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Phosphorus Needs of Some Australian Plants

Kevin Handreck

Over the past several years a number of SGAP members (listed below) assisted me with a CSIRO trial that tested the phosphorus-sensitivity of a considerable number of Australian plants. The plants were grown from seed in small tubes, each of 200 ml capacity. The potting mix was composted bark and sand to which had been added single superphosphate at rates of zero, 0.06, 0.25, 0.40 and 0.90 grams per litre of mix. The mix contained ample supplies of all trace elements. Nitrogen and potassium were supplied via a zero-phosphorus Osmocote. Sowing was direct onto the surface of the mix in the tubes. The seed was covered with washed 3 mm gravel. Seedlings were thinned to one per tube and grown until the largest were considered to be ready for planting out. Deaths of seedlings were noted and the growth and quality of survivors was recorded.

We started off with seeds of nearly 2000 species, but lack of germination reduced the number of species for which data were collected to 810. Eucalypts were deliberately not included in the trial, because most are quite tolerant of phosphorus. Results with them would have been similar to those obtained with melaleucas. The species were assigned scores according to their growth, the appearance of toxicity symptoms and general pattern of response to phosphorus.

Score 1
Plants were healthy at all levels of phosphorus addition, with a grading from essentially no growth without phosphorus addition to the greatest growth at the highest rate of phosphorus addition.
Score 2
Plants were healthy at all levels of phosphorus addition, but there was some growth in the mix that had not received any phosphorus. Growth was greatest at the highest rate of P addition.
Score 3
All plants were healthy, with some growth without added phosphorus. The largest plants tended to be in the mix with the second-highest phosphorus addition rate, with those in mix with the highest rate of addition being somewhat smaller, but without any unusual foliar symptoms.
Score 4
There were slight toxicity symptoms at the highest P addition rate. The largest healthy plants were at the second-highest rate.
Score 5
There were severe symptoms of P toxicity at the highest rate of addition, and some toxicity at the second-highest rate.
Score 6
There was considerable P toxicity at the two highest rates. The best plants were in the mixes with the two lowest rates of amendment with superphosphate. Plants were smaller in the mix without added phosphorus.
Score 7
Plants in the mix without added phosphorus were the only ones that grew well.

An obvious thing about the list in that the majority of the species were assigned to the first three score categories. In fact, of the 810 species for which data were eventually collected, about 82% did not show any of the symptoms that are typical of phosphorus toxicity. They grew best at the two highest rates of single superphosphate addition (0.4 to 0.9 kg/m3).

The amount of phosphorus in a 200 ml tube from an addition of 0.25 and 0.4 kg/m3 of single superphosphate was 4.3 and 6.8 mg, respectively. The lower amount is not quite enough to produce a seedling of planting-out size, but the higher amount is sufficient as long as little of it is lost by being leached from the container.

The more usual method of supplying phosphorus to plants in containers is via a controlled-release fertiliser (CRF) such as Nutricote, Osmocote, Green Jacket or Apex. At its simplest, no superphosphate is added to the mix and the CRF supplies all that is needed. The following table lists a few controlled-release fertilisers of low water-soluble phosphorus content that will provide enough phosphorus for a whole production period for most Australian plants.

Phosphorus Release of Some Controlled Release Fertilisers
Note: these products may have been superseded since this trial was carried out or may now have different specifications

Fertiliser
Water-soluble
phosphorus
(%)
When added
at 3kg/m3,
phosphorus
released per
200ml tube
(mg)
When added
at 3kg/m3,
phosphorus
released per
130mm pot
(mg)
Nutricote Blue or Red
(140 day)
1.3
7.8
39
Nutricote Total N18
(140 day)
0.9
5.4
27
Osmocote Plus 17:1.6:8.7
(8-9 month)
1.3
7.8
39

While these CRFs can provide all the P requirements of Australian plants that are being grown in a mix that has essentially no soluble phosphorus, there is one situation that makes it desirable to include some soluble phosphorus in the mix. This is in the production of seedlings of myrtaceous species (eucalypts, melaleucas, callistemons, etc). Phosphorus reserves in the often tiny seeds of these species are very low. In mixes with essentially no soluble phosphorus, growth will be very slow until seedling roots make contact with CRF prills. Early slow growth is avoided if the mix contains about 0.2 kg/m3 of single superphosphate.

Healthy phosphorus-sensitive plants typically have much lower phosphorus concentrations than do plants of less sensitive species. Such plants are successfully produced in tubes that contain any of CRFs listed above. However, if such a plant were being produced in a 130 mm pot with low-phosphorus CRFs as listed above, the 30-40 mg phosphorus being released could be enough to cause toxicity. The larger the pot, the lower should be the actual percentage of phosphorus in the CRF used. Blends of zero-phosphorus and low-phosphorus products should be used. This is likely to apply to all species that are listed in the 6-7 score categories in the table, and possibly to some of those in the score 5 category.

Phosphorus Sensitivity Lists – Least Sensitive (Score 1) to Most Sensitive (Score 7)

Score 1
Abutilon indicum, leucopetalum, oxycarpum
Acacia amblyphylla, ampliceps, aphanoclada, bivenosa, brachystachya, calcigera, chrysella, colletioides, delibrata, dentifera, dictyoneura, elata, estrophiolata, extensa, floribunda, gracilifolia, graffiana, gregorii, guinetii, hakeoides, harveyi, holosericea, horridula, howittii, inaequilatera, iodomorpha, jibberdingensis, juncifolia, lanigera, lasiocalyx, lasiocarpa, leiophylla, leptocarpa, linophylla, littorea, longifolia, meissneri, microbotrya, o’shanessii, oncinophylla, oxycedrus, paraneura, pendula, polybotrya, prainii, pulchella, quadrimarginea, quornensis, ramulosa, retinoides, rigens, rostellifera, rotundifolia, sclerophylla, sclerosperma, spathulata, stenophylla, subcaerulea, subtessaragona, tetragonophylla, translucens, tysonii, venulosa, verniciflua, verticillata, wiseana
Agonis flexuosa, grandiflora, juniperina, marginata
Allocasuarina corniculata, decaisneana, dielsiana, huegeliana, lehmanniana, meulleriana, pusilla, scleroclada, striata, verticillata
Alternanthera nodiflora
Alyogyne cuneiformis, hakeifolia
Anigozanthos bicolor, humilis, manglesii
Aotus ericoides
Atriplex acutibracta, amnicola, leptocarpa, lindleyi, nummularia, rhagodioides, semibaccata, stipitata, suberecta, undulata
Banksia audax, elderana, laevigata, lanata, littoralis, menziesii, petiolaris, speciosa
Beaufortia micrantha, orbifolia
Beyeria lechenaultii
Billardiera cymosa
Bonamia rosea
Boronia denticulata
Bossiaea ericocarpa, foliosa, heterophylla, pulchella, rhombifolia
Brachychiton acerifolius, diversifolia
Brachysema aphyllum, lanceolatum, latifolium
Callistemon brachyandrus, citrinus, glaucus, phoenicius, pinifolius, pungens, rigidus, rugulosus, sieberi, speciosus, viminalis
Callitris columnellaris, preissii
Calocephalus brownii, citreus
Calothamnus asper, chrysantherus, quadrifidus, sanguineus, tuberosus, validus, villosus
Canavalia papuana
Casuarina cristata, glauca
Chorizema cordatum, dicksonii, diversifolium, ilicifolium
Conostylis aculeata, candicans
Convolvulus erubescens, remotus
Crotalaria retusa, novae-hollandiae
Daviesia benthamii, corymbosa, flexuosa, latifolia, longifolia
Diplolaena grandiflora
Diplopeltis eriocarpa
Dodonaea aperta, ceratocarpa, hackettiana, inaequifolia, lobulata, microzyga, ptarmicifolia, stenozyga, viscosa
Dryandra baxteri, ferruginea, fraseri, nobilis, serratuloides, sessilis, shuttlworthiana, stuposa
Enchylaena tomentosa
Eremaea ebracteata, pauciflora
Gastrolobium spinosum
Goodenia stapfiana
Goodia lotifolia
Gossypium sturtianum
Grevillea crithmifolia, robusta
Hakea arborescens, brooksiana, commutata, coriacea, dactyloides, eriantha, falcata, macraeana, nodosa, suaveolens, verrucosa, vittata
Hannafordia quadrivalvis
Hardenbergia comptoniana
Hibiscus farragei
Hovea crispa, trisperma
Hypocalymma angustifolium
Indigofera australis
Isopogon ceratophyllus
Isotropis atropurpurea, divergens
Jacksonia sternbergiana
Kennedia beckxiana, eximea, prorepens, rubicunda, stirlingii
Keraudrenia hermanniifolia
Kunzea ambigua, baxteri, ericifolia, pomifera, teretifolius
Labichea lanceolata
Lamarchea hakeifolia
Lambertia propinqua
Lasiopetalum baueri
Lavatera plebia
Lawrencia densiflora, glomerata, repens, spicata, virid-grisea
Leptospermum continentale, coriaceum, flavescens, juniperinum, laevigatum, lanigerum, myrsinoides
Linum marginale
Lobelia heterophylla, tenuior
Lotus australis, cruentus
Lysiphyllum cunninghamii
Maireana brevifolia, sedifolia
Melaleuca acerosa, acuminata, armillaris, brevifolia, cardiophylla, citrina, cliffortioides, coccinea, concreta, cordata, cucullata, cuticularis, decussata, densa, depressa, diosmifolia, dissitiflora, elliptica, ericifolia, filifolia, fulgens, gibbosa, glaberrima, globifera, glomerata, halmaturorum, hamulosa, huegelii, holosericea, hypericifolia, incana, lanceolata, lateralis, lateriflora, lateritia, laxiflora, leiocarpa, leucadendra, microphylla, nesophylla, pentagona, pulchella, radula, rhaphiophylla, sheathiana, spathulata, spicigera, squamea, squarrosa, steedmanii, striata, stypheloides, suberosa, subfalcata, thymoides, thyoides, trichophylla, uncinata, undulata, urceolaris, viminea, viridiflora, wilsonii
Mirbelia spinosa
Myoporum acuminatum
Myriocephalus stuartii
Neptunia monosperma
Olearia teretifolia
Orthrosanthus multifrorus
Oxylobium atropurpurea, cuneatum, lanceolatum, racemosum
Pandorea pandorana
Pavonia hastata
Petalostylis labicheoides, millefolium
Petrophile canescens, carduacea, diversifolia, heterofolia, longifolia, serruriae
Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus
Pittosporum phylliraeiodes
Plantago varia
Podolepis rugata
Psoralea cinerea, martinii, plumosa
Pultenaea reticulata
Radyera farragei
Regelia ciliata
Rhagodia candolleana, crassifolia, parabolica, preissii, spinescens
Samolus junceus
Senna artemisioides, helmsii, odorata, pleurocarpa, venusta
Sesbania cannabina, simpliciuscula
Sida calyxhymenia, rholenae
Solanum linearifolium, simile, symonii
Stylidium adnatum
Swainsona canescens, colutoides, formosus, tephrotricha, villosa
Templetonia egena, sulcata
Thomasia petalocalyx
Thryptomene australis
Velleia cycnopotamica, panduriformis, trinervis
Villarsia capitata
Viminaria juncea
Wahlenbergia preissii
Waitzia acuminata
Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata, semiplana
Zygophyllum aurantiacum
Score 2
Acacia complanata, cuthbertsonii, fasciculifera, pyrifolia, validinevia, viscidula
Actinostrubus pyramidalis
Banksia ashbyi, brownii, caleyi, lemanniana, nutans, occidentalis, pilostylis, prionotes, pulchella, repens, violacea
Dodonaea hexandra
Dryandra arborea, carduacea, formosa, obtusa
Flindersia australis
Hakea cycloptera, gibbosa, muelleriana
Isopogon dubius
Platylobium obtusangulum
Score 3
Abutilon lepidum
Acacia amoena, blakelyi, deanei, difformis, dodonaeifolia, eremaea, exocarpoides, fauntleroyi, hemignosta, leptospermoides, maitlandii, megalantha, monticola, murrayana, neriifolia, orthocarpa, oxyclada, pachyacra, parramattensis, pellita, perangusta, pruinocarpa, pubicosta, pyrifolia, rubida, semilunata, siculiformis, torulosa, trachycarpa, triptera, uncinata, vestita, wildenowiana, xanthina, xylocarpa
Allocasuarina campestris, lehmanniana
Alternanthera nana
Amaranthus pallidiflorus
Anigozanthos viridis
Banksia aemula, candolleana, coccinea, leptophylla, marginata, robur
Bossiaea ensata, scolopendria
Canavalia maritima
Casuarina obesa
Crotalaria cunninghamii
Daviesia acicularis, decurrens, physodes, revoluta, rhombifolia, teretifolia, umbellata
Dillwynia brunioides, dillwynioides
Dryandra calophylla, carduacea, carlenoides, mucronulata, polycephala, quercifolia, tenuiifolia, vestita
Gastrolobium bilobum
Gomphrena affinis
Hakea adnata, baxteri, cristata, epiglottis, ferruginea, flabellifolia, platysperma, sericea, stenophylla
Jacksonia sericea
Kennedia coccinea
Lotus cruentus
Melochia pyramidata
Mirbelia dilatata, ramulosa
Oxylobium capitatum, ellipticum, parviflorum
Patersonia occidentalis
Petrophile fastigiata
Santalum acuminatum
Senna luerssenii, oligophylla, planitiicola
Score 4
Abrus precatorius
Acacia chincillensis, declinata, erinacea, glaucoptera, havilandii, iteaphylla, lineata, longispinea, lysiphloia, melliodora, merinthopora, papyricarpa, paradoxa, patagiata, rhodophloia, saligna, sessilispica, sibina, stereophylla, subcaerulea, terminalis, triptycha, uncinella, williamsonii
Adansonia gregorii
Banksia attenuata, burdettii, ericifolia, integrifolia, laricina, media, oblonga, ornata, tricuspis
Bossiaea aquifolium, webbii
Brachysema aphyllum
Calothamnus pinifolius, rupestris
Conospermum taxifolium
Crotalaria cunninghamii, verrucosa
Darwinia diosmoides
Daviesia angulata, cordata, divaricata, horrida
Diplopeltis huegelii
Dryandra pulchella
Gastrolobium laytonii
Goodenia corynocarpa, redacta
Gossypium robinsonii
Grevillea biternata, pterosperma
Hakea brachyptera, crassifolia, leucoptera, oleifolia, orthorrhyncha, petiolaris, rostrata, salicifolia
Isopogon anethifolius
Leptospermum laevigatum
Melaleuca eleutherostachya, leptospermioides, leucodendron
Olearia floribunda
Plantago drummondii
Psoralea badocana, lachnostachys
Pultenaea dasyphylla
Senna pruinosa
Sesbania erubescens
Sollya heterophylla
Sphaerolobium fornicatum
Swainsona decurrens
Tephrosia flammea
Score 5
Acacia ancistrocarpa, citrinoviridis, dawsonii, denticulosa, dictyopyhleba, fauntleroyi, fragilis, gillii, granitica, hilliana, imbricata, latipes, leioderma, lycopodifolia, mollifolia, nodiflora, pachycarpa, phlebopetala, pilligaensis, pinguifolia, pruinosa, pubifolia, pustula, quadrisulcata, retivenia, rossei, rupicoIa, saliciformis, shirleyi, signata, stricta, tenuissima, tetragonocarpa, trachyphloia, urophylla, wanyu
Amaranthus mitchellii
Banksia aculeata, canei, cunninghamii, grandis, victoriae
Bossiaea preissii
Calothamnus affinis, blepharospermus
Daviesia incrassata, mimosioides, polyphylla, wyattiana
Dodonaea caespitosa, microzyga, petiolaris, viscosa ssp.spathulata
Dryandra ashbyi, cuneata, falcata, foliosissima, nivea, pteridifolia
Gastrolobium spinosum v.grandiflorum
Glycirrhiza acanthocarpa
Gompholobium marginatum, tomentosum
Gomphrena canescens
Gossypium australe
Hakea corymbosa, costata, eyreana,minyma, nitida, undulata
Indigofera boviperda, colutea, georgei, hirsuta
Isopogon alicornis
Jacksonia floribunda
Pultenaea capitata
Sida corrugata
Stylidium scandens
Thespesia populneoides
Score 6
Acacia alata, anaticeps, aphylla, aspera, auriculiformis, boormanii, cochlearis, cultriformis, drepanocarpa, dunnii,gilbertii, gladiiformis, hemiteles, hilliana, kempeana, ligustrina, minutifolia, multispicata, nervosa, neurophylla, nitidula, notabilis, rhigiophylla, sessilis, siculiformis, spectabilis, unifissilis, victoriae, wattsiana, wilhemiana
Achyranthes aspera
Actinostrobus arenarius
Agonis acutivalvis, obtusissima
Alyogyne huegelii
Banksia attenuata, baueri, baxteri, benthamiana, blechnifolia, hookeriana, incana, lemanniana, leptophylla, oblongifolia, paludosa, quercifolia, scabrella, sceptrum, seminuda, telmatiaea
Bossiaea laidlawiana, linophylla
Brachichiton diversifolius
Burtonia polyzyga, scabra
Daviesia leptophylla, ulicifolia
Dichrostachys spicata
Dodonaea lobulata, peduncularis, physocarpa
Dryandra armata, comosa, hewardiana
Gompholobium latifolium
Gomphrena cunninghamii, fusiformis
Grevillea banksii, thelemanniana
Hakea brownii, cinerea, decurrens, erecta, gilbertii, incrassata, lasianthoides, marginata, obtusa, pandanicarpa, prostrata, pycnoneura, scoparia
Hardenbergia violacea
Hibiscus meraukensis
Isopogon axillaris, formosus
Jacksonia furcellata, lehmannii
Kennedia prostrata
Lysiphyllum calycina, gilvum, sparsiflora
Nitraria billardierei
Olearia pimeleiodes
Oxylobium reticulatum
Petrophile drummmondii, ericifolia
Porana sericea
Senna notabilis
Sida cardiophylla, echinocarpa
Swainsona cyclocarpa
Templetonia retusa
Tephrosia coriacea
Xylomelum angustifolium
Score 7
Acacia polystachya
Bossiaea dentata
Petrophile sessilis

I would like to sincerely thank the following SGAP members for the considerable amount time and effort they put into this project: Lloyd and Lorraine Carman, John and Tracy Early, Wendy and Brian Fopp, Mick Freeborn, Barbara Godfrey, Ian Graham, Karen Lane, Ben Lethbridge, John Maddern, Jamie Mugridge, Karen Parry, Arthur Pratt, Warrick Pybus (and his employees Eddie Bos, Mark Castine, Martin Giles and John Rievel), Jeff Read, Dean Reid, Jeff Reid, Ian Roberts and Diedre Stewart.


This article is reproduced from the February 1997 issue of the “SGAP Journal”, the newsletter of the South Australian Region of the Society for Growing Australian Plants.

At the time of this trial, Kevin Handreck was Senior Research Chemist with the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Soils, Adelaide.

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