Let’s do an autopsy!
I need to do a plant autopsy! The victim was a well established grevillea. It was a needle leaf variety so there were no warning signs of droopy leaves.
The first sign of trouble was when the needles started to turn brown; by then it is too late to do anything. So, it died. Now it needs to be removed and a replacement planted, but first we need to establish, if possible, the cause of death.
There are various reasons why it may have died. Plants do not live for ever. The grevillea was about fifteen years old and may have come to the end of its natural life, but I doubt it. Perhaps it died for want of water during the dry summer and autumn. Our watering system waters it but perhaps the spray it is on has become blocked. I have lost several shrubs due to borers and white ants. I will need to check for these when I remove it.
During the COVID lockdowns this section of the garden was extensively remodelled. While this grevillea was not transplanted, its surrounding soil was raised by about 5cm which may have caused collar rot in the now buried bark. Given the timelapse, fungal attack is unlikely. Rotted bark at ground level is a sign of collar rot and dark stains within the wood are signs of a systemic fungal infection. If there are signs of fungus, I will not replace it with another grevillea.
I will be careful when disposing of the corpse once it has been removed. Normally I would mulch and chip it but if there are any signs of fungal attack, I will burn it (mulching may spread the problem to other plants). I find a fire pit, some dead wood, a stubby or two and a cold evening a wonderful combination - so a cremation is likely.
The Zen Gardener
