Hi my agnis flexuosa I planted about 8montbs ago, I had to stake it . It stands about 1.5 MTRS high has a very thin trunk if I untie it , it falls flat to the ground. Seems to be healthy other than this problem.
Can you help please.
Yours Deb
There seem to be two problems, firstly the roots are not supporting the stem and secondly the stem is not self supporting.
The problem with the roots maybe related to the quality of the plant you purchased and the roots may be circling and not growing outwards, if that is the case you are better to replace the plant.
For a stem/trunk to become it needs sufficient support to allow movement, swaying in the wind allows the trunk to strenghten. Rather than using a single stake you are best to place three stakes about 20-30cm from the trunk, then using hessian ties or another soft cloth, loop these between the stakes and the trunk, this allows the trunk to move without root movement of rubbing against the stakes. To decide the best height of the ties, hold the tree upright and find the lowest point that the tree can be held in an upright position.