AusBonsai

I picked this up as tube stock from a native nursery on the Bellarine Peninsula about 3 years ago with a bunch of other Leucopogons and some other species. I know they are around as bonsai and I have seen a couple, but they don't seem to be as popular as other natives so I thought I might post this one and give them a bit of "air time".
My experience with them is pretty limited, they appear to be pretty slow growing and the roots are more temperamental than others from what I have found ... but they prune and back bud pretty well and they have leaf/flower/berry size that proportionally makes them a good option for bonsai. I really like the texture that comes out in the bark on mature trees (this is more from trees I have seen in the wild rather than my 3 year old ones, but the bark is starting to develop on therm too).

I have cut this one back pretty hard for the first time today as it was growing on strongly and I could see buds that had developed along the trunks/branches so I am hoping these will now develop since the chop. It's now stands at just under 100mm so it's only small and hopefully will continue to develop.

Anybody with experience and words of wisdom with this species ... I am all ears! I really like them and want to get as much out of them as I can.
Thanks for looking.

Coastal beard heath or native current.

I see fantastic specimens of these on our coastal areas.
Search kangaroo island on the forums - I took a bunch of inspiration pics.
I seem to recall a couple of great specimens on an Australian native bonsai register somewhere.

I'd love one!

Hi Mate,

No advice sorry. I've had 2 and one is dead. I am keen to follow this thread and see what I can learn as well.

Solid start id say though. They look like a very promising species to me also.

Squizzy

Thanks Boics, I have seen your Kangaroo Island post and I know where you're coming from. The link below is from a post I made after coming back from a trip along the Great Ocean Rd... Seriously amazing examples along the coastline that got me very interested in these!
viewtopic.php?f=134&t=19159&start=0#p194287
I know where to get tube stock if you're interested... It's a long haul though, not quick growing!

Thanks for the interest Squizz. Stick with em, I think they're a great tree - just need to figure out what they like and when!

I seem to remember reading something about some of the 'heaths' having symbiotic relationship with fungi so they can be difficult to transplant.
Either this species does not need it or the grower has worked out how to introduce the correct mychorizza into the pots. I would be wary of bare rooting these and include some of the old mix when repotting.
Definitely worth trying these as bonsai

I think these have enormous potential as bonsai. I was going to say the same thing as shibui about the mycos. These plants are in the ericacea family which usually have a close relationship with various mychorrizae. It would be easy enough to inoculate them Just go to the native habitat and scrape up a few cm of the litter and soil underneath a healthy tree and mix it with your p/mix next time you repot and let nature do the rest. To keep mycos thriving it is important not to over-feed - especially with P and keep in a sunny place. I grew some from seed this year. Very slow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericoid_mycorrhiza

Thanks for your input and info Shibui & Treeman.

I was aware of the mychorrizae requirement for these guys but I appreciate the link Treeman, it was an interesting read. When I repot I have tried to keep some of the existing soil in the mix in an attempt to maintain the symbiosis as Shibui suggests, it seems to do the trick on the whole. However, when anything looks a little off with these guys I begin to wonder if it may have something to do with the health of the mychorrizae ... or something else - it's just another factor to put in the mix when diagnosing issues! I wasn't aware of the over-feeding thing so that is good to know, thanks Treeman. I feed them on the same stuff at the same rate as my other trees so maybe I need to rethink this - they get plenty of sun! Next time I am down along the coast I might just scrape up a bit of topsoil to add in with my pots ... I guess it can't hurt.

I am impressed you germinated from seed. When I got the tube stock, the person at the nursery was talking about how they used to collect bird poo from around the wild trees when the berries were out because apparently in order for the seed to be viable it needed to pass through the gut of the birds. I think they had found another method however which was less time consuming/gross.

Below is a photo taken of the tree above when I got it (31st Dec, 2014). The growth is slow, but it is developing!

Just an update on this tree. I gave it a trim a couple of weeks ago and it has responded with some nice back budding which I am pleased about. I'll see what happens in the next month or so and then have a think about what to do in relation to root work this year. I didn't repot last year so it may be time for a look below if things are going well ...
I'm considering the view below as a new front given the development of the branches since I last trimmed back - not that it really matters a huge amount yet, early days...

Ryceman3 wrote:Just an update on this tree. I gave it a trim a couple of weeks ago and it has responded with some nice back budding which I am pleased about. I'll see what happens in the next month or so and then have a think about what to do in relation to root work this year. I didn't repot last year so it may be time for a look below if things are going well ...
I'm considering the view below as a new front given the development of the branches since I last trimmed back - not that it really matters a huge amount yet, early days...

IMG_3500.jpg

IMG_3501.jpg

Good back-budding. Have you tried to cut to a leafless shoot?
Also, how old is this plant?

Impressive backbudding and it will be interesting if you can reduce leaf size over the coming 10 years or so.

treeman wrote: Good back-budding. Have you tried to cut to a leafless shoot?
Also, how old is this plant?

Hi Treeman,
Bought this tree as a tube stock seedling in Dec 2014, so it's only 4 years old. I have cut back to a stump (no foliage) and had it shoot for me, but it was on a branch that was no more than 2 years old which is worth noting. I have another couple that I bought at the same time. One of these I am considering doing a trunk chop on as it doesn't have much going for it as it currently is. If left unchecked they become very VERY leggy in my experience and I find the older leaves don't hang around for long when new shoots emerge so growth quickly concentrates at the ends. I also find they are averse to wire, with branches dying back afterwards on quite a few occassions - I now am trying to limit the amount of wire I use on them. I might add a couple more photos to illustrate the growth habits I described when I get a chance.

Watto wrote:Impressive backbudding and it will be interesting if you can reduce leaf size over the coming 10 years or so.

Hi Watto,
Leaf size isn't all that large on these generally, but I have seen those in the wild with much finer leaves than the foliage I have now. It's only a small tree currently, about 120mm from the top of the pot to the tree's apex. I'm thinking (when I get to it down the track) a smaller pot and a reduction in ferts etc.. might have me heading down the right path in the future. For now I think growth is important to get this developing a bit more first.

Ryceman3 wrote:

treeman wrote: Good back-budding. Have you tried to cut to a leafless shoot?
Also, how old is this plant?

Hi Treeman,
Bought this tree as a tube stock seedling in Dec 2014, so it's only 4 years old. I have cut back to a stump (no foliage) and had it shoot for me, but it was on a branch that was no more than 2 years old which is worth noting. I have another couple that I bought at the same time. One of these I am considering doing a trunk chop on as it doesn't have much going for it as it currently is. If left unchecked they become very VERY leggy in my experience and I find the older leaves don't hang around for long when new shoots emerge so growth quickly concentrates at the ends.

I trunk chopped it today, back to a stump... we'll see what happens with it, sometimes you just have to go for it!

Gutsy move, but I think the timing is optimal, good luck.

Watto wrote:Gutsy move, but I think the timing is optimal, good luck.

Agree with the timing, it’s now or never. Gutsy/stupid, who knows? One thing is for sure - this time next year I’ll know if it was a good idea or not! Thanks for the luck...

you mentioned that the nursery people had to collect seeded bird droppings. Isn't this just scarification?