Tea Trees are an interesting plant, you may be familiar with Tea Leaf Oil. If you search for this plant online using Google, you get a variety of pictures for Tea Tree. The plant we are considering today is specially the Melaleuca alternifolia. The tree is native to Australia, which is a gigantic country...native to the southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. The climatic zones for this area is basically humid subtropical and/or oceanic. The oil derived from the leaves is considered an essential oil with numerous benefits. The oil is also known as melaleuca oil.
There are two trees, one to the north side of the property (2-3 years old in the ground) and one to the east of the property (1-2 years in the ground).
Tree on North Side...seemingly dead 60% up
North Side tree. Close up of the leaves.
Tea Tree on East Side
Discussion Points and Actions
Tree to on North side needs to be pruned heavily to either save it or let it pass
All ground has been mulched with wood chips at this point (too soon on north side to tell any differences with the soil changing)
The trees are definitely not adapted to Arizona's heat given they are normally in subtropical conditions that are both hot and humid.
The one to the East has grown some, but it has not grown much.
It seems that the Eastern tree is doing better at the top than the bottom...more sun at the top.
No measurements of soil pH or dampness available. Limited information about what has been done when planting these specimens.
The choice to put try these plants was mostly due to their cost being lower than normal at a Home Depot nursery
These are non-native to Arizona, not available from AZ nurseries (as far as we can remember), and potentially mal-adapted to the desert conditions present.
The tree to the East is noticeably stronger and healthier than the to the North, which indicates that the soil is better conditioned through the addition of wood chips years prior and greater canopy coverage to protect the tree...potentially there are better microbes present.
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