How to Grow Australian Tea Trees (Leptospermum laevigatum)
Grow one big craggy-trunked tea tree or plant several close together for a terrific windbreaking thicket. Choose Leptospermum laevigatum for its fine texture and flowers.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Australian Tea Trees
- Anvil Pruners
- Organic Matter
- Shovels
- Tree Formula Fertilizers
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1
Meet the tea tree's needs by choosing the right place for it in your garden - full sun, excellent drainage in a slightly acid soil and ample water in the first year. Use it to screen or shade and enjoy its tiny, rose-like, white, spring flowers.
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2
Amend your native soil to increase drainage and avoid root rot - do not plant tea trees in a bog or at the bottom of a hill. Add coarse bark or leaf mold to break up tight soils and acidify the soil pH.
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3
Shape a single-trunk tea tree in its early years by cutting off any stems that sprout near the base or low down on the trunk. Look for the trunk to gnarl and grow "hair" in a few years - it's an outstanding feature of older trees.
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4
Encourage a group of teas to grow into a hedge or screen by planting small trees close together, mulching around their bases to form an island and pruning the newest growth frequently to encourage more growth. Start pruning after the wall of flowers finishes in spring.
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5
Give young trees plenty of water to establish deep roots - this enhances their natural drought tolerance in later years. Fertilize with a tree formula one month after planting and annually after that right after bloom season ends.
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6
Prune a treeform Leptospermum to encourage its loose canopy's wide branches. Select main branches while the tree is young, and tip-prune the new growth on side stems to keep it compact - or let them go natural to an elegant weeping shape.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Leaves will turn yellow between their veins if the soil is too alkaline.
Let flowers fall off, but leave the seed capsules if you find them attractive.
The tea tree should not be planted in a region where temperatures fall below 20 degrees F. It does prefer it to be a bit cool in winter - from 55-60 degrees F.
