Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
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Hey, I got a Monkey Puzzle about 6 months ago, we just came out of an Australian summer where it got regular watering and it seems mostly unchanged from when I found it at a local garden center, where I fell in love with it on site. In general I have been watering it twice a week, its got mulch in the pot, but not built up around the base of the trunk and in general I try to watch its browning. All the browning for the most part is on the lower branches and they have always looked a bit droopy. Most pictures I see have them standing out straight, so I am wondering if there is something I can do to help it, or is this due to the prior owners care.
Hey, I got a Monkey Puzzle about 6 months ago, we just came out of an Australian summer where it got regular watering and it seems mostly unchanged from when I found it at a local garden center, where I fell in love with it on site. In general I have been watering it twice a week, its got mulch in the pot, but not built up around the base of the trunk and in general I try to watch its browning. All the browning for the most part is on the lower branches and they have always looked a bit droopy. Most pictures I see have them standing out straight, so I am wondering if there is something I can do to help it, or is this due to the prior owners care.
Thanks for your question. I absolutely love Monkey Puzzle trees, but they do need an insane amount of space to thrive.
The quick answer, if I may, is that Monkey Puzzle trees need to go in the ground. They are a really large tree that doesn't do well in pots in the long term, which is frustrating why garden centres sell them to people for container gardens!
It will need to go into a pot at least twice the size of the one you have it in and be fed at least twice a year with an organic feed along with the mulch. While not the fastest-growing tree in 15 years, it will be 3 times that size! Just for some context.
So plant it in a much bigger pot, and it will be fine for a couple of years before needing to be potted on again. A saucer underneath may also help to retain the moisture it will need.
Thanks for your question. I absolutely love Monkey Puzzle trees, but they do need an insane amount of space to thrive.
The quick answer, if I may, is that Monkey Puzzle trees need to go in the ground. They are a really large tree that doesn't do well in pots in the long term, which is frustrating why garden centres sell them to people for container gardens!
It will need to go into a pot at least twice the size of the one you have it in and be fed at least twice a year with an organic feed along with the mulch. While not the fastest-growing tree in 15 years, it will be 3 times that size! Just for some context.
So plant it in a much bigger pot, and it will be fine for a couple of years before needing to be potted on again. A saucer underneath may also help to retain the moisture it will need.
I think it was more an issue of the garden center didnt know what they had, it being owned by an employee who long ago moved on and had to sell it due to moving into an apartment at the time. I am hoping to plant it in the ground some day, when my family moves into a bigger place and I have the space to do so, but knowing that if planted in a bigger container it will do alright for a few more years is nice.
Out of curiosity, is there any way to gauge how old the tree may be? And as I continue to care for it, are there any resources, or any thoughts from your end that I can further implement to assist in its care? I have done some searching online and information seems somewhat spare or contradictory and would love to give this plant the best shot.
I think it was more an issue of the garden center didnt know what they had, it being owned by an employee who long ago moved on and had to sell it due to moving into an apartment at the time. I am hoping to plant it in the ground some day, when my family moves into a bigger place and I have the space to do so, but knowing that if planted in a bigger container it will do alright for a few more years is nice.
Out of curiosity, is there any way to gauge how old the tree may be? And as I continue to care for it, are there any resources, or any thoughts from your end that I can further implement to assist in its care? I have done some searching online and information seems somewhat spare or contradictory and would love to give this plant the best shot.
Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
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