Melaleuca [Ryceman3]

[Ryceman3]

Thanks Kirky & Boom for your feedback and interest. I think getting this into a proper pot is going to really elevate it, so looking forward to that.
Thanks also to you MJL... but I gotta ask - what are you doing posting on Ausbonsai at 4:22am....?

[anthonyW]

Beautiful tree Ryan.

Anthony

[melbrackstone]

Tis indeed developing very nicely! Looking forward to watching this one

[MJL]

Thanks also to you MJL... but I gotta ask - what are you doing posting on Ausbonsai at 4:22am....?

Hmmm - fair question; woke up and couldn’t turn off work related stuff so.... got up, looked at something non-work related, pushed reset and went back to sleep.

Not great sleep practice but it worked



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[Ryceman3]

Trimmed this tree back today, continuing to develop those pads out as well as flesh out an apex... a bit more rounded. I also really wanted to move that lower right branch forward in the composition. In a photo it really doesn't change much, but in 3D I felt the design would reconcile better if I could bring it more towards the viewer. It snapped ... so maybe not the best idea. I remembered I had cracked it in the past - probably something I should have recalled before I gave it a tweak. Oh well, we'll see what happens. I glued it back, it didn't totally amputate so there is hope. If it does go I guess that will give me an opportunity to re-think the design!

MEL-X3_01B 0420.jpg

[KIRKY]

I can see only one cure for the crack n snapped branch to be saved from your tweaking Ryan, bring it to my place
Beautiful tree
Cheers
Kirky

[matlea]

Nice looking tree.

[Ryceman3]

So ... this dried out ...

MEL 0820_01.jpg

MEL 0820_02.jpg

MEL 0820_03.jpg

I alluded to it in another thread, but the moss on the base (being so green) gave me the false sense of security that it was moist enough. When I realised the leaves were drying out, I pulled back the moss to see a bone dry mix ... bone dry. Getting slack on water, even over winter is a bad idea, particularly when it comes to natives. So, what to do.
You can see in the photos above that all is not lost. I think I can say goodbye to about 60% of the finer ramification, but there is new growth coming back in. My question is most (all?) of this new growth is coming from the tips, nothing much back along the primary/secondary branching. If I nurture just this I'm going to end up with a tree that lacks foliage close in which I don't think is ideal. I have had this tree succesful at moderate back budding in the past, so I know it can do it.
Should I let it get strength back by letting this new "tip" foliage grow for now and then, once recovered, cut back in and try and chase the buds back to where I want them or do I cut back now and let the tree create budding further back in from the start giving spring is pretty much here and it's a good time to get budding?? Open for thoughts ....
I'm pretty bummed because this was the year I was moving this to a bonsai container, I'll see what happens from here but that seems a little doubtful right now.

[melbrackstone]

That is a shame. I'd leave it to recover, til maybe mid-summer. If it's going well again by then you might be able to cut back to encourage new shoots. Just make sure the mix under the trunk is getting wet enough... jmho.

[Watto]

In my experience Mel's are pretty tough and I would let it grow out and recover. Later on it will be time to re-establish the ramification. You may have lost a year or so but that is better than loosing the tree.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

It may end up looking a better tree - more rugged & showing some visual signs of struggle will add plenty of character. The glass is half full!

[MJL]

+1 on what PWC said. We’ll all look back and hopefully see an more gnarled tree because if this unfortunate occurrence.


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[Ryceman3]

Thanks for the positivity KC&R + MJL... and everybody else for that matter,
No doubt it won’t be the same as it was (it can’t be... half of it is dead!), but you’re right... maybe it’ll be better.
The journey continues! I might just make it my pet project this year ... to get it back to what it should be. I probably owe the poor thing that.

[Ryceman3]

One month later ... back in the game ...!
The repot looks very likely in a few weeks.

MEL_01B.jpg

[Ryceman3]

It's had a few trims and cut backs in the last couple of months, today was a light trim before the much anticipated repot.
Think it should settle in OK, I have potted it a bit high as I removed over 50% of the roots and after the scare I had earlier this year with it, I wanted to be gentle. Next repot should see it sitting down and looking a little better I think.
Now I have the foliar growth coming back strong I'm keen to really start dialling in the pads a little better.

Mel Repot_3.jpg

Mel Repot_1.jpg

Mel Repot_2.jpg