Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Indoor plants: 10 of the best house plants

Indoor plants: 10 of the best house plants

How to grow bananas and care for banana plants

How to grow bananas and care for banana plants

5 fabulous palms to plant

5 fabulous palms to plant

How to grow roses

How to grow roses

{headline}

{headline}

How to repot orchids

How to repot orchids

There's an app to help you identify plants

There's an app to help you identify plants

This is the magical succulent that will transform your garden

This is the magical succulent that will transform your garden

{headline}

{headline}

How to grow roses from cuttings

How to grow roses from cuttings

A new service now delivers gorgeous plants to your door every month

A new service now delivers gorgeous plants to your door every month

Tulip Time!

Tulip Time!

Reward Your Garden With Beautiful Bulbs

Reward Your Garden With Beautiful Bulbs

DIY greenhouse: How to build a greenhouse

DIY greenhouse: How to build a greenhouse

How to look after your bonsai

How to look after your bonsai

How to successfully transplant peony plants

How to successfully transplant peony plants

  1. Home
  2. Garden

Bring your murraya hedge from the brink

Don't let it end - save your plant while you still can! - by Better Homes & Gardens
  • 13 Oct 2020
Bring your murraya hedge from the brink

Imagine a murraya hedge along a driveway. It used to be green and healthy but now it looks miserable – the leaves are yellow and growth is stunted.

It's fed, watered and nurtured, but nothing seems to help. You've been told magnesium deficiency causes yellowing leaves, so Epsom salts were added to the soil, but to no avail. What's the matter?

There is a solution! Murrayas are generally hard plants but there are a few things you can do to bring it back from the dead. 

...

What to check

The leaves will start to yellow if they’re suffering from water and/or nutrient stress. You could also check the pH of the soil using a pH test kit, but unless the result shows your soil to be either strongly acidic or strongly alkaline, this is unlikely to be the problem. A soil pH that’s mildly acidic to neutral (pH 5-7) is suitable for growing most plants. If your soil pH isn’t the issue, it’s likely your soil is hydrophobic. '

This usually happens when organic matter in soil breaks down and leaves a waxy coating on soil particles. The coating repels water so, no matter how much you water, the soil (and therefore the plant) just can’t absorb it. But don’t stress, you don’t need to dig up the soil and replace it – there are a few things you can do.

What to do

1. First, apply a wetting agent, which acts like a detergent and helps break down the waxy surface, allowing water to reach the root zone. They come in granular and liquid forms, and are available from nurseries and hardware stores.

2. Apply according to manufacturer’s instructions, water in well and don’t disturb the soil for a few days.

3. Then, once the wetting agent has settled, you can further improve the soil condition by applying an organic food such as blood and bone or well-composted cow manure. This will improve soil structure and water retention, while also encouraging beneficial microbes.

4. Cover with a layer of organic mulch such as lucerne. This helps retain moisture and enriches the soil as it breaks down.

5. For a final boost of nutrients, water in a seaweed tonic such as Seasol or Amgrow Organix Harvest.

For ongoing care, feed once or twice a year with a slow-release fertiliser and regularly top up mulch.

...

You may also like 

Spring tips to revive your lawn

How to save a dying plant

How to revive wilting flowers

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Indoor plants: 10 of the best house plants

Indoor plants: 10 of the best house plants

How to grow bananas and care for banana plants

How to grow bananas and care for banana plants

5 fabulous palms to plant

5 fabulous palms to plant

How to grow roses

How to grow roses

{headline}

{headline}

How to repot orchids

How to repot orchids

There's an app to help you identify plants

There's an app to help you identify plants

This is the magical succulent that will transform your garden

This is the magical succulent that will transform your garden

{headline}

{headline}

How to grow roses from cuttings

How to grow roses from cuttings

A new service now delivers gorgeous plants to your door every month

A new service now delivers gorgeous plants to your door every month

Tulip Time!

Tulip Time!

Reward Your Garden With Beautiful Bulbs

Reward Your Garden With Beautiful Bulbs

DIY greenhouse: How to build a greenhouse

DIY greenhouse: How to build a greenhouse

How to look after your bonsai

How to look after your bonsai

How to successfully transplant peony plants

How to successfully transplant peony plants

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!