AusBonsai

That's a pain in the a.... I know scoparium can be finicky, I haven't grown it, but I have had some success with other leptos by putting them in a shallow water bath after repotting, if I'm afraid I've gone too hard. I agree with you, if they've gone they don't come back - Mels maybe, but not Leptos. It's a pity, it had quite a nice sweeping base to it. Ah well, just another disaster... I have a laevigatum that might not make it....

Gavin

Hey Rory,

Love all you progression threads on Leptospermum, definitely fast becoming my favourite species. Just wondering, how long would you leave a Leptospermum in a water bath after root work? This is certainly something I’m not sure of. Pretty sure I’ve lost a few plants leaving them in the water for too long and others not putting them in at all in the first place.

Thanks mate! You have guts tackling those scoparium!

DaveZ wrote: ↑November 20th, 2023, 6:50 pm I haven't tried growing this variety in a pot, but I don't have much luck with them in the ground. I have quite a few Leptos growing well in the ground, scoparium, juniperum, rotundifolium,brachiandrum, grandiflorum, all mostly trouble free, but burgundy queen I can't seem to grow for love or money. Won't stop me from giving it another go though, maybe I need to keep some in pots.

They are worth a shot if you can exhibit strong restraint and patience. Just do all work in small stages.
I would recommend material that is less than 1cm thick at the base, so its a bit more resilient and less chance that the root system is a disaster. Personally, I'd start with seedlings. They grow quickly in pots once they establish. But you're strike rate after the first initial repot will probably be about 50%. Don't remove much root at all on the first go.

GavinG wrote: ↑November 21st, 2023, 12:17 am That's a pain in the a.... I know scoparium can be finicky, I haven't grown it, but I have had some success with other leptos by putting them in a shallow water bath after repotting, if I'm afraid I've gone too hard. I agree with you, if they've gone they don't come back - Mels maybe, but not Leptos. It's a pity, it had quite a nice sweeping base to it. Ah well, just another disaster... I have a laevigatum that might not make it....

Gavin

I lost both attempts of leavigatum, but it was because I had done a heavy root removal and it was followed by a massive s*&t storm of cloud and torrential rain for about 3 months. It was back in the days when I had very little sun, so they had no chance. Also, myrtle rust attacked and got hold. I
Leptospermum lanigerum is the better material than leavigatum in my opinion. Lanigerum is incredibly hardy and the foliage is smaller and much prettier. Each to their own though.

L. scoparium is definitely a pain the butt. At the end of the day its the flowers that make this species so wanted. As far as bark and foliage goes, there are better species of lepto out there for sure. So unless someone is really keen on the flowers, I wouldn't attempt them, and stick with other Lepto varieties that are much more rewarding for their bark and foliage.

Mickeyjaytee wrote: ↑November 21st, 2023, 7:57 am Hey Rory,

Love all you progression threads on Leptospermum, definitely fast becoming my favourite species. Just wondering, how long would you leave a Leptospermum in a water bath after root work? This is certainly something I’m not sure of. Pretty sure I’ve lost a few plants leaving them in the water for too long and others not putting them in at all in the first place.

Thanks mate! You have guts tackling those scoparium!

Thank you for the kind words.
What GavinG is referring to is presumably that he places the newly repotted tree and pot into a shallow saucer of water that allows the roots to sit in water and it saturates the mix indefinitely. I don't do this, but again, what works for some is the way to go.

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What GavinG is referring to is presumably that he places the newly repotted tree and pot into a shallow saucer of water that allows the roots to sit in water and it saturates the mix indefinitely. I don't do this, but again, what works for some is the way to go.
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When you use a water saucer after repotting don’t have the roots ‘sitting ‘ in water , rather the water level is low enough that the tree gets the extra water through a capillary action . I tend to leave them in a saucer for a couple of weeks at most . Generally the tree won’t need it after that (for better or worse ) .
I only bother if I’ve really thrashed the roots .