Rewilding My Lot

I have previously reported that my new Texas Mountain Laurel is sickly in that half of the tree has very pale leaves and is not thriving like the dark green other half. See earlier post: What Is Wrong With My Texas Mountain Laurel Tree?

Several gardeners who also own this tree have suggested that there might be damage on the pale side, which could be preventing proper absorption of nutrients, especially iron. If so, it is possible, although not guaranteed, that supplementing with iron might help. If the damage diagnosis is correct, then this is likely to have been caused by transplant shock and extreme heat.

So the tree has now received a tiny treatment of Ironite — 14 grams for 6 square feet, mixed with the soil and watered in.

Another creative suggestion was to plant a few Texas Mountain Laurel seeds under the pale half of the tree. If it turns out that the pale branch dies and has to be cut away, then over time the new seeds will grow and at a glance you might not know that it is not one tree. And if new seedlings do grow but are not needed there, then they could be transplanted elsewhere.

As it happens, I was recently visiting a friend who has a mature Texas Mountain Laurel, and came away with a handful of ripe seeds. I’ll write another day about how I prepared the seeds for germination (here’s that post).