What now for this Fukien Tea Tree?

[Glenda]

Hi people,

I have been growing this Fukien Tea for about 12 months from a very small seedling. It has grown hugely in height, but not in girth. It is not even growing straight up. Should I chop the wayward bit off the top and try to get it to grow outwards instead? I tried pinching of some of the new growth (I was away for 10 days and it was in the care of my mother - thats when it grew those three spindly shoots at the top) but it just keeps growing.

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Ideas, please people. They are greatly appreciated by this newbie.

Glenda

[Glenda]

Can anyone help?

[Chris H]

Glenda
If it were mine Id put it into a grow box (a few threads here will explain this)

Id plant it on a big of an angle,

Id get some wire and create some movement in the lower part of the trunk using the current branches as a guide.

Trim off the top branches to encourage the lower ones

Then Id go down to the nursery and get another and do it all over again

Have a couple of beers and come back in two years.

Hope that helps.

[MelaQuin]

If you want it to thicken up more rapidly I would put it in the ground for a couple of years. Lift it each spring, root prune lightly and put it back in the ground. This is necessary so the roots don't get away from you and make it harder to lift in the end. If you don't want to do that, or can't, I would be cutting it back and working it up as a mini. The leaf and flower size suit a very small tree.

It is really important when you are shopping for stock plants to try to get a larger trunk. Naturally the price is going to be higher but what you are buying is time. It is easier to develop branches than thicken a trunk. Buying a stouter tree and cutting back and developing takes just as much work but you have years of growth up your sleeve. The important thing to note is whether the tree shoots back on old wood. If it does [like the Fukien] then you are all but home and hosed. But trying to start a bonsai with such a slip can be very frustrating.

Just think of my favourite analogy.. you can buy one or two bottles of wine for a meal and end up with empty bottles. You can put $20 or $25 into a plant with more immediate potential and have an interest to work with and learn from for years and years. And you are more likely to care for a dearer plant than a cheaper one.

[NathanM]

If it were me, I'd cut it back down a bit shorter, wire the trunk and put it in a big grow box, or the biggest pot you can. That small pot will never encourage girth.

[Glenda]

If you want it to thicken up more rapidly I would put it in the ground for a couple of years. Lift it each spring, root prune lightly and put it back in the ground. This is necessary so the roots don't get away from you and make it harder to lift in the end. If you don't want to do that, or can't, I would be cutting it back and working it up as a mini. The leaf and flower size suit a very small tree.

Just think of my favourite analogy.. you can buy one or two bottles of wine for a meal and end up with empty bottles. You can put $20 or $25 into a plant with more immediate potential and have an interest to work with and learn from for years and years. And you are more likely to care for a dearer plant than a cheaper one.

Thanks for the advice, and I love the analogy. How will this tree do in the ground? I heard they don't like much sun and here in tropical queensland prefer to be indoors? It gets light, but no direct sun and is doing very well like that. Maybe that is why it isn't thickening?

As for buying better stock, I bought this one as a total ignoramus - I bought this and a ficus microcarpa retusa that was supposed to be an established bonsai. I know better now, although I enjoy the journey from small sapling. I am a teacher of teenagers and have an abundance of patience (lol).

Glenda

[Jester]

Hi Glenda, I agree with Melaquin but the photo itself does'nt tell us if it is a Carmona Macrophylla (The Larger leafed variety) or Ehretia Buxifolia (The smaller leaf).
Firstly , regardless of which type, I would not be putting it into the ground if it is going to be close to other precious plants you may have. This species is a magnet for soft scale and mealy bugs and putting it in the ground may create more problems than anything else. At this stage at least I would be more inclined to put it in a very large pot. Secondly, hacking away at it will not increase your trunk size. If it were me, I would let it go feral and only chop if it is starting to impinge on other plants. Planting it on an angle as Hartos said makes a lot of sense in order to get some movement down the track.

As for Sun, Fukiens love it. The more the better. They especially love humidity. Personally, I would make sure it is in the hottest place you have around the house. (Although hot dry winds may create some leaf burn) Do not overwater as the leaves go yellow and definitely keep an eye on those soft scale. The foliage of the Fukien Tea gives them a very good place to hide and it pays to thin out the thick gangly foliage on a regular basis in order to be able to more easily detect these pests. Leaving this problem unattended on a Fukien Tea could get you to a point where it is too late and the tree may never fully recover.

Don't be discouraged, Fukien Teas I reckon are one of the most rewarding trees out there. As their bark gets older, it can turn a beautiful pink and green colour and the combination of white flowers, rich green leaves and angelic white flowers make it hard to beat. If you do in fact have Ehretia Buxifolia (Also known sometimes as Carmona Microphylla, be prepared to wait a long time for it to thicken!!!

[Glenda]

Thanks for the advice, people. I do not know which variety it is, the nursery only had it tagged as Fukien Tea Tree. Its going into a bigger pot this weekend and going outside.

Glenda

[Jester]

From what I can tell Glenda, it looks like the large leafed variety. Another way of telling is when it flowers, if it "readily" creates red berries it is the smaller variety. If the red berries don't materialise or are rare it's a good chance it is the larger leaf variety. For some reason, the flowers on the larger leafed variety are much more difficult to pollinate. Another tip is to pick of the flower buds that droop down to accelerate growth although in all honesty I don't think it will make a great difference. With fukien tea glenda I actually let the soil dry out before I re-water. It prefers this to soil that is constantly wet.

Hope this info helps you

[Glenda]

From what I can tell Glenda, it looks like the large leafed variety. Another way of telling is when it flowers, if it "readily" creates red berries it is the smaller variety. If the red berries don't materialise or are rare it's a good chance it is the larger leaf variety. For some reason, the flowers on the larger leafed variety are much more difficult to pollinate. Another tip is to pick of the flower buds that droop down to accelerate growth although in all honesty I don't think it will make a great difference. With fukien tea glenda I actually let the soil dry out before I re-water. It prefers this to soil that is constantly wet.

Hope this info helps you

It gets HEAPS of red berries - usually one every 2-3 days! I pick them once they are red, cos they drop all over the place and it has been inside. Will they grow if I plant them?

Glenda

[Jester]

Then it may be the smaller leafed variety after all. This however is not always conclusive proof. I believe it is the lady beetle only that can pollinate the larger leafed variety so if there are many of them around it could still be the larger leafed variety.

As for the seeds Glenda, although I have not tried it myself I am told that the fleshy fruit needs to be completely removed and the seed needs to be cracked slightly to help it germinate. Different species of seed often need a different method of stratification. Some require freezing for a period of time, some need to be soaked in salt water , some need heat applied etc etc. Cracking the Fukien Tea's seeds would be slightly difficult given the seed's small size but perhaps a bang with a hammer with the exact amount of force will give the desired effect. Obviously too much pressure and you will have destroyed a seed but from the sounds of things you get plenty of berries anyway so you can afford lots of trial and error . Immerse these in seedling soil and see how you go. What have you got to lose Glenda ??

Consider the following though, you will probably find it easier to take cutiings and propagate that way. I think your success rate will be largely increased. Kingston Wang (The owner of Bonsai Environment near Windsor in Sydney) does it this way. He has a mature tree which he calls his cuttings tree and obviously it is not for sale. He does not bother with seeds for this species. The soil you will need for this is obviously different once again. You will need to purchase propagating mix which is vastly different to seedling mix. It often contains ballast (A fancy word for more chunky bits to ensure the cuttings remain anchored upright)

Hope this helps and let us know if you have further questions

"Ask a question and you are a dill for 1 minute, never ask the question and you are a dill for a lifetime!!!" Dick Smith

[Jester]

Hi Glenda, I just wanted to clarify something. In the last post I used the word stratification thinking it meant an attempt to breach the natural coating of the seed through different means. The word however is "scarification". Apologies for that.