Q: I have lived in this house for over 2 years but the Poinciana street tree which looks mature, has never flowered. Do you know why? Adrienne - Chapel Hill
A: I feel that the problem here is probably a case of severely compacted soil around the base of your Poinciana, coupled with a lack of water. I am presuming that it is a mature tree…it could possibly be too young to flower!
I suggest that you give Brisbane City Council a call on their Customer Service number: 3403 8888 and put in a ‘complaint’. They are excellent at following up complaints, and someone will come around to talk to you. I know some of the people who deal with trees in BCC, and they are passionate about what they do. They will definitely assist you once they have inspected the tree.
One point to note when ‘de-compacting’ or ‘aerating’ soils around a tree (and lawns too, for that matter) is that this also opens the soil up to the drying effects of the ambient air. It is ‘best practice’ to give the tree (and lawns) a really good watering after the de-compaction process, and continue watering for a period of time, otherwise you might possibly do more harm than good.
BCC is ‘flat strap’ these days, sending bowsers around trying to keep some of their trees watered and alive. I wonder, would you be able to assist them by watering your Poinciana? They will certainly water the tree immediately after de-compacting your soil, but may possibly be pushed for resources to keep it up. If you could assist them by watering the tree for a minimum of one month after they have done their work, that should suffice.
NOW is a good time to handle this (possibly a bit late, really), whilst the tree still has some growth before we go into the dormant period in winter. If this is done now, I feel you have a good chance of some flowers next summer. If you could also give the tree some water in early spring, you will probably increase your chances of some flowers.
