Hi!
I am in need of some advice for my neglected Lilly pilly hedge. It is currently very holely and thin on the bottom, with many gaps as in pictures provided. I have already taken off atleast 30cm on top, and on sides. However, I’m wondering if anyone would advise to take more off the top which would allow further new growth below? Another 1/3 off? It already has new growth coming through in lower half.
Additionally, it has white wax scale and new growth being eaten by a green grub I have seen, most likely from the Lilly pilly beetle from what I’ve read. Is pest oil and eco-neem with a bit of eco-oil the best bet to rid of these nasties?
Cheers!
Syzygium do respond very well to pruning and you can cut them back quite firmly. However when they are stressed it is best to wait until you can solve those problems first. ( No photo attached but yes you can cut back hard when they are healthy).
White wax scale is a real problem with lily Pillies. You can spray pest Oil but this only works in spring when the young are on the move - they don't have the hard shell to protect them at this point and the oil suffocates them. I find that the best solution - albeit VERY tedious is to pull them off with your fingers. Ensure you collect them in a container then dispose of them in your garbage - do not let them fall to the ground as they'll just re-infest quickly. As for the green grub - am not entirely clear what that is but Eco-Neem is a good approach. There is another solution in Richgro Bug Killa but we must warn to use with extreme caution when there is no chance of flowering within 6 weeks of application - this is to protect the bees.