Banksia integrifolia starter..

[bonscythe]

Hi all,
This is my first post here and I am inexperienced with Banksia as bonsai although I have thoroughly read Grant's additions to this site (and others). I have recently purchased 2 plants from a local nursery for ($6 each) and repotted one into a larger ceramic pot. I bought them with the intention to bonsai them somehow?
Picture has been attched (next to cricket stumps for scale-purposes).

B. integrifolia 4-4-09.jpg

My questions are;
When should I chop him down to a 'bonsai' size?
Should I wait till the trunk fattens up in this size pot or put it into a bonsai pot and wait?
Is total defoliation the only way to achieve more compact leaves and shorter internode spacing?

Thanks everyone!

[Grant Bowie]

In general most trees will fatten quicker if potted up to a larger nursery pot and let grow. This is fine as long as it is a tree that buds back well and the common Banksia are in this category.

Banksia do however fatten up even in a bonsai pot if well fertilised; so it is basically your choice.

If you want a really fat trunk then pot it up now and let grow with light trimming for a year or two.

If you don't mind a slimmer but refined tree quicker then cut down and put into a bonsai pot.

Take the usual precautions at this time of year with natives; it is a good time to repot established natives bonsai now but a severe cut down and repot now may be a bit hazardous. In Sydney it may still be Ok to cut down now, let come into growth and elongate and cut back lightly in 6 weeks time then repot; but it is getting late in the season and depends where you live in Sydney ie coastal or Penrith etc

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

Oh and I don't recommend total defoliation as it is unnecessary. When you trim back hard you can wait for the new growth then cut off the remaining old leaves.

Grant

[bonscythe]

The pot it is in now is around 20cm in diameter (at soil level), will this be sufficient to gain a trunk of approx. 3-5cms?
I think I will leave the pruning till spring in that case. I did read though that the new growth (while still soft) is succeptable to frost damage, should I remove this new growth on my serrata and integrifolia before the first frosts hit soon (I live in South-Western Sydney, not coastal)?
Thanks alot for your speedy replies!
Cheers - Pat

[Grant Bowie]

A 20cm pot will allow a trunk of about 20mm to 30mm. You would need a bigger pot for a 50mm trunk.

No need to remove current new growth as it will be hardened off by the time frosts hit.

Only if you cut back hard now and force new growth around end of May would that growth be damaged and possibly harm the tree.

Grant

[kcpoole]

I would keep in this pot for this year, and then next Spring / summer do a trunk chop (to generate taper) and repot into a larger pot then

Ken