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I am new to gardening and bought a place with a lovely garden including perimeter fence covered by bush, trees and foliage. Due to lack of my ignorance and lack of knowledge it has become infested with scale and I have lost a lot of the branches. We have cut back the trees and they are really bare in the section in line with the fence. Higher up there are leaves etc… Will the trees recover? It’s sad to see the state of them now. I wish I’d realised what it was sooner.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @RachSyd. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about scale.
You've come to the right place for assistance as the community is full of knowledgeable members all willing to lend a hand with your garden. With the correct treatment and care, I believe your plants have a good chance of recovering.
Have you used any products to try and treat the scale as yet? If not, then I'd suggest you give the plants a good spray with Yates 750ml Ready To Use Scale Gun Insect Pest Killer. You also might like to show us some close-ups of the leaves, including the undersides, to see if we can identify any other issues. Please remember your PPE, including a face mask, gloves and a long-sleeved shirt.
So that you know, lilly pillies are extremely susceptible to these kinds of infestations. It's unusual to see a tree like this that doesn't have some type of issue, so it's more about the type of plant than your lack of gardening knowledge. Here's a helpful guide on How to grow and care for a lilly pilly.
If you haven't fertilised since you've been in the property, it would be a good idea to use some native fertiliser. You might also like to apply some Seasol to assist with the plant bouncing back.
Let me mention @mich1972 to see if she has any thoughts.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
I'd say they are almost definitely lilly pillies @RachSyd. The biggest indicators are the leaf shape, branch structure, and the fact they are infested with scale.
The Seasol concentrate would be your best bet. Water it down as per directions on the container.
Mitchell
Hello @RachSyd
It all depends on the number of leaves left on the tree. If there are enough leaves to produce photosynthesis, then your tree has a fighting chance to live. If the tree manages to get rid of the scale infestation, your trees odds of survival become that much greater. All we can do now is wait and see.
Eric
Hi @RachSyd,
What condition are the current plants in? Would it be worth trying to save them? What have you treated the scale with so far? If there is any chance of saving them, I'd recommend picking up a white oil concentrate and mixing it up into a garden sprayer. With the garden sprayer on stream setting, you should reach well above head height. The stream will shoot a few metres. Ensure you saturate all the foliage as best as possible. The reason for suggesting this is that it would likely be quicker though still a lengthy process, to save and rejuvenate the current plants than to remove them and start with new plants. Unless you are going to purchase mature plants, it would take years to reach above fence height.
For plenty of great screening options, check out How to choose a screening plant, How to choose a hedging plant and How to create privacy by planting.
As a temporary solution, whilst you new plants establish, you might like to consider fence extensions or screening panels.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
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