AusBonsai

A mate of mine had an old Asbestos backyard shed pulled down a little while ago, and next to that shed were these Serrata's they were going to be condemned, so I chopped the trunk and got these home asap; potted them up and gave them a drink of Seasol.
Boxing day I selected some branches and put some wire on, I have a few smaller branches that are gonna be sacrificed and some I'm gonna grow and keep. Iv'e gone through I think all the threads on these guy's and some folks have had mixed results, I'm glad these have pulled through.
I'm still learning so any advice or tips would be welcomed .

Potted up..


Two months later..


After a little styling.. A couple of days after this pic was taken I have added some bends in the branches..

Nice find! They look nice and big.

I've read the branches sometimes struggle if they are wired too tight and not growing freely. May pay off to have the branch tip growing a bit more upward, as the lower branches look like they may be angled a little low.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Pearcy001 wrote:Nice find! They look nice and big.

I've read the branches sometimes struggle if they are wired too tight and not growing freely. May pay off to have the branch tip growing a bit more upward, as the lower branches look like they may be angled a little low.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Thanks Pearcy001,
I've read that also, they are very loosely wired, I didn't have any proper thin bonsai wire at hand so I used 0.70mm gal wire threaded through some flexi tie which is working fine, when I get a chance I'll get some proper wire on it. Funny thing, these are growing so fast, within a few days the tips have grown and are bending upward reaching for the sun, they are loving our weather at the moment.
Looking over my notes, I've learnt about...
- what fert to use, how much to use and when
- what to use if caterpillars take a liking to it
- what to use for root rot
- root pruning and when to re-pot, defoliate at re-pot helps with recovery time
- general pruning and maintenance once in general bonsai shape

In terms of a styling sense, I was thinking the one on the left is more upright so I'll try and go for the formal style and the one on the right has a slant so I was thinking more informal. Would be keen to hear any thoughts and ideas.

Don't be afraid to wire your banksias, they will set in place very quickly at this time of year wire can be removed after a couple of months. I try to avoid setting branches at right angles to the trunk it is better to grow slightly upwards. Branches very low on the trunk will work very well as sacrifice branches. During the growing season you can shorten upper branches while letting the lower branches extend. Taper will improve very quickly, if you leave wire on too long scars will heal quickly.

Jimmi

Nice find. They make excellent bonsai.

One suggestion that may seem odd at first, but is the result of years of research and practical experience. Banksias especially the east coast types really appreciate standing in a tray with their roots in water during the heat of summer. Personally I keep them this way from 1 Dec to the end of March every year. The result is happy trees that do not show any deterioration and respond with very increased rates of growth.

Dennis Mc

Gerard wrote:Don't be afraid to wire your banksias, they will set in place very quickly at this time of year wire can be removed after a couple of months. I try to avoid setting branches at right angles to the trunk it is better to grow slightly upwards. Branches very low on the trunk will work very well as sacrifice branches. During the growing season you can shorten upper branches while letting the lower branches extend. Taper will improve very quickly, if you leave wire on too long scars will heal quickly.

Thanks Gerard,
I went out to the Bonsai nursery yesterday and purchased some wire and re-wired them with your advice on setting the branches, it's looking better, also shortened the upper branches, they were the same length as the bottom branches more so on the one on the right.
I was thinking the same thing about the buds that are popping at the base of the trunk, I will let them grow out for a bit.

dennismc wrote:Jimmi

Nice find. They make excellent bonsai.

One suggestion that may seem odd at first, but is the result of years of research and practical experience. Banksias especially the east coast types really appreciate standing in a tray with their roots in water during the heat of summer. Personally I keep them this way from 1 Dec to the end of March every year. The result is happy trees that do not show any deterioration and respond with very increased rates of growth.

Dennis Mc

Hi Dennismc,
thanks for your advice, I will be keeping an eye on these over the summer, they are growing really well at the moment at quite a fast pace so I think I'll leave them be for now. If they start to deteriorate over the hotter periods I will definitely give your advice a go.

Very nice

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