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Soils

Well-drained soils are essential. Sand or sandy loamsoils with a slightly acid to neutral pH are preferred.

Climate

Waxflower tolerates a wide range of conditions. Frosts

from mid winter to spring will affect flower quality and mayrender the crop unmarketable. Even if the crop has novisible damage, repeated frosts may damage thecambium of the trunk, effectively ringbarking the tree.Under these circumstances there is a slow decline,eventually ending in death.

In high rainfall areas Botrytis flower blight may be anongoing problem.

Field planting

Waxflower plantlets are usually supplied in small tubesfor planting. These plantlets can quickly becomerootbound if they are left in the tubes for too long -rootbinding can occur in a couple of weeks. Once youhave received the plants, do not delay planting.

If plants are rootbound, prune the roots with a pair ofclean, sharp secateurs before planting to ensure theroots grow vertically. It may then be necessary to prunethe top part of the plant to reduce transpiration until theroot mass has increased.

When your plants arrive, inspect them carefully for anysigns of poor health. If you have any concerns, do notplant any of them until a pathologist has tested a samplefor possible diseases. Many nurseries now belong to theNursery Accreditation Scheme, which ensures that

certain minimum hygiene standards are being followedand that the risk of jarrah dieback (Phytophthoracinnamomi)and other soil diseases is minimal.

The best time to plant is autumn, since it allows plants toestablish over winter. If good irrigation facilities areavailable, also consider a spring planting.

Many different planting arrangements have been used inWestern Australia, including double rows and close-planted hedges. Ensure that plants are in straight lines -this makes harvesting and spraying easier.

The following spacings are typical:

C. uncinatum- 2 m between plants, 3 m between rows(1667 plants/ha).

C. ciliatum, C. megalopetalum- 0.8 m between plants,2 m between rows (6250 plants/ha).

Irrigation

Waxflower needs a significant amount of water formaximum production. The best place to plant is on a sitewhere the water is between one and three metres belowthe surface. If this is not possible, trickle or microjetirrigation is needed during the summer months tomaximise production. Several outlets per plant may beneeded.

The limited research suggests that irrigating to at least75 per cent of evaporation may be necessary. A matureC. uncinatum can use as much as 20 L per plant per dayin the heat of summer. However, for plants pruned andcultivated for cut flowers, the amount of water required

will be less than this.Start irrigating as the soil water level decreases. In earlysummer give each plant at least 4 to 6 L of water per dayto maximise production. Increase this rate to at least 8 to10 L per day by late summer.

Monitor soil moisture levels to help to minimise water andnutrient wastage, by ensuring water is applied mostefficiently. New instruments for soil moisture monitoringare being continually developed and evaluations byAgriculture Western Australia have shown many of themto be unreliable. See Farmnote 79/94 Soil moisturesensors for sandy soils (Agdex 560), or for the latestinformation on any aspect of irrigation, consult youradviser.

Levels of total soluble salts less than 270 millisiemensper metre (about 1500 ppm) are desirable, but there maybe some varieties that will tolerate higher levels than this.

Fertilisers

Waxflower responds well to balanced fertilisers appliedat moderate rates. Do not consider producing waxflowerwithout fertiliser. Table 2 shows the current minimumrecommended rate of each element.

Apply fertiliser throughout the year. As summer is the

main period of growth, it is important that nutrients areavailable to the plant at this time of year. Reduce rates,especially nitrogen, after budding to minimise ongrowth.

Fertilisers can be applied in solution through the irrigationsystem, in solid form, or as a combination of the twomethods. If you are applying solid fertilisers, you shouldbe aware of how long one application lasts and that if youapply the fertiliser when conditions are dry, plants cannottake up the nutrients until it rains.

Nitrogen from some solid fertilisers such as urea can alsobe lost to the atmosphere if the rain does not wet thefertiliser sufficiently. The most efficient way of applyingfertilisers is through the irrigation system on a daily or

weekly basis. This allows plants ready access to thenutrients at all times of the year.

Figure 1. Waxflower planting in single rows.

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Insect pests

Insects are not a major problem in waxflower, but flowerswill be rejected if insects are found in shipments on entryto countries such as Japan and USA with strictquarantine requirements.

Rutherglen bug, wingless grasshoppers and the ring-barking weevil can cause damage at planting. FarmnoteNo. 1/96 Pests of export wildflowers and proteas (Agdex280/620) gives details on these pests.

The gall wasp, a serious pest in Queensland, has littleimpact in Western Australia. The wasp causes tiny gallson the young leaves (see Figure 2), decreasing the valueof the product and creating quarantine difficulties. Ensurethat cuttings are free of gall wasp.

Waxflower can be attacked by a ringbarking weevil nativeto Western Australia, although waxflower is not apreferred host. The larvae of this weevil, which ringbarks

the stem below the soil surface, severely damages someChamelaucium species. In particular, plantations ofC. ciliatum and C. axillare have been heavily attacked bythis pest and an insecticide drench once a year isrecommended.

Leaf tip larvae can damage shoot tips. Spray plantsmonthly with a synthetic pyrethroid such as Ambush.

Many insects, including thrips, bugs, beetles and weevils,live on waxflowers and although they do not cause agreat deal of damage to the crop, they can causerejection of shipments through quarantine restrictions.Field control of insects during the season is essential,

since disinfestation after harvest does not provide a highenough level of kill.

For thrips and bugs, use Mavrik, for beetles and weevilsuse Ambush. Mavrikis not needed if you are usingAmbush. For further information, consult your adviser.

Diseases

Root rots

Species of Pythium and Phytophthora can cause rootrots and eventual death of plants. Pythium is a problemin winter, or in poorly drained areas.

Phytophthora can be imported on planting material,shoes, vehicles or animals. Good hygiene practices arenecessary to prevent the importation and spread of this

Table 2. Recommended fertiliser rates (kg/ha/y) for

waxflower planted at 1667 plants per hectare

Nitrogen 80

Phosphorus 10

Potassium 80

Other macro elementsCalcium 15Magnesium 5

Trace elements Fetrilon Combior Librel BMX

at recommended rate

Figure 2. Gall caused by a small wasp.

disease. It is spread from plant to plant underground bymeans of water movement, so that infections tend tomove downhill. Isolate infections if possible, burn theinfected plants and apply preventative treatments ofFos-Ject(mono di-potassium phosphite) to surroundingplants.

Botrytis flower blight

Botrytis flower blight is the main above-ground disease.It can cause significant losses both in the field and duringshipment to export markets. The symptoms are brownishlesions on the petals and in severe cases, shedding ofthe buds and flowers. Post-harvest, it develops onflowers in export cartons as a hairy mould, mostly onbuds and flowers.

Wet, humid conditions favour the development ofBotrytis. In export cartons, moisture loss from the flowersprovides ideal conditions for the growth of the fungus.

Control must start in the field. Spray plants fortnightly witha fungicide from the time they bud until the end ofharvest. Rovralis one suitable chemical. During wetweather, more frequent sprays will be needed. Usefungicides in rotation to prevent the build-up of resistantstrains of pathogens. Flowers infected with Botrytismaynot be visible at the time of harvest but will causeproblems later.

Pruning

Prune waxflower immediately after harvest, to keep thebushes to a manageable size and ensure maximum stemlength for the next season. Leave some green shoots onthe plants; 45 cm is an average pruning height. Young

bushes can be shaped after their first flowering, eventhough the flowers are not being harvested.

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ISSN 0726-934X

State of Western Australia, 2007

Yields

Many factors influence the productivity of Chamelauciumspecies, including fertilisers, pests, diseases andirrigation. Grower experience in Western Australiasuggests that the yields in Table 3 can be expected fromhealthy, well-managed bushes.

Table 3. Yields of Chamelaucium species: Numberof 500 g bunches produced*

Species Year 2 Year 3 Years 4-10

C. uncinatum

Alba 4 7 15Purple Pride 3 5 12CWA Pink 4 6 14Mullering Brook 3 5 9

C. ciliatum 1 4 5

C. floriferum 1 3 3

C. megalopetalum 1 3 3Lady Stephanie 3 5 18

* Nil production in Year 1.

Note:The number of stems/bunch ranges from 5 to 15, averaging

about 8. The price per bunch will depend on flower quality, stem lengthand stem thickness.

Post-harvest handling

Bud and flower drop is often a problem in exportshipments. Cool fresh flowers as soon as possible afterharvest.

Try to pick in the cool of the day when the bushes areturgid and immediately place the flowers in water in ashaded place. Many flower farms use a covered trailer.Where it is likely that flowers have a high incidence ofBotrytis, or are likely to encounter ethylene in transit,place the flowers in a 4 mM STS pulse for 20 minutes assoon as possible. Flowers that are already stressed willnot respond to STS - the damage is already done.

Also dip flowers for export in Rovral(1 g/L) and Cislin

(2.5 mL/L). After dipping, air-dry the flowers while they arestanding in water, before packing them - see FarmnoteNo. 108/94 Disinfestation of wildflowers using insecticide

dips (Agdex 280/56) and Farmnote No. 89/88 Post-harvest insect disinfestation treatments for cut flowersand foliage (Agdex 280/56) for further details.

Finally, grade the flowers and place them in accuratelylabelled boxes for forced air cooling to 2C. Efforts shouldbe made to maintain this temperature during transport toexport destinations.

Further reading

Farmnote No. 86/88 Preparation of liquid fertiliserstock solutions (Agdex 545).

Farmnote No. 46/04 Cooling cut flowers and foliage.

Farmnote No. 89/88 Post harvest insectdisinfestation treatments for cut flowers and foliage

(Agdex 280/56).

Farmnote No. 1/96 Pests of export wildflowers andproteas (Agdex 280/620).

Farmnote No. 98/88 Pests of young trees (Agdex620).

Farmnote No. 35/92 Wildflower production - gettingstarted (Agdex 280/10).

Farmnote No. 79/94 Soil moisture sensors for sandysoils (Agdex 560).

Farmnote No. 108/94 Disinfestation of wildflowersusing insecticide dips (Agdex 280/56).