Melaleuca Linariifolia Compacta :: from Nursery to Mirkwood

[Steven]

In July 2008 I was browsing in the rundown Riverview Nursery (Ermington, NSW) looking for something new to get my tools onto.
Crammed behind some ancient Daisy's I noticed 2 lone Melaleuca's, distinct by their unique coloured foliage. Upon closer inspection I found that both had been trunk chopped to about 600mm high and had back shot nicely. One stood out far superior because of the vigor and an interesting nest of exposed roots that were covered in moss. I added the nicer of the 2 to my stock pile and collected a few more tree's.
When it came time to pay, the Nurseryman Larry priced the Mel at $5.00 - a fair price I thought.
I quizzed him on the age of the tree and his response was "prolly been here for ten years - maybe twenny". He informed me that prior to lopping the top off it had stood about 5 feet tall. I shudder at the thought of any plant being in the same pot and soil for this length of time.

28 July 2008.jpg

The tree sat idol in my yard for a few weeks while I decided what to do with it. I toyed with the idea of a formal upright but it just didn't seem right. There wasn't much taper to the trunk so something drastic was required however the branches on the lower half of the tree were very thin and bare due to the poor conditions it was grown in at the nursery. I considered doing some massive carving and burning to create a 'ravaged by fire' look but I like the texture of the bark too much to loose any.

31 July 2008 before 2.jpg

31 July 2008 before.jpg

I decided to trunk chop a little below the half way point and create a new leader. The cut was made with a Japanese pull saw and no excess was left - what the heck, it's make or break at these early stages. I put a large dollop of cut paste an the wound and wished it all the best for a speedy recovery. A root prune was considered at this time however there was no signs of bud swell so no work was done under the soil.
I sanded the cross section of the top of the trunk and counted 14 rings - Larry's estimate was correct, the tree was 14 years old.

31 July 2008 after.jpg

31 July 2008 after 2 (3).jpg

The Mel was left in full sun for 2 months with lots of water and fertiliser. The little holiday did it a world of good as the new leader thickened up rapidly however the lower branches only had marginal growth. To help the lower ones along a bit, I reduced the foliage on top and wired to open up the canopy. This also defined the leader and created the second branch on the LHS. The lower branches were not touched at this time.

2 October 2008 6.jpg

2 October 2008 12.jpg

Another month in full sun and a heavy fertiliser routine - full strength Charlie Carp weekly. The lower branches are starting to thicken up, the canopy is beginning to look more natural, there are plenty of new shoots and it is looking really healthy. The tree still needs lots of work but it was on this night that I knew it would be a keeper.

12 November 2008.jpg

[Steven]

After another week of sun and fertiliser the increased size of the branches was significant. This little tree was really beginning to grow on me and my original vision for it was starting to take shape.

19 November 2008 3.jpg

Two more weeks of sun, Charlie Carp and lots of loving care, the growth was amazing! It was now time to get some shape into the branches and some form into the canopy. Minor pruning was done to the top but the lower branches were again left to thicken up. Some guy wires were used then the 2nd branch on the left and the leader were wired together and bent into shape. The leader received a drastic S to give the top some movement and it was twisted 30 degrees clockwise to help with balance.

3 December 2008 1.jpg

3 December 2008 2.jpg

3 December 2008 3.jpg

Again, the tree was placed in full sun and the aggressive fertilising was kept up. The wire was monitored closely to avoid cutting in as the growth rate was tremendous. Over the next 7 weeks I regularly tip pruned to increase the branching however I left some sacrifices on the leader and lower branches.
The wire was removed on Boxing Day 2008 and the branches/leader had set nicely without any damage to the bark.

2 more weeks in the sun and I had some time so wired more branches using the coil or cage technique.

12 January 2009.JPG

Tip pruning continued however the growth slowed down considerably. I backed off on the fertaliser and kept a daily vidual of watching for any buds to swell - I was very keen to trim the roots and get it into a bonsai pot!
Around this time I emailed Pat Kennedy of Mirkwood Bonsai Pottery a picture of the tree and asked for his suggestions/opinion on a pot to match. Pat promptly emailed back some pictures of pots he felt would suit and I decided on a Bagpot finished with Limestone glaze. It was a hard choice as each pot suited the tree and I wanted them all
I placed my order and then eagerly waited for the delivery. When it came I was not disappointed! Visit this thread to follow me opening the package.

On the morning of Australia Day I saw them... little buds popping all over the place! I was excited because when the buds start to swell, but before they open, you can safely repot Australian Natives.
I checked them in the afternoon and they were bigger but not swelling. The following morning I inspected closely again, the buds were bigger but still not swelling. They continued to grow and more popped for the next couple of checks and then, on the afternoon of the 28th January, they were swelling! The little buds were straining like a pregnant lady at the end of her third trimester. The weather was hot, really hot and I wasn't sure if the conditions were right so I called the Melaleuca expert - Pup.

Pup asked all sorts of questions and then gave his diagnosis... "Go for it but remember, the after care is paramount to the health and survival of the tree. Give it lots of water, keep it in the shade for a full week and only let it have an hour of morning sun. Gradually build the hours of sunlight up in the second and third weeks but watch it closely. Use some Auxin - SuperThrive or Seasol and LOTS of water."
I thanked Pup for his advice and then got on with my chores. I bathed the kids and fed them dinner faster than I ever had before and as soon as they were in bed I told my wife I was off to take care of some very important business!

28 January 2009_.jpg

I trimmed the foliage by about 20% and then slipped the 14 year old pot off. Using a wooden chopstick I carefully worked the soil away from the roots and untangled the knotted mess. To my surprise and relief, the outer roots had started to rot however closer to the trunk there was a mass of fine, white feeder roots. I proceeded to trim all the rotten roots being careful not to disturb the inner core. When all the rotten roots were removed, the mass I was left with fit perfectly in the Bagpot. This pot really was perfect for the tree!

Once it was sitting in the pot I played around with angles and position. The tree was tilted slightly to the right to increase movement and expose some more of the roots which also helped the balance. The toughest decision was should I have one foot of the pot at the front and centre or 2 feet on either side??? After much deliberation I decided on the single foot at the front. I am still unsure if I made the right choice.

I used my standard native mix of;
50% - Zeolites
25% - Coco peat
25% - premium, organic potting mix

The potting medium was carefully worked into and around the roots with a chopstick. The position was again checked then the tie wires were tightened. It was at this stage that I really had doubts about the placement of the feet. 2 feet at the front would have perhaps given a more stable look - oh well, there's always next year.

28 January 2009 2.jpg

28 January 2009 2 - larger.jpg

I have positioned the tree in a lovely, shaded spot under a large Port Wine Magnolia where it receives sun only from 7am to 8am. I watered with SuperThrive the morning after and have been watering twice daily since.

Size:
Height from soil to apex - 390mm
width of foliage at widest point - 300mm

I hope you have enjoyed viewing the progression of my Melaleuca from nursery pot to Mirkwood as much as I have enjoyed training it.
Critiques are welcomed and encouraged however please remember that I have only owned and been training her for a little over 6 months so be realistic with your appraisal.

Regards,
Steven

[Pup]

As I have said before in our conversations in two or three years this will be a very special one.
Yes in a couple of years when you re pot two feet would stabilize the tree. Let the bottom branches have there head to thicken up . All in all a very good start certainly with a bright future. The roots need some attention in the future so they do not strangle each other and spread out more evenly.
I like the pot it suits it well. Cause I'm P#^*~ng in his pocket he"e da man.
Pup

[Jon Chown]

An excellent progression series Steven - you certainly had the right vision for this one and I'm sure that it has every opportunity to become a bonsai of note in the years to come. Compliments on your photography as well the last photo has good detail.

Jon

[PeterW]

for six months training, great stuff.
The problems are to be expected for a young tree. The main issues as i see them would be that knot at the base, i find it distracting to the point that my eye wants to stop there. Maybe some carving could be address this with some torching, that would also add character and age. The sudden change from a thick straight trunk to a thin one with exagerated movement is a little hard to explain maybe. I think pup mentioned the two feet stabilizing the tree, as a rule, always check the pot (square, round, rectangle, any shape) for the best face and always when using round pots make sure the two feet are equally spaced away from the front of the tree. Gotta run out to a meeting now Steven but generally i do like it and look forward to its progression.
Regards
Peter

[MelaQuin]

I agree about the knot.... very disruptive and the tree has turned out so well. The pot is only as one expects Pat's pots to be with natives... simply superb. Nice one... you had great vision when you started with this.

[aaron_tas]

ditto the comments above but it is only 6 months in training, and with the work you've done on it so far...

it's gonna be sweet as

nice going stevie

[kcpoole]

Very nice Steve

For 6 months it is an awesome job

Ken

[Cathryn]

Thank you for sharing that with us Steven. I am amazed at the transformation - I wouldn't have believed it possible. A veritable ugly duckling to swan.

[Steven]

Thanks everyone for your feedback, compliments and ideas.
Regarding the crossed root, I know it has to go but at this time I was hesitant to remove too much of the centre core of the roots. The tree had been in the nursery pot for a very long time and as such, the roots were not in good shape. They had a substantial amount of decay and to take too much off could have caused its demise.

The sudden change from a thick straight trunk to a thin one with exagerated movement is a little hard to explain maybe.

Peter, do you feel that the shape of the leader is too exaggerated or do you feel that it will be okay when it fattens up?

It has been 1 week since the repot and I am pleased to report that it is looking very healthy.

Regards,
Steven

[PeterW]

The sudden change from a thick straight trunk to a thin one with exagerated movement is a little hard to explain maybe.

Peter, do you feel that the shape of the leader is too exaggerated or do you feel that it will be okay when it fattens up?

It has been 1 week since the repot and I am pleased to report that it is looking very healthy.

Regards,
Steven

I think that the theme becomes a little lost after you travel up the main trunk and get into the new section, its as if it belongs to a different tree, do you know what i mean? Maybe its just a time thing and needs to thicken up more, because once that happens it will take the sharpness out of the curves. Glad its all healthy after repot. Its more then i can say for one of my Podocarpus trees that took a fall at the hands of a drunk!
Peter

[FlyBri]

...Critiques are welcomed and encouraged however please remember that I have only owned and been training her for a little over 6 months so be realistic with your appraisal.

Gday Steven & Co!

It is difficult to believe that this tree has come so far in such a short time! Obviously, your watering/feeding regime is spot-on, not to mention your eye for styling.

Like others here, I love the pot, but I have never understood the logic behind placing the single foot centrally. Some argue that this is the 'correct' way to display a 3-footed pot, but to me it has always looked ungrounded and unstable.

Many have commented on the roots, as well as the associated bumps & knobs. I'm not all that bothered by them, but I believe you have several options to pursue here in order to improve things. The simplest (cover-up) option would be to smear the nebari with a combination of clay and moss (spores?) so as to fill-out some of the awkward hollows and smooth the transition from the trunk to the soil level. (Depending on the clay:moss ratio, you may even get new roots growing to fill in.) [EDIT] I've often thought about this idea to treat some of my trees which display surface roots that are too 'open', but I've never tried it. If it is a stupid idea, feel free to let me know. Thanks. [/EDIT] A more permanent fix might be attained by means of thread grafting some new roots into place, but I'm uncertain how well the method might apply to a Paperbark. Pup? Finally - and this is the option I'd likely pursue - you could pot-up into a training container which is deep enough that your mix would cover the entire root spread. I probably wouldn't go so far as to attempt a ground layer, as you already have some nice roots there, but burying the tree deeper for a year or 2 might just help you fill out some of the hollows.

That's enough from me. Thanks for the high quality presentation of the progress of this promising little tree! I look forward to further developments.

Fly.

[Marc]

Hi Steve, goes without saying a great tree. What a transformation from a neglected tree to this. However, I agree with the two main critiques, the sudden change in tree at the top when the thick trunk turns into a skinny trunk, however that will fix up with time, as is it still look sgreat. secondly is the rootball. A few things, one is the areal root on the right there, not too keen on that, and I think secondly the size of the rootball, to me a little too big. I love root balls, I rekcon they look great in general, but for me this one is about 20% too big. I think - personally, plant it a little deeper, that way it will remove the size of the space in that areal root and reduce the size of the rootball. Once that rootball is a little smaller, i am certain it will immediately improve the 'overall' viewing delight.

[avpslayer]

Great tree

[Macros]

Hey Steven,
I'm now oficially in awe I have no idea how you have seen what you have seen with this tree, but it is purely brilliant!
Besides the comments about the roots, knots, knobs, and eccresences, personally I think it adds charicter to your tree, and after some more time it may display something you thought not possible.(But who am I to Comment? )
I only hope that one day I can exersice this level of achievment and skill. Your tree has incured some drastic changes over a very short period of time, and as Bonsai is a patient game, I think you have done extremly well!

I have some stock here that I'm going to re-double my efforts on now. My wife will be cursing your name to the high heavens for your inspiration

Have a peachy day!
Regards & thanks,
Mac.