Why are my Weeping Lilly Pilly leaves discoloured?

[Karen61]

I have 12 x 4m high weeping lilly pilly trees abutting our fence line, all in a row - spectacular!   However I’ve just notice some discolouration on the leaves on the face of the trees (attached).

We’ve not had this before - the trees are 4-5 years old.

Can you please help identify what this is and is it treatable?

[Akanksha]

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @Karen61. We're delighted to have you join us and we look forward to seeing and assisting you with your home improvement and garden plans. 

Sorry to hear about your sick Weeping Lilly Pilly. Let me tag our garden experts @mich1972, @Adam_W and @Noelle in case they can offer any recommendations on how to care for your plant. 

In the meantime, I suggest checking out this excellent guide by Noelle on How to diagnose a sick plant in case it helps.

The following discussions might also be relevant:

• Lilly Pilly drooping and brown leaves
  
  
• How do i fix the browning leaves on my Waterhousia Lilly Pilly?
  
  

Akanksha

[mich1972]

Good afternoon @Karen61, sending you a nearly Spring welcome to the Workshop Community 🪴💐

It could be a couple of things. First thing that came to mind was it looks like it’s been burnt by over fertilised at some stage. 
It could also be waterlogged, damp soil which affects the roots and the whole plant suffers. 
It could also be a mineral deficiency in the soil. 
It could also be like a weed killer drift spray burning. 

I’m thinking though, it’s either water logged or fertiliser burning. 

Can I please ask what your soil is like ? What your soil conditions are like- heavy clay, sandy ect ? 

Is it only on the one tree or spreading ? 

I hope this helps you a bit. I’m going to tag @Noelle and @Adam into the conversation 😃

[EricL]

Hello @Karen61 

In order for us to give you a better diagnosis of what's happening to your plant, would it be possible for you to post a picture of the entire plant along with a few photos of the ground around the plant? Please make sure to post a photo of the bottom of the leaves as well.  Can you also please tell us a bit of history as to when you fertilize the plant, how often do you water it, when did you notice it getting unwell? Any other information you can provide about the plants history would be useful in diagnosing your plants ailment.

Eric

[Karen61]

Lilly Pilly with T’Court in backgroundTop of leavesUnderside of leavesBase exposed - moist not wetBase exposed with fine roots - moist not wetLeavesLine of Lilly pillyFront of leaves

[Karen61]

I’ve posted more pictures to show the upper and underside of the leaves.  I’ve also cleared the mulch from around the base of 2 effected trees and they’re moist but not wet.  I can’t see any trunk rot or blackness.  

I have fertilised these once a year with cow manure and water only as needed.  We’ve found them to be extremely hardy and their growth has been very hearty and healthy,  We cut them back strongly and top them twice a year to contain their height.

I’m wondering whether they have been affected by weed killer drift spray burning.   Hubby was spraying weed killer over the whole tennis court last week til kill some red moss which has taken a hold over the winter months.  Wondering whether the spray from this has drifted across and down the side (where they’re planted) and lobbed on the leaves?   However, the lawn, directly alongside the Lilly pilly is not showing any sign of poisoning from this.

[mich1972]

Good morning @Karen61 thank you so much for posting extra pictures it does help. I’m wondering if it is weed killer drifting and burning them as the trees look healthy. They are not wilting or anything. 

[MitchellMc]

@Karen61,

If the leaves only started browning after your husband sprayed the weedkiller, then it would be reasonable to assume that this could be the cause. It seems unusual if the only affected leaves are down the far end of the row, not closer to the court. Could this be a case of an accidental spray while walking to and from the court with the sprayer?

In the discussion, How do I fix browning leaves on my Waterhousia Lilly Pilly? I note that @Noelle mentions that Lilly Pilly's respond well to a decent prune, so this might be a case of cutting the dead leaves away and seeing how the plant responds. Once the dead leaves are removed, you'll be able to clearly see if this problem persists or whether it was an isolated incident.

Mitchell

[Noelle]

Or even wind-blown spray drift that's wafted over the grass to land on the trees at the end of the row?

Note for future reference - if you were trying to eradicate moss, be aware that most weedkillers will NOT kill mosses.  They are not like "normal" plants that photosynthesise, the process that most common weedkillers interrupts, so traditional weedkillers will have minimal effect.

There are several specific moss and algae killers available (the top rows products listed on this link in particular), so look for one of those next time the tennis court needs treatment.