Callistemon Viminalis "Little Cook"

[Pearcy001]

I also use standard osmocote in the mix for all except banksias and last year and this I have trialled some seedling banksias in standard osmocote mix and have not had any adverse reactions.
In summary your callistemon will not care what fert you use. Just apply according to the instructions on the container.

Just to add to that I have used osmacote 'native' slow release (and a fair bit of it) in my Banksia mix to no ill-effects, but I guess that is to be expected with the use of a native fert right?

I did have a dose of powerfeed once that I must have accidentally made a little stronger than usual on my Callistemon. The time it happened the new growth browned slightly as if it was sort of burnt but did not drop. It only affected about the last 5cm of growth at the time. The growth that continued about a week later was lush and green again so I can only presume it was the fert? In saying that it did not do it every time so make sure you stick to the right amounts as best as possible!

Good luck with the tree and make sure you have fun learning! I found something like a Juniper was a great way to practice your wiring skills, due to them both having plenty of branches / sub-branches to wire as well as requiring you to not to be so rough. Apart from trying to not cross wires I believe it is advised to try wire at about a 45 degree angle with even spacing for best results.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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[dansai]

For anyone interested in Phosphorus sensitivity, or lack thereof, of Australian Native plants, check this out

[shibui]

Good info dansai That APS trial bears out what some of us have been saying for a long time now: the vast majority of Aussie plants are not sensitive, they actually do better with some P! Even a few banksias that liked some P in the mix.

I am surprised at some of the species that showed sensitivity though. Quite a few of the pea family which I thought would have been quite tolerant - avenues for more research to verify these results?

Pearcy, one sample does not prove a trend. Always look for other possible causes when something goes wrong: dried out for a few hours? frost? Note that there are no callistemons listed on the P sensitive list on that study posted by Dansai so P overdose is not likely. If the powerfeed was a bit strong and that DID cause the browning it probably wasn't P sensitivity - maybe salt? (powerfeed is fish/seaweed based) or an overdose of some other component in which case the same dose would probably damage other species including exotics?

[Pearcy001]

Good info dansai That APS trial bears out what some of us have been saying for a long time now: the vast majority of Aussie plants are not sensitive, they actually do better with some P! Even a few banksias that liked some P in the mix.

I am surprised at some of the species that showed sensitivity though. Quite a few of the pea family which I thought would have been quite tolerant - avenues for more research to verify these results?

Pearcy, one sample does not prove a trend. Always look for other possible causes when something goes wrong: dried out for a few hours? frost? Note that there are no callistemons listed on the P sensitive list on that study posted by Dansai so P overdose is not likely. If the powerfeed was a bit strong and that DID cause the browning it probably wasn't P sensitivity - maybe salt? (powerfeed is fish/seaweed based) or an overdose of some other component in which case the same dose would probably damage other species including exotics?

Certainly makes you think! Thanks greatly for broadening my thinking Shibui, being new to bonsai I just presume the cause is the biggest thing in front of me at the time.

The Browning has either happened once or twice now around the time of fertilizer application. From this point on I'll be sure to record everything from now on in order to try ascertain the exact cause.

Also the link to the trial posted is great information! Maybe a mod can link it to the wiki?

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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[Tropicalgirl]

Good to know, that makes it a lot easier to fertilise thanks.

[Tropicalgirl]

I'm going to plant my tree into a bigger pot, should I do anything with the roots or just leave alone at this stage?
Deanna

[shibui]

I don't know much about growing in Darwin. Down here we root prune in summer when it is warm. I think I saw that Pup says any time of year in Perth. I assume it will be warm enough any time of year in Darwin so you have several options:

1. Just pull it out of the current pot, hold it in the middle of the larger pot and fill around with new mix. -That's called 'slip potting'. Advantages; Completely safe, no setback to growth. Disadvantages: if the roots are tangled or badly placed they'll still be the same just bigger and thicker and harder to deal with later. If it is root bound there can be issues with roots getting into the new mix and water crossing into the tight, old root ball. Often the main roots are well down in the pot (thanks to assembly line production) if you haven't checked, you can design a great bonsai then find the trunk is actually much longer and it looks terrible.

2. Slice off the bottom part of the root ball and pull the remainder apart to get the roots a bit more horizontal. advantage: Almost certainly safe, roots will be more horizontal so slightly better nebari in future. Disadvantage: Roots may still be tangled around each other (which I don't think is as bad in natives as exotics). may be slight check in growth but it will quickly recover.

3. Bare root the tree , cut back existing roots and untangle: Advantage: you'll get to see and make changes to the root system to start the best possible nebari. Completely fresh potting mix with fresh slow release fert included. Disadvantage: Some setback to growth (usually temporary and most will actually overtake plants treated as 1 and 2 above). Possible but remote chance of death.

Personally I usually opt for 3 or 2.

[[ Kane ]]

Be nice to see an update on this one. I've been looking for aged stock at my local places.