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We had a hedge of murrayas in place for about 10 years. In one section there was 2 - 3 plants that were never quite as strong as the rest.
Mid 2024 these 3 finally died. I put in replacements - they to have died off.
Now one both sides of the gap the leaves are yellowing - see photo of the worst one.
Our soil is pretty wet - so wonder if it is that. In the past we have had borers, but I thought I had sorted them...
I am wondering why this section has died off recently (after approx 10 years) and replacements struggle.
I am in Brisbane and our garden is pretty low so if it is drainage, I wonder what I can practically do.
Grateful for thoughts.
Thanks
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Timo14. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about murraya care.
How wet is the soil in that section? After watering or rain, how long does it take for the soil to dry out? Most plants, including murrayas, don’t tolerate having consistently soggy roots, and prolonged wet conditions can lead to root rot.
One common reason for plants declining after reaching a certain height is that they were planted on top of a solid clay base. Often, they do well initially because their roots remain within the topsoil layer, but as they grow, their roots penetrate deeper, hitting the clay. If the clay holds water, the roots can end up sitting in a pool for days or even weeks after heavy rain, which suffocates them and causes a rapid decline.
This could explain why your established murrayas eventually died off and why the replacements struggled. Young plants are even more sensitive to poor drainage, and if they were planted in already soggy soil, their roots might have rotted before they had a chance to establish.
If drainage is the issue, there are a few things you could try. Raising the planting area by mounding up soil or using a raised garden bed can help keep the roots from sitting in water. Alternatively, improving soil drainage by incorporating organic matter or gypsum (if it’s clay) might help over time.
Have you noticed pooling water in that area after heavy rain?
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hello @Timo14
That is a bit of a predicament as your Murraya is already very well established. Some possible solutions are to break up the clay if you can get to it, use a garden fork or crowbar to break up the clay at the bottom of the hole. You don’t need to dig deeper just loosen it to allow some drainage. Avoid making a "bowl" where water can collect. Another way is to try and improve the drainage, mix gypsum into the clay at the bottom and sides of the hole if you can get access to the bottom. Gypsum helps break down clay structure over time, improving drainage without affecting soil pH.
One other method is to raise the planting level of the existing tree. Raise the level of tree by creating a mound. Fill the hole with a mix of good-quality soil, compost, and some coarse sand or fine gravel (about 30% sand) to help water drain through. Position the root ball so it sits slightly higher than the original ground level, then taper the soil down. But because your Murraya is already very big, I'm not sure if this will still work for your tree.
One other option is to perhaps relocate the tree to another spot where there is good soil drainage. You would need to investigate the new area thoroughly to make sure that it does not have the same issue with the bottom having a clay base.
Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @mich1972 for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
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