Author Topic: Abiu not really growing  (Read 2585 times)

starling2

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Abiu not really growing
« on: November 19, 2015, 03:13:15 PM »
I have a few different kinds of Abiu, but none are really growing very well. My small plants, which are over a year and a half old and ranging n size from 30-45cm look ratty, grow slowly and seem to be perpetually struggling. They are potted in a really good mix that has proven successful with virtually everything else.

Has anyone in a subtropical climate having similar problems with them, or am I just on my own here?

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2015, 03:35:43 PM »
I have a few different kinds of Abiu, but none are really growing very well. My small plants, which are over a year and a half old and ranging n size from 30-45cm look ratty, grow slowly and seem to be perpetually struggling. They are potted in a really good mix that has proven successful with virtually everything else.

Has anyone in a subtropical climate having similar problems with them, or am I just on my own here?

pics will be helpful to determine your problem

they seem to hate chilly dry air...not sure what temps you get down to, but temps in the 40's with dry wind are not appreciated.

watch out...ants and their little scale buddies love this genus...they go for the sugary sap I suppose.

I have also been giving my trees protection from wind...which they don't appreciate.

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Don

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2015, 05:10:28 PM »
That one you gave me starling is doing well, I changed it out of the coir mix and put it straight into a large pot with osmocote rose azalea mix which I have been using for the eugenias and it went Into the shade where its new growth was hit by ful sun. Burnt all the old leaves off and now all new growth is sun hardened and growing really well. The other abius I bought from seed went into same mix and are racing away. They seem to like the bigger pot as that taproot just seems to head south real fast.
Don

starling2

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2015, 07:10:31 PM »
That one you gave me starling is doing well, I changed it out of the coir mix and put it straight into a large pot with osmocote rose azalea mix which I have been using for the eugenias and it went Into the shade where its new growth was hit by ful sun. Burnt all the old leaves off and now all new growth is sun hardened and growing really well. The other abius I bought from seed went into same mix and are racing away. They seem to like the bigger pot as that taproot just seems to head south real fast.
Don

Don,

is there any reason you chose azalea mix other than the low PH factor? I've got some PH down I could add to my mix. Maybe they don't like direct light, I'll put them in the shade and see what happens.

Don

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2015, 07:44:04 PM »
Was all I had handy at the time, that's what I use for most of my eugenias and they are thriving on it! Don't know the requirements regarding abius ph , have been a bit slack but they are punchin out new growth. The coir was drying out to quick as they are sitting on a concrete slab. Adam is probably right too with wind as the leaves were burning up in that windy weather we had but I have them nestlex in amongst all the potted unifloras so plenty of wind protection. Big pot helps too I think as when I popped him out the big roots were already tryin to get out the bottom of the pot so I tried giving it as much room as I could.

Felipe

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2015, 05:31:56 AM »
From my experience abiu does fine in subtropical climate, as long if the have acidic and humid soil. High soil and water ph is very bad and they are sensitive to drought stress.

Mike T

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2015, 04:22:54 PM »
Low humidity and the wrong soil can really make abius unhappy.They like fertile soil and lots of water but recover from hardship well and can boom quickly after mulch,fertilizer and water are applied.My 2 year old grafted z4 is 8 feet high and had hundreds of fingernail sized fruit 2 weeks ago,The fruit spotting bugs are picking them off and now there is around 40 jab sabara sized fruit left.This tree has thrived on neglect but wilted badly in dry times dropping leaves and flushing quickly when the rain came.

starling2

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2015, 08:10:13 PM »
Low humidity and the wrong soil can really make abius unhappy.They like fertile soil and lots of water but recover from hardship well and can boom quickly after mulch,fertilizer and water are applied.My 2 year old grafted z4 is 8 feet high and had hundreds of fingernail sized fruit 2 weeks ago,The fruit spotting bugs are picking them off and now there is around 40 jab sabara sized fruit left.This tree has thrived on neglect but wilted badly in dry times dropping leaves and flushing quickly when the rain came.

Alright, low PH and dry winds seem to be the common denominators here. I'll repot them and hit them with PH down.

Is yours growing in shade? They do not seem to be able to handle full sun even with water in the soil--although again, this could be owing to exposure to hot, dry winds.

Mike T

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Re: Abiu not really growing
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2015, 08:18:07 PM »
Shadecloth shelters were kept in place until the tree was over 1m high.They are not fans of wind, especially dry wind and sun on low humidity days can burn the leaves.