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dreamindecor

Can/Should this Hong Kong Orchid tree be saved?

dreamindecor
10 years ago

My 1 1/2 year old Hong Kong Orchid was hit by the frost (NE Phoenix) even though it was wrapped in Christmas lights. All the branches are dry and brittle, but I have a couple of shoots coming up at the bottom. Should I cut the whole thing back and try to grow it as a shrub or just take it out and start over with a different kind of tree. (Looking for something tropical)

Comments (14)

  • Haname
    10 years ago

    If you don't mind it as a shrub, then go for it. Your hummingbirds will appreciate it. :) But if you want a tree there, you'll need to replace it.

    If I had a HKO again, I would make sure to wrap the trunk when freeze threatens and cover the crown, letting the frost cloth drape all the way to the ground.

  • wanna_run_faster
    10 years ago

    Is that a graft line? If so, whatever is coming up from underneath is probably the root stock.

    Has anyone grown a royal poinciana here? Now that is a beautiful tropical tree!

  • dreamindecor
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's the full tree - it was too tall for frost cloth. I don't know if that's a graft line. I'm sad that the main trunk seems to be gone. Guess I'll try to grow it as a shrub.

  • Haname
    10 years ago

    Yep, that crown is too tall. :) But wrapping the trunk and the main branches can protect enough so that if it freezes back you would still have a good tree structure. I wish I had known that the first winter I had my HKO. It would probably be a wonderful tree by now.

    So sorry you lost your tree.

  • dreamindecor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Update - Here we are - one year later. It grew like crazy over the past year, survived the winter and is in full bloom. I've been told Hong Kong Orchids often shed their leaves in early Spring, but that didn't happen here.

  • ra
    9 years ago

    Wow awesome update!

    I'm surprised how much growth it pushed in one year!

    Do you fertilize yours? any iron supplement?

    I have five Hong Kong orchids in the back yard just planted this past Feb. and one White orchid tree that I just planted a few weeks ago. I wished I had gotten the purple orchid trees instead since they're more cold hardy than the hong kongs, but I couldn't resist the price that I got them for lol

  • dreamindecor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    No, I don't fertilize mine. It's on a drip system with the rest of my trees. Since the main trunk was killed off in last year's frost, these 'branches' all grew up from below the place where I cut it off. An arborist suggested I cut out some of the branches that crossed after flowering season.

  • kevininphx
    9 years ago

    awesome!

  • Lori Reed
    9 years ago

    I am soooooooo glad I found this post completely by accident. We have that same tree, and had the exact same experience. We let it come back in the spring and it looks lovely just like yours. Anyway, we have been trying to find out what kind of tree this was for 7 years now. Mystery solved. Thank you!

  • dreamindecor
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Aaaaaaand THREE years later, here's the fully rebounded tree - full of purple orchid flowers. (Glad I read my previous post that the tree often loses its leaves in early Spring 'cause I was stressing about why a lot of the leaves were turning yellow and falling off!)

    The one thing I DISLIKE about this tree is that it has seed pods. I remember asking when I bought it whether it had pods or not and the nursery ASSURED me that it didn't. Sigh....

  • Eric Rogers
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Thats awesome. i planted one last week and i live in Gilbert. How much water would you guess it receives daily?

  • lazy_gardens
    8 years ago

    Eric ... you need to SOAK that tree every few days the first summer. Run a slow drip or a soaker hose on it at low output for several hours.

    Nothing kills trees in AZ faster than small frequent doses of water.

  • dreamindecor
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    AJBB - gah! you're right!! I looked it up - "The less common Hong Kong orchid tree is
    preferable to the more common Purple orchid tree. Most importantly,
    the Hong Kong is sterile so it does not produce the messy beans that
    the Purple does. "

    Desert Winds Nursery had it tagged as a "Hong Kong Orchid." These seed pods are very unsightly.

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