny, well drained and at least 30 feet away from your house) as
soon as possible. The present warm, wet conditions will aid rapid
establishment.

HTH
Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

******
Near here, Sth Cumbria coast, there is a mansion inside a big Araucaria
Araucana , - (or summat)!.
wood . (very, very small "forest" to identify it). The home and estate
are steeped in a military Officers family stretching back more than a
hundred years of history.
The trees have been mature for all that time and are very close together
and very, very high.
One of the family has obviously sent home a sack of seeds or roots and
had then planted there.
Compare that with the back garden next door to me. He has one right in
the middle of the garden and it was about twenty feet high when I
arrived here forty-six years ago. It has been lopped a few times but is
still healthy though the bottom branches have been pollarded up to about
fifteen feet.
There was also a mature flowering cherry with a bole about two-feet
six-inches diameter and a new incoming owner sawed it down, but I
pleaded with him to spare the Monkey-puzzle tree because It was an old
friend which I greeted with my eyes when I woke as I looked up from my
pillow.
Said to be called the monkey-puzzle tree because it is the only tree
that monkeys cannot climb and if you look at the leaf structure you can
deduce why. They are very stiff and pointing up-wards and out-wards and
the topmost end is like a sharp spike.
Doug.
******