Coast Banksia

[nev]

Hi all, I picked up this banksia yesterday for $39.50. it stands at just under 200cm & is 6cm across the base. Will most likeky cut it down to around 60 cms and go from there.

[mashby]

Hi Nev
It looks like you bought yourself a nice tree there. If cutting it back to 60cm means losing some of that nice curve, that is already in the trunk, I would cut it a bit higher or leave it to grow a bit more and try to get more of the curve, by bending (rubber inner tube/raffia and,say, 8mm wire to get a strong bend going), in the lower part of the tree.
Good luck

[Jarrod]

If it were mine i would wait till it get hotter and cut it back to about half way up in the first image, then let all the branches go to get a nice fat base, while training up a new leader. There is some soft movement in the base to work with.

[bonscythe]

I agree with Jarrod, chop low somewhere just above an existing branch and grow on to get some taper.
But with the chop, you may want to turn this stock into 2 or 3 trees by airlayering above the intended chop zone and then you can keep that curve mentioned before.
Check out Grant's Banksia as Bonsai page too if you want some more detailed info.. http://anpsa.org.au/APOL31/sep03-5.html

[craigw60]

Its a bit early yet as Jarrod stated wait until the night temps come up a bit then cut it low down wire up a new leader and use some low branches to get the base to flare out. In december do the root pruning and put it in a bigger pot. Don't worry about scars these trees heal very quickly and easily.
Craigw

[bonscythe]

Hi Craig,
That's an impressive trunk width for a 7 y/o cutting , how wide was the base on the cutting roughly? And was it ground-planted to achieve such growth?
Cheers

[craigw60]

Hi bonscythe, It was a tip cutting semi ripe wood so no girth at all and yes it was in the ground for 3 years and it took off like a rocket. Its got some pretty big scars but they have branches above and below them so will cover over pretty quickly. The integrifolia have responded really well to ground growing and moved into pots without any problems at all. I have a couple more and will post pics of them as I wire and thin the branches so the trunks are visible.
Craigw

[bonscythe]

That's amazing Craig, I hope to achieve that with the couple of pencil thin Banksia integ. cuttings I have going. What's your secret to success?

[Graeme]

Whats the recommended fertiliser for Banksia? I have acouple of "bit better than tubestock" I want to power feed.

[craigw60]

No secrets I have to say the speed with which these trees grew took me by surprise as well. I treated them just the same as all my field grown stock, get everything set up before you plant them out work the roots and sort out which branches will be sacrificed and have them low on the tree to force the base to flare.
With regards to fertilizers really anything which is recommended for Australian natives, powerfeed should be fine or b&b is great. I don't fertilize my field growing trees too much but do dig in heaps of compost at planting time.
Craigw

[Dario]

Hi there people
Craigw60 I was wondering if you have any updated pics of this ripper Banksia in this thread that you grew from a cutting, and also any info on how it is currently?
I am interested in the coastal banksia and would really like to also see pics and any news on how your lovely banksia you donated to the national exhibition is going?...the one that got a mention in Grants detailed post on the species...viewtopic.php?f=66&t=812&start=60
Thanks Craig, I hope my request isn't too much trouble for you
Cheers, Dario.

[craigw60]

Hi Dario, no trouble at all
the field grown banksia provided me with some very harsh lessons. I sold 2 and think they are flourishing, one I swapped for a cedar group and the best one I kept. It had been lifted from the ground for 2 years and was growing really well, I had started wiring it and pinching the branches then in January decided to transfer it to a bonsai pot. The pot it was in was not yet filled with roots and this was a fatal mistake it just died immediately within a couple of weeks. So the lesson is if you lift field grown banksia leave them undisturbed until they are really tight in their pots.
My established trees are growing well.
It is a very smart move for you to start growing integrifolia I think they are one of the best native species for bonsai and are usually very easy to grow.
Craigw

[Dario]

Hi Craig and thanks for the reply.
Sorry to hear that you lost one of your banksia, but I do appreciate you passing on the lesson that you learnt with it!
Good to hear that your established trees are doing well Craig.
I think I saw the cedar group you swapped for one of your banksias...it is a really big group and I like the preliminary work you have already done on it
Yeah, I really like Integrifolia now and looking back find it hard to believe that my interest in them wasn't sparked earlier. Grants thread has also encouraged me to give them a shot.
Craig have you ever collected this species or have you mainly field grown them? If so, any tips you can pass on when collecting them?
Cheers, Dario.
PS sorry to get sidetracked with your original thread nev. How is your banksia doing?

[craigw60]

Dario I have never collected a banksia, I have a bit of an ethical position when it comes to collecting native plants unless they are under some sort of threat, my feeling is that you would have a fairly high failure rate. Almost all the natives I grow are bought as tube stock for the same reason I grow the tridents from cuttings, it means I have control over every stage of their development and can develop a really good root spread and get movement in the lower trunk while the trees are very young.
Craigw

[Dario]

Thanks Craig, the pictures highlight your position very well (being able to control and influence their growth/shape etc from the start), and also just from looking at them I am able to pick up some growing techniques
I picked up some native tube stock recently...coastal tea tree, callitris, kunzea etc and I am going back this weekend to get some more including Banksia integrifolia
I was just curious about collecting banksia as in Grants thread on coastal banksia he mentioned that he hadn't collected them and I found this interesting that there may be different techniques for collecting banksia from nature as opposed to digging field grown stock.
Thanks again and rest assured that I am not intending to collect this native species from nature.
Cheers, Dario.
Hi nev, hope your banksia is thriving!