kunzea seeds

[StellaK1]

hi there,
I've joined this forum to gain more information about the Kunzea ambigua tree.
I bought some seeds and waiting for spring to get them in the gound.

1. Is this a fast or slow growing tree? there is very different answers to this on google...
2. How do you about pruning this tree?
3. Should i actually get some seedlings going, how long should it be growing before you start doing some pruning? I've read that it can easily become very lanky/leggy, so I guess I should not just leave it to grow

I've done a lot of reading up, but do find very little information.
any interesting advise about this specie would be highly appreciated

[boom64]

Hi Stella ,
A fine choice as Kunzea make a fine Bonsai. I have grown from seed ,actually they pop up all the time. Not the fastest of trees and do take a long time to get a good size trunk. I would let them grow freely for two seasons , then wire to shape and select as many low sacrifice branches as possible .At this stage you can cut back branches and apex to aid taper ,shape .As the tree is still young you should get some reasonable backbudding. Then the fun begins. Hope this helps . John.

[shibui]

Agree with boom64.
Seeds are usually quite easy to germinate.
Growth rate depends what you compare it to but I consider them quite slow growing. Allow several years to get pencil thick trunk and 10-20 years to get a decent bonsai from seed.
Most species bud well on bare wood so you can let them grow tall for thickening and cut back hard to get a more compact bonsai.

They are available as seedlings in many nurseries relatively cheap which will save a year or 2 and the heartache that can come with growing (or not growing ) seed. You will also have the choice of a number of different forms - prostrate, upright, weeping or flower color.

Also quite easy to grow from cuttings which will often give a head start in size over seedlings.

[StellaK1]

thank you both so much. this really helps a lot.

When would you say is a good time to plant the seeds? taking that the weather here is fairly similar to yours.
Can I plant in Aug, or wait til Sept?
most species are ok to start planting in Aug here in South Africa

so will then plant the in fairly big post to encourage growth. and then let them grow wild for at least 2 seasons

how do you treat them with fertilizer?
do you use the same timing that other more common bonsai species?
do you fertilize more/less than with other species

do they take to approach grafting?
seeing that they are slow growers, would it be possible to graft a few seedlings together to try and win a few years?

other options is then to try creating a forest. but let me 1st see how many of the seeds i manage to get to germinate.

[shibui]

Kunzea should germinate and grow all year round. I sow most Aussie seeds in October or November but that's just to get plants large enough for autumn planting for revegetation work. August will avoid the coldest months and should give good strong growth over summer.

Kunzea have no fertilizer sensitivity so use whatever you have on hand. Like a lot of plants they will manage with less fert but you will get better growth if you fertilize as for any other plants.

I have not heard of anyone grafting kunzea but they are just like other plants so if you can get cambium contact you should get a graft union.
I would very much like to see any progress reports if you do try to fuse some seedlings. My trials with trident maples have steered me away from that technique. I have yet to get a good result that has not taken longer than growing a single tree. The technique looks great but there are many pitfalls that can cause a less desirable shape/trunk. Maybe it can be done well but I have not been able to work out how.

Group/ forest is a good option to make something better from smaller plants but as you say, need to get some to germinate and then survive long enough to do that.
This is not kunzea but should be inspiration for an Aussie group bonsai

IMGP2854.JPG

The following are a couple of my kunzea but not K. ambigua.

IMGP0046.JPG

IMGP0047.JPG

[dansai]

Its best to germinate them in a small pot or tray sprinkling a number of seeds over the surface and lightly cover with mix. Once there have germinated you can seperate them into their own pots. Putting them into larger pots will not necessarily give you the best results. I now try to repot young plants more often, 2 or 3 times a year depending on growth, into slightly bigger pots each time doing a little teasing of the roots and trimming any really long roots. Trees tend to grow quicker this way as putting them into large pots means a lot of the mix does not have roots in it and can stay very wet and hold large amount of nutrients which can lead to problems. This can be overcome by using a very free draining mix but will then need more Fert as it be leached easily and roots can grow long an ropey rather than stay fine and close to the trunk which is far better for bonsai in the long run.

[StellaK1]

This is not kunzea but should be inspiration for an Aussie group bonsai

This forest is unbelievably Impressive. this is indeed a whole bunch of inspiration and admiration.
If I manage to get some seedlings going, i will most definitely try making one.

If I may ask a question. your 2nd photo the tree has 2 branches very low down on the trunk. is this part of your design or sacrifice branches?

A

Its best to germinate them in a small pot or tray sprinkling

nd thank you for the information. think I am ready to give these seeds the best possible start.

this is very interesting. thank you for all the advice. will get a smaller tray for them now.

I have 20 seeds, but there is still some available were I got them, so I think I will get a bunch more. just by numbers I should then have a few at least

[shibui]

If I may ask a question. your 2nd photo the tree has 2 branches very low down on the trunk. is this part of your design or sacrifice branches?

The low branches are part of the design. Many of our smaller native trees often grow with low branch/trunks. I guess they are actually really large shrubs. This tree had some low branches so I utilized them in the design. Without one or both of those branches the trunk would look really skinny.
Who knows what the future holds for any bonsai? One day I might decide to remove one or even both but for now I'm happy with it as is.