The pine wheel tree, native to Australia, is still a real exotic species for us. In order to be able to cultivate it in our latitudes, you need a certain instinct.
You are not looking for a simple plant, but something special and exotic? Then the pinwheel tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus) will suit you well. The silver tree plants are a rarity, however, only in our latitudes. In its native Australia, the plant is well known and has been around for a long time. The aborigines gave the name pinwheel tree to the attractive plant with its dark red, wheel-like flowers. The rainforests of Australia are the natural habitat of the bizarre plants. The alternative for hobby gardeners in Germany is room culture. Smaller but no less attractive plants can be grown. If the following care instructions are observed, the pinwheel tree will certainly feel at home with you and will thank you with its blazing splendor of flowers.
How to properly care for the pinwheel tree
Watering the pinwheel tree properly
Even if the location might suggest it, the pinwheel trees in the Australian rainforest are not permanently under water. The rainfall amounts to about 100 mm per month. There is more precipitation in Australia in summer than in winter. The average amount of precipitation in Germany is around 70 mm per month and is thus roughly comparable to the minimum precipitation in the rainforest. In addition, in the rainforest, the precipitation usually does not hit the plants directly, but is caught in the leaf canopy of the higher-growing trees.
The pinwheel tree therefore needs an average intensive watering and does not want to be flooded. Plants need the most moisture during the growing season. So water more abundantly and don't let the soil dry out. Always make sure that there is no waterlogging.
Tip: If the plant is in a saucer, excess water should be removed after watering.
There is less watering in the winter months. The soil is allowed to dry out slightly. In the rainforest there is a highHumidity. Older plants in particular are happy about an occasional shower from the plant sprayer or a downpour when placed outdoors.
Summary for quick readers:
- Water abundantly during the growth phase
- in the winter months the earth can also dry out
- occasional spraying
Fertilize the Pinwheel Tree Properly
When planting the pinwheel tree, you can add some mature compost to the substrate. This gives the plant an organic long-term fertilizer that provides it with good care over the first growth period. Since the pinwheel trees grow slowly and do not have to be replanted every year, a commercially available complete fertilizer should be administered every two weeks in the second year between spring and late summer. You can put this directly into the irrigation water. Do not use more than the dosage indicated on the packaging.
Warning: Use a phosphate-free fertilizer if possible. This will do justice to the natural site conditions of the plant.
Summary for quick readers:
- When planting, apply mature compost as long-term fertilizer
- During the growth phase, give complete fertilizer for potted plants
- fertilize every 14 days
- use fertilizer without phosphate if possible
Does the pinwheel tree need pruning?
You don't necessarily have to trim regularly. However, the pinwheel tree tolerates pruning well and you can cut the plant back at any time if necessary. Breaking off the shoot tips encourages bushier growth, even in smaller plants.
Care instructions at a glance
| Care measure | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Casting | • The plant is watered moderately. • The substrate must not dry out in summer. • Waterlogging must never occur. • In order to increase the humidity increase, can be sprayed with soft water from time to time. • Less watering in winter. The substrate is allowed to dry slightly. |
| Fertilize | • When planting, compost can be added to the substrate. • In addition to organic slow-release fertiliser, the plants are given a dose of container plant fertilizer at 14-day intervals during the summer months. • The pinwheel tree does not grow in winter fertilized. |
| Cutting | • The trees grow quite slowly. • It does not need to be pruned regularly. • The shoots can be shortened if necessary. • Even diseased onesor dead branches must be removed regularly. • The pinwheel tree tolerates pruning well. |
Why isn't my fire tree blooming?
You have followed the care instructions and still the flowers are a long time coming? Don't worry, you haven't made a mistake. It will be a few years before the first flowers appear. Your little tree must first grow up and become sexually mature.
Tip: The flower buds appear in summer, but can remain closed for months and often only open in a warm room.
Propagating the Pinwheel Tree Properly
It is often not very easy and also not very cheap to acquire a young plant of the pinwheel tree. However, you can easily propagate an existing pinwheel tree by sowing. The right time for this is early spring. Then the young plants can be offered a sunny spot outdoors in summer.
Propagating the firewheel tree by seeding - step by step
1. Allow seeds to swell
2. Place seeds in potting soil and cover lightly with substrate
3. Set up planter in a warm and bright place
4. Cover planter
5. Seeds evenly moist keep
6. Ventilate the planter more often
7. Wait for germination
➛ Step 1:
Before sowing, the seeds should soak in lukewarm water for a few hours, preferably overnight. If you look closely at the seeds, you will notice a thickening. This germinating nose must point downwards when planting.
➛ Step 2:
Place the seed in moist potting soil and only lightly cover it with soil. The growing soil should be permeable and low in nutrients. You can add sand or perlite to conventional potting soil.
➛ Step 3:
The planter is set up bright and warm. The thermometer should not drop below 20 degrees. Temperatures around 25 degrees are better. However, direct sunlight should be avoided.
➛ Step 4:
To accelerate germination and create a favorable microclimate, cover the seed pot with a foil or glass cover.
➛ Step 5:
Make sure the seeds are always evenly moist. However, the wetness must not accumulate.
➛ Step 6:
Mold may form under the cover. To prevent this, you should briefly remove the cover every other day.
➛ Step 7:
Now be patientasked. The seeds germinate after about a month. The shell will probably hang on the seedling for some time. This is a natural process. The young seedling will continue to extract nutrients from the shell and will shed them on its own.
It may take another four to eight weeks before the seedlings are big enough to prick out. The young plant can then be gradually acclimated to a sunny outdoor location.
Recognize and combat pests and diseases on the pinwheel tree
The plants are quite robust and not very susceptible to pest infestation or diseases. However, care mistakes can lead to a weakening of the plant and make it more vulnerable.
Tip: Susceptibility to pests and diseases increases particularly in winter quarters.
Occasionally, the pinwheel tree can be infested by spider mites or mealybugs and mealybugs. In order to recognize the pests at an early stage and to initiate the necessary measures, the pinwheel tree should be checked regularly, especially during the winter months.
spider mites
The webs of the spider mites are clearly visible when you spray the plant with water. Since the mites mainly develop when the air is too dry, the pests can often be driven away by repeated vigorous spraying.
Mealybugs and Mealybugs
Meal lice and mealybugs are more difficult to control. It is not uncommon for chemical agents to be used here. The infestation is also easily recognizable by the webbing on the leaves, reminiscent of small cotton balls.
Leaf Necrosis
In the case of leaf necrosis, there is usually no rescue for the plant. The disease can be recognized by reddish spots, which first appear on the tips of the leaves and then migrate towards the trunk. The leaves initially remain green, but become increasingly hard and leathery and the tree dies.
Brown Leaf Tips
Brown leaf tips can indicate a care error. The pinwheel tree is then usually too dry. Mist the tree regularly to increase humidity. The plants often do not agree with the substrate either. Plant lovers have had good experiences with rhododendron soil.
Winterizing the pinwheel tree properly
If the pinwheel tree is outdoors during the summer, it is high time to move to the winter quarters in late summer. A bright location and temperatures around 20 degrees are best suited for this. castbecomes less in winter and the soil is allowed to dry out slightly until the next watering takes place. There is no fertilization during the winter.
If you cannot offer your plant a heated and bright winter quarters, you should try to overwinter the pinwheel tree in a cooler place with less light. This would suit the trees' ability to shed their leaves in cooler regions of their native Australia and sprout again in spring.