[Craig] - Melaleuca Preissiana

[Craig]

All, as i said previously i'm not wasting 1 minute of the 14 months in this comp. The tree has been moved into a bonsai pot, it's not the one i want to use for the final tree, but because the tree has a few larger/deeper roots than i thought, i had to settle for this depth at the moment . The tree is currently 258mm from soil level ,the base is 70mm wide. The tree is starting to head in the right direction .

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[nealweb]

Nice work Craig, its looking the goods alright.
Glad to see someone forging ahead, after all the exitment during the countdown to the start there hasn't been all that much to look at yet. Not like your pot, can't help looking at that!!!
Keep up the good work...

n.

[Dario]

Nice work Craig! I always new this tree must of had good basal flare otherwise you would never have drawn the proposed virts the way you did...and yes, the base looks good!
I noticed that the planting angle you had before you repotted it was slightly greater (leaning to the left a little more).
Are you intending on keeping the trunk angle as is now, or will you tilt it more to the left at a later stage?
Looking good Craig, good luck!
Cheers, Dario.

[Craig]

Thanks Neal, you like the pot , i think it's pretty ordinary myself, maybe it'll be yours oneday

Hi Dario , when i went to repot, this is the angle that it "just sat at" , so even tho it wasn't enough lean ,i went with it.I need to at the next repot remove about 30mm or so from the bottom roots, so it will go in a different pot. So now i'll leave it grow for the next 11 months , all the while thinking to tilt or not to tilt, and when i repot again in 11 months i'll surely of decided . cheers guys

[MattA]

Hey Craig,

Looking good, bet your glad you picked a Melaleuca to play with, they grow so fast you dont have to waste a second... I really like your plans for it.

Couple of things stand out to my eye,..
Will the bark colour difference change without having to do anything (above/below orig soil line)?
Is that a little bit of reverse taper half way up the darker section?

Matt

[Craig]

bet your glad you picked a Melaleuca to play with

Hi Matt, i'll be glad in a few months when i see absolute positive growth, at the moment it's still very touch and go.
The color change of bark is easy enough to fix and the reverse taper is just a carve away ,i thought someone might try and pull that one Thanks mate

[MattA]

bet your glad you picked a Melaleuca to play with

Hi Matt, i'll be glad in a few months when i see absolute positive growth, at the moment it's still very touch and go.
The color change of bark is easy enough to fix and the reverse taper is just a carve away ,i thought someone might try and pull that one Thanks mate

Your braver than me working it so soon, slowly slowly with mine.

I wasnt sure if it was a taper issue or just the way the bark has peeled above but not below soil line...

Whats the process to fix the bark colour?

Matt

[Craig]

Whats the process to fix the bark colour?

Watch this space

[Bretts]

The bark colour doesn't bother me. Personally I would just let it blend with time and think it will look very natural to this species. But if there is a way to blend it a little quicker for the comp then that would be ok as well. Maybe a spray of diluted lime sulfur could help?

I can't say the taper worries me either. The issue is so slight and I think looks very natural for this species. I notice that you do plan on carving this area but I kinda like it as is.

What does concern me at the moment is the jin. Personally I would rather it reduced to a stub to avoid the straight section that you are trying to get away from. Easier to take off than replace though of course.

I guess it must be Ok for branches below vertical on this species. I lose track which can and which can't

[Pup]

The bark colour doesn't bother me. Personally I would just let it blend with time and think it will look very natural to this species. But if there is a way to blend it a little quicker for the comp then that would be ok as well. Maybe a spray of diluted lime sulfur could help?

I can't say the taper worries me either. The issue is so slight and I think looks very natural for this species. I notice that you do plan on carving this area but I kinda like it as is.

What does concern me at the moment is the jin. Personally I would rather it reduced to a stub to avoid the straight section that you are trying to get away from. Easier to take off than replace though of course.

I guess it must be Ok for branches below vertical on this species. I lose track which can and which can't

This one Brett eventualy drops the branches like the gum trees, in nature they can last for 5 to 10 years but do drop off in the end.

[NBPCA]

The images of the trees in the wild are extraordinary!

Good work so far.

Grant

[Craig]

The bark colour doesn't bother me. Personally I would just let it blend with time and think it will look very natural to this species. But if there is a way to blend it a little quicker for the comp then that would be ok as well. Maybe a spray of diluted lime sulfur could help?

I can't say the taper worries me either. The issue is so slight and I think looks very natural for this species. I notice that you do plan on carving this area but I kinda like it as is.

What does concern me at the moment is the jin. Personally I would rather it reduced to a stub to avoid the straight section that you are trying to get away from. Easier to take off than replace though of course.

I guess it must be Ok for branches below vertical on this species. I lose track which can and which can't

Thanks Brett, the jin kinda concerns me aswell being straight as it is , the new foliage and branching will fill in around so the jin should sorta be hidden, we'll see what develops. It would prob look ok without it also . looks like i'll need to take into account the need for replacement branches, when the downward branch fails :whistle:I appreciate your feedback mate ,cheers.

Thanks Neal ,Grant oh and don't forget Pup , .

[Craig]

This is the tree as it stands today , i have twice removed alot of new shoots from the lower trunk, and if the Sun was more consistant around here it would be growing better

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[Craig]

All , update, I love this tree , growing very well now, new buds are appearing this week and about to burst.

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[Glenda]

Your 'fixing' of the colour difference on the trunk sure has done the trick, Craig. It is looking very good.

Glenda