[Ryceman3] Leptospermum Laevigatum

[Ryceman3]

I like the tree R3 - but a smidge deeper? (too much root?)

Possibly KC&R… It’s pretty squeezed in, maybe next time I could drop it a bit more, but I actually like the way the surface root meanders out from the soil and slowly twists up the trunk kind of like a live vein on a juniper. I think it helps to amplify the “ropey” habit these trees develop over time.

Or maybe I’m just talking shari… who knows!
Thanks for your input.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Or maybe I’m just talking shari… who knows!
Thanks for your input.

Nah..you haven't even mentioned the tree's "subtle nuances" or it's numerous "iterations" yet, so I think you're still good

[Ryceman3]

Just an update post-repot on this tree.
It has been sitting in a water tray since the work was done, and all in all I think it looks reasonably healthy.
I have noticed that the older leaves are yellowing and dying off, which I'm guessing is related to the "stress" of the root reduction in an effort to get it into the smaller vessel. I'm not particularly worried because the younger, smaller shoots appear to be developing/elongating which says to me the tree is rationalising it's resources and favouring younger foliage over old leaves.
I really only bring this up because I refrained from significant cutting back of the foliage at repot (which I think I mentioned at the time). I'm glad I did, because I would have been cutting off the younger growth. If I got the same response that I'm seeing now it would mean the foliage I left after a cut back would be yellowing and dropping ... and that would elevate my concern levels quite a bit! It's only one tree, so hardly a scientific conclusion ... more just something I'll keep in mind in the future.

LL-Repot 1221_01.jpg

[GavinG]

+1

I've lost a few interesting natives when cutting them into a bonsai pot when I've taken too much off the top at the same time. No problem with hard pruning top and bottom in an 8" pot, in development, but when the root ball size gets small, it seems you need to leave fair amount of foliage on the top to keep everything healthy.

I'm glad yours looks well, it's a graceful tree.

Gavin

[Ryceman3]

Might've put the mozz on this little tree ... I'm re-evaluating my stance on how healthy it is looking.
It has been in a water tray (like a majority of my natives) since the repot, but things never really took off ... in fact (as is evident in the photo) they went in the other direction. I'll leave it in the water tray and in a position where it gets an hour or so of very early morning sun, followed by mostly shade throughout the day and we'll see if it can rise from the ashes. It will need a small miracle I think.
On the up side ... I might have a nice pot available soon for another tree ...

LL-01 0222.jpg

[melbrackstone]

bugger

[dansai]

Bugger alright. It was looking nice.

Hope it pulls through, though I wouldn't hold your breath. I haven't been able to keep any alive for long. A couple after a repot and some after drying out. All looked like yours and never returned. I do have 2 new seedlings so here's hoping

[Ryceman3]

bugger

Bugger alright. It was looking nice.

Hope it pulls through, though I wouldn't hold your breath. I haven't been able to keep any alive for long. A couple after a repot and some after drying out. All looked like yours and never returned. I do have 2 new seedlings so here's hoping

Yeah ... bugger is about right...
I did have a quick look back at my initial post in this thread regarding repotting this tree the first time. I recalled it struggled a fair bit with recovery, and the post confirms this! It pays to revisit past experiences sometimes, probably should have taken that into account. I don't have enough other L. Laevigatum to say whether this is species specific, or just a "characteristic" of this particular tree. In any case ... it's a wait and see proposition right now.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

oh no... well ...lovely moss!

[Rory]

Don’t be too concerned just yet.
When I started with 4 of these and about your trunk thickness too, 3 of them dropped all their leaves soon after a heavy root removal. But they eventually all recovered, some taking up to 8 weeks to shoot.

Leave it for a long time, but I personally don’t like having moss on the surface. Too hard to see what the mix is doing and harder for the tree to regulate itself.

But looking at the prior pot size and the new pot size, that was a lot of root reduction I presume?

[boom64]

Bad luck but as Rory has mentioned they can come back eventually. This has happened a few times to me as well. I still keep on water tray but keep the tray just wet not to much water in it . Enough to just keep the soil damp and even alloying the pot to get a little dry occasionally . Hope it comes back ,nice tree. Cheers John.

[Ryceman3]

Don’t be too concerned just yet.
When I started with 4 of these and about your trunk thickness too, 3 of them dropped all their leaves soon after a heavy root removal. But they eventually all recovered, some taking up to 8 weeks to shoot.

Leave it for a long time...

Bad luck but as Rory has mentioned they can come back eventually...

Thanks Rory and John ... leaving it is pretty much my plan of attack. I note that looking back through this thread it took until April to throw any signs of new growth (it was repotted in December) last time, so there's a few months to go!
In relation to the moss, I'm not too fussed by it. I find that trees I have with a moss cover generally have fine roots (from the trees) closer to the soil surface. I think the moss creates an environment that allows this as the top surface doesn't dry out/heat up quite as much. It can overgrow and create issues though so maybe like everything - it's best in moderation.
As KC&R says ... at least it's something green in the meantime!