Melaleuca Linariifolia#1 [Ryceman3]

[Ryceman3]

Well, it feels kind of early to be repotting natives but the wind around at the moment is causing too much grief for me to ignore. This tree has been knocked over more times than I care to remember in the last week or so causing it to have the potential apex broken off, and is also completely dried out and limp at the end of each day if I don't water it at least twice so it's safe to say I was coaxed (pushed) into action.

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Think this should be happier for a while now, and less high maintenance.

[melbrackstone]

They're certainly strong growers when they're happy, and clearly that one is VERY happy!

[Rory]

Ryce.... that is looking fantastic mate. Really cool.

I find when the Moretons and Port Jackon figs start to push out new growth, its open season for repoting most natives.
The only natives I prefer to repot at the very start of spring / late winter.... is Lepto scoparium, and any of the natives that flower profusely at the end of winter for me.

But that Mel is looking really good. I hope you keep those shoots at the base. I love the style of it just like that so far. Where's the love emoji.

[Watto]

Looks like the sacrifice branch has done its job and the tree looks like a good candidate.

[Ryceman3]

Thanks all for the comments. They are great trees and very rapid developers that thicken/grow pretty rapidly even in pots which is good.

But that Mel is looking really good. I hope you keep those shoots at the base. I love the style of it just like that so far. Where's the love emoji.

Hi Rory, I’ll be keeping the shoots at the base at least for a while. One is being set up for the next sacrifice, but I might put a bit of movement into the base of it just in case so I can assess where to chop back once it has done its job. The other will stay and develop.

[boom64]

Interesting post R3,looking very good well done. I might follow you and do a bit of repotting early. The sun seeking Mels have been getting pummeled lately . Wind has dried out two Pricklys , dropped all there foliage luckily new buds are popping. Others have been tossed around ,starting to think i may be doing more harm than good by having them in small pots . Keep up the posts ,always enjoy the updates. Cheers John.

[Rory]

Others have been tossed around ,starting to think i may be doing more harm than good by having them in small pots . Keep up the posts ,always enjoy the updates. Cheers John.

I add river sand as a strong anchor for the root system. Apart from the benefits of excellent drainage... river sand weighs a tonne. I have never had to anchor or wire my trees into the pots in case they get blown out or yanked after a hungry possum attacks them. The river sand holds the root system in place like a vice. I use it on all my smaller shohin attempts. But in general, I find its the drying out in smaller pots that is dangerous too. I prefer deeper pots for this reason. The traditional shallow Japanese pots are often too shallow for Australian conditions. Otherwise on a windy sunny day, you'll need a heavier mix for Mels and Casys, but then in winter they suffer as a result. Its usually fine for Banksia, but not the usual suspects. For this reason, in my opinion I prefer the deeper pots with better drainage, which covers both winter and summer.

[Ryceman3]

Plenty of development in this melaleuca over the last 3 months since the repot so I had a rest from the pines today and got out the branch cutter to get stuck into it. What I am looking for in terms of the basic structure is now fairly well set, I'll be moving onto the next phase of development from here. Both sacrifice branches remain (lower right and behind) which kind of make the silhouette a little murky, but hopefully you can see past them and get the concept.

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[Ryceman3]

An update on this melaleuca after a trim back today (and a small amount of wire).
I'll be letting it recover and then the next step will be to repot into a bonsai pot in a month or two.

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[Pat3222]

Looking good r3. When did you remove the sacrifice branches?

[Ryceman3]

Looking good r3. When did you remove the sacrifice branches?

Roughly 6 weeks ago or so I think. I would’ve left it longer but to be honest it had gotten so big it was super top heavy and so the pot was toppling over all the time under even mild winds. I am OK with the girth anyway I think…

[Ryceman3]

Gave this tree a bit of attention before pine season diverts my attention elsewhere. Unfortunately no before shot ... but really it was just a big mop again as seen previously. Starting to get some more refined branching developing and I like the way the trunk is lightening up in colour and the "paperiness" is coming to the fore.
It'll transition to a proper pot in a few months I think.

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[melbrackstone]

That really is very nicely constructed, R3! I need to take notice of your process, since mine just looks like a trunk chop victim still.

[Ryceman3]

That really is very nicely constructed, R3! I need to take notice of your process, since mine just looks like a trunk chop victim still.

Thanks Mel, I was fortunate in many respects with this tree because the sacrifice branch was down quite low… meaning there was no real “trunk chop” as I would define it.
When the sacrifice comes from high up on the trunk (whether it be this tree or any species) there is always the risk the whole trunk thickens proportionately over time… meaning a trunk chop is then required both to reduce the size but also induce branching to create taper. That isn’t really problematic in itself, it just means more time is required to get the results you are seeking and so development will take a little longer. Hopefully that makes a small amount of sense!

[longd_au]

Lovely tree ..love the bark