AusBonsai

Phew, just trunk chopped a Leptospermum petersonii this morning...hopefully it'll survive!

Pearcy001 wrote:Steve how did the layer go in the end?

Cheers,
Pearcy.

G'day Pearcy,

The layer took well and I separated it after about 4 months. It grew well for another 12 months or so and was looking pretty good.
Next time I repotted it I tied it in with copper wire as that was all I had on hand at the time. I repotted a couple of other tree's at the same time and used copper for them too. All 3 deteriorated in health rapidly. When I realised what was going on I removed the copper wire but it was too late to save 2 of them (including the Lepto).

The moral to the story is: DON'T USE COPPER WIRE TO TIE IN YOUR TREES.

Regards,
Steven

Steven wrote:I repotted a couple of other tree's at the same time and used copper for them too. All 3 deteriorated in health rapidly. When I realised what was going on I removed the copper wire but it was too late to save 2 of them (including the Lepto).

The moral to the story is: DON'T USE COPPER WIRE TO TIE IN YOUR TREES.

Regards,
Steven

Thanks for the update and sorry to hear Steve, it would have been a cracker by now. Do you think it is the natives that are sensitive? Or did it also happen with exotics?

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Just as an aside, Ryan Neil mentioned the other day he uses galvanised wire to tie his trees in...preferably electrical fencing galvanised wire, cos the galvanising lasts longer.

Sorry to hear about your trees Steven.

I recently hard chopped a L petersonii which had been growing well and back budding nicely after regular pruning.
The hard chop was too much for it. I left 2 small shoots on which died back. It then made a weak attempt to grow a new bud but turned its toes up instead.

It then made a weak attempt to grow a new bud but turned its toes up instead.

I find L Petersonii hard to grow in Canberra. It is very slow and somewhat cold sensitive in my care.

Craig in The Dandenongs Victoria has a beautiful L p that is both beautiful and copes with the cold there,

Grant

I have several Leptospermum rotundifolium .Last summer I decided to cut back the top tree pretty hard ,left several small spindly branches. It came back beautifully ,buds galore. I collected another in mid winter and gave it a hard root prune and also cut the trunk back .No foliage left at all. The smaller trunk started popping buds several weeks ago and the thicker trunk just recently. Tough tree. Cheers John.

Nice stock!

I did grow some L rotundifolium from seed many years ago. They were a delight but I ended up selling them all which I regret.

Definately worth the effort,

Grant

here is another Ozzie native.... It does flower as a tree but as a bonsai we are most likely to cut off the portions that flower for shaping purposes.
Leptospermum laevigatum or Coastal tea-tree. It can be easily grown from seed or cutting and responds well to pruning and trimming although it will not bud back on old wood.
This tree is about 20 years old and always grown in a pot;
My tea tree attached..
PS- They need lots of water -YES

boom64 wrote:I have several Leptospermum rotundifolium .Last summer I decided to cut back the top tree pretty hard ,left several small spindly branches. It came back beautifully ,buds galore. I collected another in mid winter and gave it a hard root prune and also cut the trunk back .No foliage left at all. The smaller trunk started popping buds several weeks ago and the thicker trunk just recently. Tough tree. Cheers John.

fantastic material there boom!