hot hot hot climate - Completely lost as to where to start..

[Jarad]

Melaleucas can be stunning if done correctly. Check out this website:
http://www.endemicplants.com/page6.htm

[Rintar]

http://endemicplants.com/ found this a nursery place in Mount Isa collects seeds from natives and grows them their are spieces their used for bonsai by some members... They seem willing to give plenty of advice but as you are doing bonsai may need it tapered by a site like this.

[Rintar]

Pup is very good with Mels viewtopic.php?t=2091 is one of his threads on them.

[Rintar]

Melaleuca argentea
Melaleuca bracteata
Melaleuca dissitiflora
Melaleuca leucadendra
Melaleuca nervosa
Melaleuca viridiflora
Are all native to your area I believe Melaleuca bracteata has been used well.

[angelozoras]

umbrella tree. segretia theezans. maybe bougainvillea

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[rikx]

That site is pretty helpful.. ill have to get in contact with them and ask a few questions.. a few of those mels look really good.. ill check out that thread after work and see what the other bloke has been doing.

[rikx]

Pup is very good with Mels viewtopic.php?t=2091 is one of his threads on them.

Wow they are some beautiful trees.. will definately have to have a a proper readthrough of pups thread..

[Jarad]

http://endemicplants.com/ found this a nursery place in Mount Isa collects seeds from natives and grows them their are spieces their used for bonsai by some members... They seem willing to give plenty of advice but as you are doing bonsai may need it tapered by a site like this.

I see you also googled "Mt Isa Native Plants"

[GavinG]

Maybe drive out of town and see what is growing wild. Then check out nurseries that grow for farmers - native plants that grow well in your area.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on. Shade cloth might be useful in the worst heat.

Gavin

[rikx]

Maybe drive out of town and see what is growing wild. Then check out nurseries that grow for farmers - native plants that grow well in your area.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on. Shade cloth might be useful in the worst heat.

Gavin

Definately a good idea.. the upside is there is allot of bush here so i can take cuttings etc from whereever i like.. identifying the trees is probably going to be the biggest issue now i know where to start.. i have a nice little shade clothed entry way to the house.. it still gets really hot in there though.. suppose again its going to come back to what trees i choose and what care will be needed. Cheers

[dansai]

It will probably more about watering and your potting mix. You will probably find that although there is a lot of trees in your area and some may also grow elsewhere and be suitable for bonsai, wild trees will probably have long tap roots and even longer lateral roots that search water out in order to get enough moisture to survive. A tree in a pot will need a well drained potting medium that also retains some moisture and probably watering twice a day when temps are hot, possibly more if in shallow bonsai pots. Gravel trays will help, as well some shade.

One thing to consider would be building a shade house, a structure completely covered in shade cloth. 30% would be good, may need to go to a specialist supplier if your local hardware doesn't have it. 50% may not give enough light for most species. It will need the sides to be enclosed and even a door would be handy. This will allow your to keep the humidity higher to slow transpiration. Grow some ferns and bromeliads under the benches to also help with humidity.

Start with a few cheap plants in normal plastic pots even if they are not good bonsai material to learn how to keep plants alive. Also talk to local nurseries as to what they do to ensure plants survive.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

[rikx]

It will probably more about watering and your potting mix. You will probably find that although there is a lot of trees in your area and some may also grow elsewhere and be suitable for bonsai, wild trees will probably have long tap roots and even longer lateral roots that search water out in order to get enough moisture to survive. A tree in a pot will need a well drained potting medium that also retains some moisture and probably watering twice a day when temps are hot, possibly more if in shallow bonsai pots. Gravel trays will help, as well some shade.

One thing to consider would be building a shade house, a structure completely covered in shade cloth. 30% would be good, may need to go to a specialist supplier if your local hardware doesn't have it. 50% may not give enough light for most species. It will need the sides to be enclosed and even a door would be handy. This will allow your to keep the humidity higher to slow transpiration. Grow some ferns and bromeliads under the benches to also help with humidity.

Start with a few cheap plants in normal plastic pots even if they are not good bonsai material to learn how to keep plants alive. Also talk to local nurseries as to what they do to ensure plants survive.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

Thanks mate.. i was contemplating building one out in the backyard although my dog loves to destroy anything new lol.. other option was maybe a little green house but the temps will get to much in there.. otherwise i was gonna rotate morning sun/afternoon shade. By 30/50 i assume you mean 70% sun and 30 shade throughout the day? Its usually the 1pm-4pm sun is the killer..

[Jarad]

One thing to consider would be building a shade house, a structure completely covered in shade cloth. 30% would be good, may need to go to a specialist supplier if your local hardware doesn't have it. 50% may not give enough light for most species.

By 30/50 i assume you mean 70% sun and 30 shade throughout the day? Its usually the 1pm-4pm sun is the killer..

He is referring to the different types of shade cloth. Different types of shade cloth filter different percentages of sun. I'm not sure of the specific details, someone on here will be able to fill you in more. You could also try googling shade cloth.

[rikx]

One thing to consider would be building a shade house, a structure completely covered in shade cloth. 30% would be good, may need to go to a specialist supplier if your local hardware doesn't have it. 50% may not give enough light for most species.

By 30/50 i assume you mean 70% sun and 30 shade throughout the day? Its usually the 1pm-4pm sun is the killer..

He is referring to the different types of shade cloth. Different types of shade cloth filter different percentages of sun. I'm not sure of the specific details, someone on here will be able to fill you in more. You could also try googling shade cloth.

Ahhh right gotcha.. yeah should be able to find it somewhere.. if not im sure i can find it online and get it shipped out.. cheers man

[dansai]

A mini greenhouse will get too hot and humid for most trees, whereas a shade house will create a good micro climate. Hot sun trees can dealt with if they have enough water whicih is hard to maintain in a pot, especially if there is wind as we'll. A shade house will maintain better humidity and reduce wind and protect your trees from drying out

And yes, I meant 30% shade cloth. 50 and 70 are more common. I got a roll when I first started growing orchids nearly 15 years ago and at the time could only get if from a specialist shade cloth place. Still have the original cloth after 3 moves so don't know what is available from hardwares now.