I have two Callistemon Citrinus about 35' apart or more and one of them has nice deep green leaves and seems to be thriving while the other while still growing has yellowish leaves and is not doing as well. I know Iron plays a big part in the color of the leaves and a low Iron content can cause yellowing. But is it possible for the Iron content to be that different 35' away? I know Green Sand is a good source of Iron but how quickly is it released? I would like to help my poor shrub as quickly as possible then work on maintaining it.

The two Callistemon Citrinus were planted at the same time and one is almost 6' tall 4' wide while it's sick counterpart is probably about 4' tall and about half as wide.

If Green Sand works relatively quickly how much should I add around the Callistemon Citrinus?

Considering the information on the two plants, I would say the sick tree treatment is in order. It includes green sand. If nothing else I would dose it well and quickly with cornmeal. Sounds more like a fungal problem to me. I might be wrong but I'll bet I'm right! In fact, I would do that first and see if you don't get a well shrub very quickly. It's cheap and easy and gets results in a couple of days.
Kathe

Kathe,

Thank you for the information I will give it a try. About the only thing that I really need to do is add more of the amendments. The problem I have is figuring out how much to use. Everything in the Sick Tree Treament is gauged for a large tree. These guys while called Bottle Brush Trees (Callistemon Citrinus) are more of a shrub than a tree. They only get as tall as 15' and look more bushey than tree-like.

I have never put mulch around them (requiring much weeding) because they prefer a drier soil but I have recently added 2in Compost, 1/2 cup Bone Meal, 1/2 cup Green Sand, 1 lb Corn Meal, 1/2 cup Blood Meal, 1/2 cup Organic Fertilizer, and 1 lb Dried Molasses to try and help my poor bush.

A few quick questions on the Corn Meal. Should that be mixed in, left on top, or both? Should it be watered after adding? I've mixed and water mine in.

If I could get some recommendations on how much of these wonderful amendments I should give that will give me some idea of the direction I need to go.

I did some more research on your plant and found that the type of soil & ph you have may be a lot of your problem. They prefer sandy soil, which will have a different ph than the black clay here. Did you aerate the soil around its feet? There is most likely a situation where it has too much water standing on its roots. That is a lot of the problem we get with plants that like better draining soil here. Is it in a place where the water doesn't drain away as well as for the other plant? Check that out as a possible problem.

On the cornmeal, I have never used more then 3-4 cups for any size bush so you have used plenty. In fact you may have over-loved your little plant. You used an awful lot of very rich materials. I'd leave the mulch there but not too heavy and away from teh trunk, then aerate around it to help the water dissipate and get oxygen down to the roots.

I hope your plant gets well. It's a shame to lose any of them.
Kathe

A pound was a guess I am pretty sure that I am close to what you say you use. The soil around the bushes is not sandy by any means but the soil drains very well and there is no standing water. The soil is pretty dry on a regular basis and readily takes in the water when I do water them. Like I said those bushes almost never get watered but I do give them a good watering occasionally during the hottest part of the summer. My soil is very dark but is not very clay-like at all. I just added all those goodies to the tree/bush within the past week to try to give it a boost. I do not mulch just for that reason because I do not want to retain water. I will try to aerate in the next few days I have a nice 4' long 3/8 piece of rebar I will use to aerate I can usually get it about 7"-8" deep with little effort and a good pair of heavy leather gloves. Or should I try something else? I also have a 4' long 1" Piece of PVC Pipe I might be able to hammer into the ground several times.

Thank you for the information,

Chad