Tree of a thousand stars

[Scooter_M]

Hey guys,

I saved (or atleast trying to) a Tree of a thousand stars (Serissa) from Bunnings the other day. it was 4$, and with good reason, the top 1/3 is dead and dry, no green leaves, most likely due to the heat we've had lately, and it had all those stuck pebble stuff all over it. Scractching back the bark at the base of the tree its still green so i figured i'd give it a chance for 4$.

Got it home and got all the stones off, gave it some food, and a good water. Now i just have to wait for a little and see if it comes back. Just wondering tho, what sort of chance does this have? are these tree's reasonably hardy?

Is there anything special i need to do for it? Extra sun? less sun? Indoors? keep it covered with the old upside cut off upside down soft drink bottle for a bit of warmth and protection?

Any (speedy) information would be great, i think i only have a day or two to get it back on track!

Cheers all

[alpineart]

Hi Scooter_M , mate i have killed them with kindness and too much water . I have an extremely large invasive clump in solid clay and shale it doesn't get watered at all , its is in full sun and i have been know to spray it with roundup over the many years its been here . Its as healthy as it has ever been .

I would keep it in full sun mid 20's are part shade over 30's and water sparingly but don't let it completely dry out a sand tray would help if the temps are high . They do prefer a deeper pot as the roots run around in circles and intertwine with each other and dry out quickly in shallow containers .

Best of luck with it .

Cheers Alpineart

[Scooter_M]

Thanks, Yeah ok.. so my only thought now is has it got too much water.. hrm... i did put it in a slightly larger pot, and its going to be warm today, so it should dry out a bit, then can just give it a mist or light drizzle to keep it out. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!!