Callicarpa Japonica

[Daluke]

Wondering if anyone is doing anything with Callicarpa Japonica.

I’ve found them semi easy to grow but, haven’t seen any as bonsai in Australia.

If you are growing them post some pictures - I’d love to see them.

[TimS]

I remember seeing a good one on here before but I can’t remember who it was who grew it

I have thought about having a go at it before but never quite made it to actually buying one. I rarely see it in nurseries and when I have it’s been pretty uninspiring material

Have a good and post up your results!

[delisea]

I have tried the native C. Pedunculata a few times. It is very difficult to work with. The wood becomes brittle very quickly and it has a habit of dropping dead for no apparent reason. I suspect that the open bonsai mix that I was using was not to its liking.

There are magnificent old specimens in the Coffs botanical garden that have great gnarled curly trunks. Perhaps growing in a garden bed for a few years might be the approach? Good luck!

Cheers,
Symon

[Daluke]

I have tried the native C. Pedunculata a few times. It is very difficult to work with. The wood becomes brittle very quickly and it has a habit of dropping dead for no apparent reason. I suspect that the open bonsai mix that I was using was not to its liking.

There are magnificent old specimens in the Coffs botanical garden that have great gnarled curly trunks. Perhaps growing in a garden bed for a few years might be the approach? Good luck!

Cheers,
Symon

I had a sneaking suspicion that ground growing or seed is the best way. The brittleness seems hard to overcome. My next question if anyone growing had replied was going to be just that “how do you approach getting in movement”.

[KIRKY]

Movement is mostly cut and grow, or wire when young. Your other option is root movement.
How old and what stage are your plants Daluke?
Cheers
Kirky

[Daluke]

Just sticks in pots. Maybe two or three years old. Just material to propagate from.

I have a fresh bunch of cuttings this season. Going to start them on a training regime.

[KIRKY]

Depends on they style you want to try. At this stage you can plant them as a group clip and grow. You can also loosely wire some movement into them. You can’t wire it tight once growth has harden as it may snap. Easier to wire while still soft wood. For root movement you will need a tall slender pot wait for roots to be a bit older and then comb root straight and start to twist roots when repotting the aim there is to expose roots in the future to create the twisted looking trunk.
Cheers
Kirky

[treeman]

Don't worry about making big ones with thick trunks. Instead, plant 5 cuttings in a pot and grow them as a group and clip and grow them for a few years before you worry about fruit.