Baekea from seed

[Grant Bowie]

Hi all, I purchased some (Old name was Baekea virgata) Sannantha similis and was also Babbingtonia(Gosh I hate name changes)!!!

Anyhow I potted them into 8”200mm pots and they sat there for years and flowered their heads off. The last 2 or 3 years they have also seeded and produced hundreds and hundreds of seedlings in their pot.

I potted up about 20 in spring

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and they grew like crazy.

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Most were multiple trunks, a few were twin trunks and almost no single trunks.

Anyhow about 3 months ago I potted some of the seedlings from4”100mm pots into 8”200mm pots and they have also settled in and grown well. Tomorrow I am starting shaping on of the 8”200mm plants for future use.

More pics tomorrow.

Grant

[shibui]

Whatever the botanists are calling this species this week it is also a prolific self seeder here too. I get lots of seedlings coming up in pots near the parent plants.
Mine have not yet grown big enough to do much with.

[Grant Bowie]

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Here is the best of this years seedlings now in 8” pots

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Here I have removed the lesser of the two trunks and left thickening branches and lots of growing points.

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Here the trunk has been wired up. Now for some more bending. I am growing on for a bigger tree, so I don’t need to compact much or do detailed twisty wiring. Finished for tonight, dinner calls. More soon .

[Rory]

For me, Baeckea are right up there with Banksia.
Of the different Baeckea I’ve tried, they are usually pretty hardy and shoot back well, and they don’t usually have many problems from root removal or heavy foliage removal. The bonus being that they aren’t as prone to root rot like Banksia are.

Good to see you still tinkering with young material, Grant.
Personally I’m trying to focus on about 35-40 bonsai and can’t be bothered starting with more young material now.

[Grant Bowie]

Yes, I am a compulsive propigator I admit.