Incana and incana nana questions

[Mickeyjaytee]

Hi guys,

I have a few questions regarding melaleuca incana and incana nana. I have quite a few and have noticed that the incana nana seem to die back a lot in full sun whereas the incana does not but, I will say some of the leaves turn a strange reddish/orange in the full sun and they don’t grow too well. Does anyone know why?

I’m a little confused as to all websites say full sun for the nana yet, mine don’t seem to like it at all. Perhaps the websites are eastern state based?

An example is I had an incana nana in full sun and it died last year. Cooked to a crisp. I have one in morning sun/afternoon shade and it kills off quite a few branches during summer. The one I have in nearly full shade is lush and fantastic.

Am I on the right track with this assumption or, could some other factor be at play here?

None are potted up as bonsai as of yet and they are just in prebonsai growth stages.

With the plain incana, I have LOTS of (ALL of the seed germinated ), they are very sparse and I know they need more sun, I'm just very hesitant to throw them all out in the Perth summer sun. Does anyone have any pointers of how to really get them lush and growing? I use seamungus pellets and a native fertiliser as a heads up.

I’d greatly appreciate any help! Melaleucas are quickly becoming my favourite bonsai tree!

[Rory]

Interesting. It’s worth noting that for bonsai purposes, smaller dwarf varieties are sometimes not as hardy as the parent. I have found this with many genus.

I’ve not tried the dwarf form of Mel incana though. I’ve grown normal Melaleuca incana and it is very hardy from my experience.
But mine are grown in part-shade. Strong Perth sun would be very unforgiving if your drainage is too fast.

Good luck but perhaps simply keep them in shadier spots?

Mine are in a medium mix so it doesn’t dry off too quickly.
And mine get part shade throughout the day.
Beautiful trees too.

2 really good Melaluecas for bonsai are:

Melaleuca linarifolia - and ironically the compact versions of this are fantastic for bonsai too ; Compacta and claret tops.

Melalueca hueglii (needs a lot of water but has gorgeous weeping foliage). Use a slower draining mix.

[Promethius]

Thanks for sharing. Have you got them in a water tray? Most Melaleuca are happiest in a tray over summer. I'm not familiar with incana, but a quick online search suggests that they're swamp dwellers, so I'd expect them to follow suit.

I've lost a pair of Mels to what I think was insufficient sunlight, but incana are apparently often found in valleys, so should be okay in part shade. Not full shade, though.

[shibui]

I agree that it is much more likely to be dry than sun. The 2 are linked but not exactly the same thing. I would be trying some in water trays or gravel trays to see how they go.
Also note that there's a big difference between garden plants in full sun where roots can roam freely to source water and full sun confined to a small pot. Err on the side of caution when transposing garden/plant advice to plants as bonsai.

[Patmet]

I've got a roughly shohin sized Melaleuca Incana Nana that I've had for years. It's in a bonsai pot and refinement stage now. I have it in full sun and I don't have a problem with dieback, but they are very thristy. It sucks up the water super quick over summer so a water tray is a good idea. I'm in WA too, in Albany down south so not quite as hot but still very intense sun. I do get some red/orange tinge on the ends of growth in summer, I'm pretty sure it's a stress response from getting a bit dry over the course of the day. I think I will start sitting mine in a water tray.

[Mickeyjaytee]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for the replies, I will endeavour to reply to everyone.

Rory - I definitely think the nana is a lot more sensitive. I did repot them just today and mixed in a bit more organic matter for more water retention so I hope that helps them out. I absolutely love linarifolia’s, my favourite tree! I haven’t seen any hueglii at the nursery but, I will keep my eyes out. I’d love to get ahold of some stypheliodes but, I cannot seem to find any in Perth. Might just be a seed to try out. Also green bracteatas allude me. I can only find revolution gold and have had zero luck with seed twice now.

Promethius - I don’t have them in a water tray, I will though. I have been trying to water them twice a day but, a water tray would be much better. Thanks for the tip! My linarifolia lived in a water tray last year and loved it, I don’t know how I forgot

Shibui - I agree with you. I hadn’t repotted them and the pots were pretty small. I think even watering twice a day was not sufficient enough due to the size. I’ve repotted into much bigger pots. Funnily enough, the 1 that died and the part sun/part shade Mel are in the ground whereas the full shade one is not. I have a sneaking suspicion though that the potted one just gets so much more water. I was pretty uneducated in horticulture when I planted them and didn’t keep up with a good routine that I now do.

Patmet- Hello fellow West Aussie! Thanks for the heads up on thirst, I didn’t know that incana’s needed a lot. I’d love to see your incana nana. I have been browsing Australian native bonsais and have seen some really impressive nanas. Such a great tree. It’s a pity the red/orange is a stress response. It’s actually quite an amazing colour.

I’ve decided to stop trying with exotics, I’m really loving the natives and what they are capable of. I’m going to try a few locals such as Darwinia Mt Burdett and Kunzea clavata. Has anyone had any luck with these or even tried? The darwinia has amazing flaky bark at such a young age. Not sure how long they live and if they’ll survive a root prune but, time will tell. I’m also curious about Calytrix. I have only a couple of the Leschenaultia and the blue is stunning. I also love Leptospermum erubescens. Very unique, great flaky bark and grew everywhere where I grew up. I’m yet to see one as a bonsai.

Thanks again everyone, I love to hear your input! Such a great community

[Patmet]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for the replies, I will endeavour to reply to everyone.

Rory - I definitely think the nana is a lot more sensitive. I did repot them just today and mixed in a bit more organic matter for more water retention so I hope that helps them out. I absolutely love linarifolia’s, my favourite tree! I haven’t seen any hueglii at the nursery but, I will keep my eyes out. I’d love to get ahold of some stypheliodes but, I cannot seem to find any in Perth. Might just be a seed to try out. Also green bracteatas allude me. I can only find revolution gold and have had zero luck with seed twice now.

Promethius - I don’t have them in a water tray, I will though. I have been trying to water them twice a day but, a water tray would be much better. Thanks for the tip! My linarifolia lived in a water tray last year and loved it, I don’t know how I forgot

Shibui - I agree with you. I hadn’t repotted them and the pots were pretty small. I think even watering twice a day was not sufficient enough due to the size. I’ve repotted into much bigger pots. Funnily enough, the 1 that died and the part sun/part shade Mel are in the ground whereas the full shade one is not. I have a sneaking suspicion though that the potted one just gets so much more water. I was pretty uneducated in horticulture when I planted them and didn’t keep up with a good routine that I now do.

Patmet- Hello fellow West Aussie! Thanks for the heads up on thirst, I didn’t know that incana’s needed a lot. I’d love to see your incana nana. I have been browsing Australian native bonsais and have seen some really impressive nanas. Such a great tree. It’s a pity the red/orange is a stress response. It’s actually quite an amazing colour.

I’ve decided to stop trying with exotics, I’m really loving the natives and what they are capable of. I’m going to try a few locals such as Darwinia Mt Burdett and Kunzea clavata. Has anyone had any luck with these or even tried? The darwinia has amazing flaky bark at such a young age. Not sure how long they live and if they’ll survive a root prune but, time will tell. I’m also curious about Calytrix. I have only a couple of the Leschenaultia and the blue is stunning. I also love Leptospermum erubescens. Very unique, great flaky bark and grew everywhere where I grew up. I’m yet to see one as a bonsai.

Thanks again everyone, I love to hear your input! Such a great community

Yes, the Incana is becoming a staple WA native for bonsai. Has a lot of great bonsai qualities. From my experience the nana is pretty tough too. If you find one thats got a nice trunk you can cut back hard and regrow branch structure. That was the case for mine. Don't take it as gospel about the red/orange being stress though - That's just something I have heard people say about natives before. It could just be normal at this time of year.

I haven't tried any of those except I have a cascade Calytrix Tetragona that I'm working on which is showing a lot of promise. That's great though, I encourage anyone in WA to experiment with new species. I believe there is a lot of untapped potential in unique WA natives that just needs more people to trial and error. I've also started to experiment with WA native understory plants for shitakusa and kusamono - There are just so many quirky and interesting species that grow underneath the trees.

This is my Incana nana as of now in summer. Getting to the stage of needing some more work done. You can see by my hand it's a small tree.

20230115_184049.jpg

[Mickeyjaytee]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for the replies, I will endeavour to reply to everyone.

Rory - I definitely think the nana is a lot more sensitive. I did repot them just today and mixed in a bit more organic matter for more water retention so I hope that helps them out. I absolutely love linarifolia’s, my favourite tree! I haven’t seen any hueglii at the nursery but, I will keep my eyes out. I’d love to get ahold of some stypheliodes but, I cannot seem to find any in Perth. Might just be a seed to try out. Also green bracteatas allude me. I can only find revolution gold and have had zero luck with seed twice now.

Promethius - I don’t have them in a water tray, I will though. I have been trying to water them twice a day but, a water tray would be much better. Thanks for the tip! My linarifolia lived in a water tray last year and loved it, I don’t know how I forgot

Shibui - I agree with you. I hadn’t repotted them and the pots were pretty small. I think even watering twice a day was not sufficient enough due to the size. I’ve repotted into much bigger pots. Funnily enough, the 1 that died and the part sun/part shade Mel are in the ground whereas the full shade one is not. I have a sneaking suspicion though that the potted one just gets so much more water. I was pretty uneducated in horticulture when I planted them and didn’t keep up with a good routine that I now do.

Patmet- Hello fellow West Aussie! Thanks for the heads up on thirst, I didn’t know that incana’s needed a lot. I’d love to see your incana nana. I have been browsing Australian native bonsais and have seen some really impressive nanas. Such a great tree. It’s a pity the red/orange is a stress response. It’s actually quite an amazing colour.

I’ve decided to stop trying with exotics, I’m really loving the natives and what they are capable of. I’m going to try a few locals such as Darwinia Mt Burdett and Kunzea clavata. Has anyone had any luck with these or even tried? The darwinia has amazing flaky bark at such a young age. Not sure how long they live and if they’ll survive a root prune but, time will tell. I’m also curious about Calytrix. I have only a couple of the Leschenaultia and the blue is stunning. I also love Leptospermum erubescens. Very unique, great flaky bark and grew everywhere where I grew up. I’m yet to see one as a bonsai.

Thanks again everyone, I love to hear your input! Such a great community

Yes, the Incana is becoming a staple WA native for bonsai. Has a lot of great bonsai qualities. From my experience the nana is pretty tough too. If you find one thats got a nice trunk you can cut back hard and regrow branch structure. That was the case for mine. Don't take it as gospel about the red/orange being stress though - That's just something I have heard people say about natives before. It could just be normal at this time of year.

I haven't tried any of those except I have a cascade Calytrix Tetragona that I'm working on which is showing a lot of promise. That's great though, I encourage anyone in WA to experiment with new species. I believe there is a lot of untapped potential in unique WA natives that just needs more people to trial and error. I've also started to experiment with WA native understory plants for shitakusa and kusamono - There are just so many quirky and interesting species that grow underneath the trees.

This is my Incana nana as of now in summer. Getting to the stage of needing some more work done. You can see by my hand it's a small tree.
20230115_184049.jpg

Oh wow that is such a nice tree! Mine have so far to go. I went ahead and did some bending of the trunks yesterday as to my incanas are young. Do you know how long it takes before the trunks ‘set’ and I can remove the wire?

I also worked on a lanceolata which the trunk is thickening up nicely but, I left it a little long so the trunk is a little too straight and I don’t think it’s possible to bend without breaking. I cut it back and cleaned out and dead foliage hoping for new growth that I can train and incorporate more bends into. Making mistakes but, I’m very new to shaping.

I’m a huge fan of Calytrix. I have a few in the garden and do have 2 tetragonas growing. Let me know how they respond to root pruning. There are so many WA species I’d love to try, I just worry that they’ll kick the bucket when I touch the roots. Many natives seem so sensitive to it and I hate hate hate to kill a plant/tree.

I’m a huge fan of kusamono too! I’ve tried exotics just last year but, the heat in Perth is pretty brutal on them so keen to learn about the West Aussie natives!

Thanks for the reply