Callistemon - health

[J-C]

Hi Tony,

I can keep it outside - but actually the temperatures are dropping very low in the night here in Germany - weather is not that constant ^^ so within the next weeks the can drop as low as -1 to -5°C

[Bretts]

In Winter It is fairly common to get as low as -2 celsius where I am and at the extreme -5 but rarely. I do not give the Callistemon any sheltered care during Winter although on the rare occasion that it does get down to -5 it may cause some damage. (last few years have been pretty mild so not fully experienced at those temps with this species in bonsai pot). I did get some tip burn on new shoots early spring this year but nothing to concern me.
I would imagine that as long as the tree was kept in a sheltered spot that did not get the extremes of the weather it would be fine.
I was surprised Pup did not blame the tree being inside for the leaf drop as I have never heard of Callistemon being grown inside

[Grant Bowie]

Hamburg in the middle of winter can be as low as -15? degrees in the middle of the day (been there; froze there)so outside is impossible for a Callistemon.

The callistemon at the collection sustained some light tip damage at minus 9(overnight); imagine minus 15 in the middle of the day.

It will have to survive the winter inside with appropriate care and then go outside gradually in their spring.

Grant

[J-C]

I'll keep the Callistemon outside in Spring till autumn (when i'm sure it stays warm enough outside )
We've had -10°C down to -20°C in winter - so it's pretty damn cold
I'll keep the Callistemon in a winter-sehlter at about 10-5°C with proper lighting.


Hmmm - so you think the loss of leaves might be because of the lack of light?

[Bretts]

Oh Ok, I thought JC was suggesting temps at -5, must be a short term prediction

Being inside my first guess would have been that caused the leaf loss but Grant and Pup would know better than me

[Grant Bowie]

As we all know it is much harder to grow inside than outside if the weather/climate is mild like most of Aus.

Getting the right amount of moisture is difficult as it is hard to tell visually if the soil is dry, moist or sopping wet .

A lot of norhern Europeans and northern american use grow lights to give the necessary day light substitue.

Good luck JC.

Grant

[J-C]

Thanks =) i'll keep you updated

[Pup]

I did not blame it on being inside for leaf drop Brett. Because the first thing I noticed was it was root bound. The leaves will drop off then, as they did.
I had already addressed, well I thought I had, when I said that any tree growing inside is growing in a foreign enviroment.

Cheers Pup

[J-C]

Thanks to Pup's advice, I've repoted my Callistemon and it is doing well so far.
I'm keeping it outside on a south-side Balcony (so it has sun all day long) - weather is quite humid so I don't have to worry much about watering.
Well - but now - since it's getting colder up here - i'm confronted with another question:

How to prepare for winter?
When I bought the Bonsai, the Merchant told me, that I can keep it indoors at about 20-25°C. But I've learned that the Callistemon needs a "cold phase" for saving it's "power" for flowering & growing next year.

so these are my options:
[ ] - keep it outside at the balcony - at almost -5°C to approx -22°C ... therefore I need to "cover up" the roots
[ ] - keep it indoors at 20-25°C (most likely it would be around 23°C)
[ ] - keep it indoors at the hallway should be 'round 10-15°C ... but low light
[ ] - keep it in the cellar at 5-10°C .. NO LIGHT AT ALL
[ ] - keep it in the cellar at 5-10°C .. and buy a Lamp


What would you consider?

[NBPCA]

Hi JC,

A complex issue.

The Callistemon will grow in many different environments around Australia; Perth western Australia winters are very mild whereas in Canberrra it is quite a lot colder.

Australian native plants in general will continue to grow all year if they have warmth, light, water and food. Some of them don't have an off button and dormant periods can vary from the middle of summer(when it is too hot to grow) to the middle of winter.
'
"Cold Phase"? I don't know that Callistemon will suffer without a cold phase although it may affect flowering(I would guess May in Germany.)

Its major requirement is light so I would keep it in the sunniest(and in your situation the warmest spot) and consider extra light if necessary. Health comes first.

You may trigger growth in the middle of winter with the warmth and light but you can just trim it back; this will however most likely remove future flowers.

You will take a few years to understand its requirements in your environment for temperature, light,water, food, trimming etc.

Summer flowering of Bottlebrush Dec 2008.JPG

Grant Bowie

[J-C]

*whew* thanks a ton for this advice =)

The "Calli" is my "baby" - so I care AND worry a lot about it's health!

So I consider heaving it in a cooler room (maybe 'bout 17-20°C) and buy some additional growing-light. I know it will take some time for me to get to know the requirements of this bonsai - and that's why I'm so thankful about your advice - because I dind't find any good advice in german forums. Almost seems like noone use to grow Callistemon-Bonsai in Europe

[Grant Bowie]

*whew* thanks a ton for this advice =)

The "Calli" is my "baby" - so I care AND worry a lot about it's health!

So I consider heaving it in a cooler room (maybe 'bout 17-20°C) and buy some additional growing-light. I know it will take some time for me to get to know the requirements of this bonsai - and that's why I'm so thankful about your advice - because I dind't find any good advice in german forums. Almost seems like noone use to grow Callistemon-Bonsai in Europe

Hi JC,

I did find some interest in callistemon on one of the french speaking websites; parlons bonsai. If you don't speak french there is a translate button.

good luck and let us know how it goes.

grant

[addict2bonsai]

Just wondering if this Callistemon is " Little John" or "Matthew Flinders". They have nice small flowers. I find I need to trim out some of the leaves as they get very dense. They tolerate wiring and clip and grow methods.

[J-C]

Hi .. I think it is a "Matthew Flinders" or sth. ... the leaves are not blueish, but very intense green.

This Weekend I learned, that my callistemon is infested by "wool-louses" =/
I didn't recognize these small insects as some kind of "louse" ... but somehow i was quite suspicious this weekend and spent some time on google to find out, what they are...

They have been there since the first night the Callistemon spent outside on the Balcony. I discovered that the whole neigborhood (lots and lots of bushes) is infested by these insects. So I guess, I gotta keep it inside next summer or keep spraying some "Louse-off"-mixture (Soap+oil+water) *sigh*

Wool-louse: *external image*

[J-C]

Hi folks,

well - it has been 2 month and i'm back with new problems

The calli did quite fine these last 2 month - i kept him outside on the balcony. But 'bout 4 weeks ago temperatures started to drop below Zero so I took him inside. As I already pointed out, the conditions inside are not ideal. Too warm for a "rest-period" and too dark. I bought a special Lamp which was recommended by a german bonsai-forum.

Everything seemed to be fine - the tree even startet to bud out. Now the weekend before last I have been on vacation (5days) and had a "bonsai-sitter". told her, how to water the plants - and prepared everything. When I came back - everything seemed to be fine ... until friday. The Calli started to drop leaves like hell. I don't know why - and i'm not sure if it it lack of light or lack of water ... =(