Next step for this Tea Tree

Tony Bebb · Post by **Tony Bebb** » June 9th, 2011, 5:47 pm

Great virts. Can see the improvement.

Looks like we all agree it should tilt to the left. If you do it will of course need to go to the right of the pot to balance it.

Congrats on your first virt Steven, both look good and no offence, but doesn't the tree look fantastic in the one by webos with more foliage.

Look forward to its future.

Tony

Webos · Post by **Webos** » June 9th, 2011, 10:11 pm

I havent tilted the tree in my virt. I have put the heavy foliage low on the left of the tree...I think it makes the tree look heavier down low and helps to balance the composition.

anttal63 · Post by **anttal63** » June 9th, 2011, 11:32 pm

Nice one Webos i just tweaked it a little more.

untitled 3.JPG

Tony Bebb · Post by **Tony Bebb** » June 9th, 2011, 11:43 pm

Webos wrote:I havent tilted the tree in my virt. I have put the heavy foliage low on the left of the tree...I think it makes the tree look heavier down low and helps to balance the composition.

Only mention it due to the angle of the pot and stand being different to Grant photo. Did you use Steven or Jows photo? Tree certainly looks fantastic.

Best Regards

Tony

Webos · Post by **Webos** » June 10th, 2011, 12:01 am

Oops, I thought I had used the original photo but on second look, seems that I used Stevens first photo and it seems as though he has tilted it.

Great tree and great input from the community

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » June 28th, 2011, 7:35 pm

Hi all,

I carefully drilled six holes in the branch on the inside of the curve I would like to make.

It did make some diference to its non flexibility.

I carefully wrapped copper wire onto the branch and did the first test bend. Nil result. It just laughed at me.

I carefully wrapped a second copper wire onto the branch and did the second test bend. Nil result. It just laughed at me again.

I did hear it creak and slightly splinter but no real bend. I felt if I pushed it harder it would just splinter or crack or break.

I will probably now just tie it down to an anchor point and leave it at that.

I will do a slip repot soon(yes I know its winter and I don't usually do natives in Winter) and see how it looks.

Grant

Roger · Post by **Roger** » June 28th, 2011, 7:49 pm

Grant
A great tree as so many others have said.

I'm most interested in your efforts to bend the mature branch - that is a hard, brittle one.

I've thought about doing what you've described, to a Kunzea, as it just laughs at me, as yours did to you

Tight wrapping and slowly slowly bending, might get it to bend and heal so as to hold the bend. Clearly more experimental work is needed.

Roger

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » August 7th, 2011, 5:50 pm

Well I bit the bullet and repotted this tree today. A bit earlier than I usually do natives(usually October or so) but I was repotting so many trees today it just got done.

The trunk has been rotated a few degrees clockwise so that the lowest right hand branch has come slightly accross the trunk.

The lowest left hand branch has been wired forward and the left hand trunk has been wired slightly forward and down. I applied two layers of fairly heavy aluminium to do the bending finally.

I have not done any trimming at all but I quite like it now. I will let it grow and then do some clip and grow.

July 2011.JPG

IMG_1214 - Copy.JPG

grant

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » August 7th, 2011, 6:27 pm

gday Grant

looking the goods, filling in that left hand side and getting the straight bit sorted has worked well, not long now and it will fill in. are you considering rounding the apex off a bit more? I usually get the feeling when an apex is more rounded that it gives a better appearance of old age.

jamie

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » August 7th, 2011, 8:37 pm

Hi Jamie,

Yes I will be shortening and rounding the crown eventually.

Grant

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » October 15th, 2011, 2:46 pm

Leptospermum laevigatum Coastal ti-tree 15th october 2011.JPG

Pup · Post by **Pup** » October 15th, 2011, 5:47 pm

G,day Grant the biggest problem with the light on small trunk, is you are letting the rest grow. So we have a conundrum, keep the rest of the tree pruned and direct the energy to the small trunk.

I have this problem with a couple of my trees, it is somewhat annoying as you like the tree as it is, but for that weaker area on the tree, you need that energy that is going to the rest of the tree.

It is looking good though.
Cheers Pup

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » November 19th, 2011, 10:56 am

Hi all,

The wired trunk portion was not doing as well as the rest of the tree so I cut it off.

leptospermum laevigatum coastal tea-tree.JPG

19th Nov 2011 after trim.JPG

Grant

Post by **kcpoole** » November 19th, 2011, 11:40 am

Nice improvement Grant

Lovely tree

Ken

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » January 24th, 2012, 4:57 pm

IMG_1933 - Copy.JPG

The left hand side is getting closer in vigour and density to the rest of the tree.

Grant

AusBonsai

Next step for this Tea Tree

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