Species ID and advice.

[jgmansell]

Hi all, I collected some seed recently from a common native, I have always known as May, but unsure of the correct name so would appreciate ID and advice. The seeds came up like a lawn, so pulled out heaps to make some space between.

This group was just thinned out and planted without disturbing the roots.

This lot was just twisted together, again without pruning the roots, so it shows how close together they grew.
How well do they take root pruning?
Can it be done anytime during the growing season?
Thanks.



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[shibui]

Hard to be sure from just a couple of pictures of juvenile plants but these look a lot like Leptospermum of some sort. That's Ti tree for many.
The leaves look a lot like L. petersonii but there are quite a few Lepto species and many have quite similar leaf shape. Some L. petersonii have distinctive lemon scented leaves when crushed (comon name is lemon scented ti tree) but as you have not mentioned any characterstic smell I assume they don't have the lemon smell. Even without the smell it could still be petersonii.

I have found most of the leptos really good to work with. Most take root pruning really well and quite a few bud on older wood so good for growing and pruning back. The L. petersonii I've been trialling here have no problems with really radical root reduction and after pruning or accidental die back they sprout all over the trunk and even more at the base. Most other leptos I've tried also tolerate root pruning but I have seen some reports that L. scoparium is a bit touchy. L. scoparium has smaller, pointed leaves so that's not the one you have.
I root prune during warmer months when the trees are actively growing but you may be able to do it any time up there.

[jgmansell]

Hard to be sure from just a couple of pictures of juvenile plants but these look a lot like Leptospermum of some sort. That's Ti tree for many.
The leaves look a lot like L. petersonii but there are quite a few Lepto species and many have quite similar leaf shape. Some L. petersonii have distinctive lemon scented leaves when crushed (comon name is lemon scented ti tree) but as you have not mentioned any characterstic smell I assume they don't have the lemon smell. Even without the smell it could still be petersonii.

I have found most of the leptos really good to work with. Most take root pruning really well and quite a few bud on older wood so good for growing and pruning back. The L. petersonii I've been trialling here have no problems with really radical root reduction and after pruning or accidental die back they sprout all over the trunk and even more at the base. Most other leptos I've tried also tolerate root pruning but I have seen some reports that L. scoparium is a bit touchy. L. scoparium has smaller, pointed leaves so that's not the one you have.
I root prune during warmer months when the trees are actively growing but you may be able to do it any time up there.

Thanks Shibui, I have just looked at images of Petersonii and that is exactly what they look like in the wild, although there is no lemon scent. It certainly is actively growing at the present and can put on a few inches of growth in a couple of weeks so will give it a go soon. The twisted one has already started to fuse together in places so hoping it will look good in a short time.

[Bougy Fan]

If it doesn't have the lemon scent it may be a turkey bush ?

[shibui]

They are also growing now down here. I trimmed a couple of mine today. Now that mine have good trunks and shape I'm trying to do regular trimming of soft shoots to get better ramification and density. Seed originally collected at Hat Head in North NSW and also does not have the lemon scent but Roger H is pretty sure they are petersonii. It is likely that the type that is sold in nurseries was selected for the smell and probably is not really representative of the majority of the species.

Good luck with the repotting

I'm not familiar with 'turkey bush' Bougie? A couple of different genera come up when I search - Eremophila and Calitrix. Calitrix leaves are quite different and Eremophila is unlikely to come up 'like lawn' I think. Also bark and leaves don't look quite right for any eremophila I know. can you give a species name for your turkey bush?

[dansai]

I also agree they look like Leptospermum and first though L. petersonii, although the ones I grow tend to have slightly bigger leaves and a little more open.

Can I ask why you wish to repot now? How long since they were potted up? I have found that all the Leptos I grow seem to form fairly dense fine roots. They are the one plant I feel ok buying when they are an older pot bound nursery stock as you can just break off large amounts of root from around the root ball, pot them up and watch them sprout into vigorous growth.

[jgmansell]

I also agree they look like Leptospermum and first though L. petersonii, although the ones I grow tend to have slightly bigger leaves and a little more open.

Can I ask why you wish to repot now? How long since they were potted up? I have found that all the Leptos I grow seem to form fairly dense fine roots. They are the one plant I feel ok buying when they are an older pot bound nursery stock as you can just break off large amounts of root from around the root ball, pot them up and watch them sprout into vigorous growth.

Thanks Dansai, they were only repotted a couple of months ago but but without trimming the roots. They were very dense and fine and since I have no experience with these, I was afraid to touch them while they were still so young. No urgency to repot either, it was just that they were growing so vigorously I thought they would become potbound quickly and slow down growth. Good news to hear that they are hardy.