Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

User avatar
Ryceman3
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2597
Joined: October 19th, 2014, 10:39 am
Favorite Species: Pines & Mels
Bonsai Age: 7
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 1042 times
Been thanked: 1536 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by Ryceman3 »

Just had a look back at the rest of this thread and I can see why the little guy has moved in... things are developing nicely! Lots of thickening up going on which is good. That’s the thing with posting here, it’s easy to track development and see how things are progressing. I don’t think you’ll have too many problems with the repot, sometimes it’s nice just to get stuff out of the grow containers... it keeps you motivated. Definitely is moving more in a windswept direction as opposed to semi cascade, but either way I like it! :yes: :beer:
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

The new growth in the 3 months since the repotting is pretty amazing! Believe it or not I also took the garden sheers to this group between now and the re-pot too!

I am getting into the cadence of a shear, clip and grow approach! I shear to push growth and ramification, I trim to shape in ‘traditional’ bonsai clip and grow manner.

The wiring on the main trunks helps movement but... I am learning and unfortunately.... I am not sure I’ll ever get the beautiful unification/flow of trunk to branching like you see in some of Sno and Boom’s trees.

It’s heading in the right direction and an absolute joy to tend. In fact, I was so absorbed this morning I lost 90+minutes and wondered why I was so cold... I was standing in the melbourne rain ... lost in my forest!! Here’s a few pics -3 months on from the last. The bottom photo shows how it’s too ‘manufactured’ but hopefully I can work that out of it over time.... we’ll see.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

PS - John, I ended up not wiring the branches - I am going to try and clip ‘n’ grow.... mostly because I am somewhat lazy!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
User avatar
Raging Bull
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 835
Joined: January 3rd, 2017, 9:29 am
Favorite Species: Pines
Bonsai Age: 5
Bonsai Club: Gold Coast-Tweed
Location: Gold Coast Qld
Has thanked: 81 times
Been thanked: 197 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by Raging Bull »

Hi Mark,
A fine looking group. The last pic where you say they look too manufactured only looks like that because of the angle its taken at. In the third last pic, where the wire is still on, the view is from what is probably closer to a normal viewing angle and the group looks very natural. Keep doing what you're doing, because :imo: it's working.
Cheers, Frank.
User avatar
Keep Calm and Ramify
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 944
Joined: April 1st, 2017, 11:50 am
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Newcastle NSW
Has thanked: 397 times
Been thanked: 445 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by Keep Calm and Ramify »

:imo: It's coming along really well MJ. Time is all you need. Don't stress - keep calm.
boom64
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1105
Joined: November 11th, 2009, 9:03 pm
Favorite Species: Almond
Bonsai Age: 2
Location: South Coast NSW
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 394 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by boom64 »

Hi Mark ,improving with every post .A bit of weight in the trunks will change everything ,like K.C.R. mentioned all you need is time. Keep up the good work .Cheers John.
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

A reasonably aggressive haircut for this group today .... allowing it to go nuts as spring arrives. The underside photos are starting to point to a really interesting future.
IMG_0536.jpeg
IMG_0537.jpeg
IMG_0538.jpeg
IMG_0539.jpeg
IMG_0540.jpeg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

I really enjoy looking after this group. On advice from someone (GavinG) from memory - in another thread, I am treating each tree as part of the group but concentrating more on each apex, each discrete tree. Still messy and quite hard to photograph ...
But low and steady. Also, I forgot to take a ‘before’ shot but it just had another massive haircut! Image
Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
boom64
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1105
Joined: November 11th, 2009, 9:03 pm
Favorite Species: Almond
Bonsai Age: 2
Location: South Coast NSW
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 394 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by boom64 »

Very cool Mark ,love the Messy look... John.
User avatar
Raging Bull
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 835
Joined: January 3rd, 2017, 9:29 am
Favorite Species: Pines
Bonsai Age: 5
Bonsai Club: Gold Coast-Tweed
Location: Gold Coast Qld
Has thanked: 81 times
Been thanked: 197 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by Raging Bull »

The group's definitely improving, becoming more coherent. Keep it up, looking good. :tu2:
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

A lockdown trim...
Took over 1 hour ....
Image
Image
Image




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
Max
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 587
Joined: April 14th, 2016, 2:05 pm
Favorite Species: all
Bonsai Age: 3
Bonsai Club: grow chop snip
Location: Taree
Has thanked: 34 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by Max »

Has it ever flowered MJL? I have had one in the same pot, for about 4 years so it's about 6 years old and never flowered, and am scared to touch the roots. It's in a 250mm deep pot. It's at the stage where I need to get into a bonsai pot, so I can continue it's refinement. I've been told to sit it in water for 3 weeks. Whether this must allow the tree to allow the submerged roots to rot, forcing the upper roots to do their work, making it safer to remove the lower roots. I don't know. What I do know is, I'd be shattered if it died.
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

Hi Max,

Thanks for your question.

In relation to flowers, no not yet. As this thread has shown, this group grows vigorously but I trim them pretty hard too-a couple of times per year; perhaps I am trimming developing flowers buds off? Not sure.

In relation to repotting, you can see back in this thread that I repotted in January last year (2020) and the trees did not miss a beat. My sense is that now would be a good time to have a crack at yours - if it is healthy. In my experience it is always less dangerous to repot healthy trees.

I get your concern over repotting too but of all my natives - these seems the most robust; perhaps go easy - and only slight downsize your pot.

Good luck and I hope you’re young tree survives.

And of course, I’ll add my caveat - I am still very much learning - more experienced growers might chime in with more sage advice.

Cheers,

Mark


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

Just a quick update on this group. It was going to be in the NATURAL comp but I pulled it out for a reason that escapes me now.

Anyway … it is coming along … a vigorous grower - I had a growth set back recently when I was late to catch what a think were ‘webbing caterpillars’ and nearly lost a few branches. Alas - it is bouncing back.
Image
Image
Image
Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
User avatar
Keep Calm and Ramify
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 944
Joined: April 1st, 2017, 11:50 am
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Newcastle NSW
Has thanked: 397 times
Been thanked: 445 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by Keep Calm and Ramify »

This has got a nice looking flow to it MJ. :yes:
User avatar
MJL
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2840
Joined: October 26th, 2014, 8:47 pm
Favorite Species: Maples, Elms, Cedars and Pines
Bonsai Age: 7
Bonsai Club: Waverley Bonsai Group & Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 424 times
Been thanked: 643 times

Re: Kunzea Semi-cascade Group

Post by MJL »

Another six weeks - another trim! These group plantings are mind bending and time consuming! Image
Image
Image
Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
Post Reply

Return to “Kunzea”