AusBonsai

Gday folks!

Please find attached some photos of an unidentified Lilly Pilly I have grown since it was thinner than a pencil (the base is now about 50mm across at the soil level). The wiring and general appearance is a bit rough, but now I have a framework to work with.
Looking at the final product, I'm not sure that I have found exactly the best front, and the pot is too big (or the tree is too small). Comments, questions and abuse always welcome.

Thanks.

Fly.

love it fly very nice indeed. the larger pot will serve you well for now.

anttal63 wrote:love it fly very nice indeed. the larger pot will serve you well for now.

Thanks Antonio! I'll dig into my archives and see if I can find some earlier pics: you might recall from bT that this tree was one that I ground layered to fix some reverse taper issues.

[EDIT] Found some more pics...

What came before:
▼▼▼
[/EDIT]

Fly.

FlyBri wrote:

anttal63 wrote:love it fly very nice indeed. the larger pot will serve you well for now.

Thanks Antonio! I'll dig into my archives and see if I can find some earlier pics: you might recall from bT that this tree was one that I ground layered to fix some reverse taper issues.

Fly.

yes i do now, you did your famous skirt on it, fantastic its come up a rippa.

anttal63 wrote:yes i do now, you did your famous skirt on it, fantastic its come up a rippa.

Gday Antonio!

I've edited my previous post to add some photos of its progression.

Thanks.

Fly.

G/day fly, i am a fan of lily pillys and if i had to make a comment on this one i would say the tree has great character. A question... mine flowers very well in Vic conditions but has never set fruit. Does it need to be a certain age and is our climate suitable for fruiting. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated.

bodhidharma wrote:G/day fly, i am a fan of lily pillys and if i had to make a comment on this one i would say the tree has great character. A question... mine flowers very well in Vic conditions but has never set fruit. Does it need to be a certain age and is our climate suitable for fruiting. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated.

bodhi i have bought them out of landscape nurseries with fruit on them. yet mine flower at home but no fruit.
the trees around the street scape have always got loads of fruit too.

Hi all,
I like the shape of this tree already, as Bodhi said, it has alot of character!
Just curious how long it took to get to this thickness and how you went about it Fly?
I can't wait for my fresh little seedlings to get this size.
Also, in relation to the flowers but no fruit problem - I'm no expert on this sort of thing but it might be possible that Syzygium spp. are dioecious?
If so, that would explain why they achieved fruit in the nursery but not once you brought it home alone..
Cheers

bonscythe wrote:Hi all,
I like the shape of this tree already, as Bodhi said, it has alot of character!
Just curious how long it took to get to this thickness and how you went about it Fly?
I can't wait for my fresh little seedlings to get this size.
Also, in relation to the flowers but no fruit problem - I'm no expert on this sort of thing but it might be possible that Syzygium spp. are dioecious?
If so, that would explain why they achieved fruit in the nursery but not once you brought it home alone..
Cheers

whatever that means sounds interesting im thinking you mean for pollination they need to be around others?

Yep, spot on Ant.
Not sure if it is definately the case for Sygyzium spp. but if that's what you guys are finding then it's a possibility.
Although, if you can find out whether you have a male (androecious or male flowers with pollen only) or a female (gynoecious or female flowers with seed only) it could be possible to just get one more plant if it's the opposite sexuality.
Good excuse to grow some more natives..

I like what youve done with the tree and its good to see a common aussie plant available at most nurseries being used..... perhaps you can give me some tips............

i have some of these lilly pilly growing in the garden and some in pots.....the ones in gardens have flowered every year that they have been there but only a couple have got fruit over the 5 yrs they have been there...could it be they are just lacking something??? FOOD......
Also the ones in pots always look like they are struggling (small leaves,not huge growth etc etc...)
What do you guys suggest to get them growing...best place to position them(full sun/shade),food etc any tips would be great.....when can you trim them...i have read the info on them on this website but was hopeing you guys may have some other tips.....

Hi Krittas,
I have just read something about some varieties taking up to 5 yrs before they will produce fruit, maybe age is a factor too.
Hopefully someone who knows the Lilly Pilly in detail can help here, it's all a bit

krittas all mine are in pots and thriving. they hate the soil compacting. and they cant get enough food and water. how do you treat yours fly? i know your mixes are very free draining.

bonscythe wrote:Just curious how long it took to get to this thickness and how you went about it Fly?

Gday Bonscythe!

Without proper documentation to refer to, I'd guess it's been about 10 years - I believe I got this one as a gift for my 30th, along with a copy of the Koreshoff book. At the time it was around 5mm thick in a 4" pot, and I think I committed the usual crimes of over-pruning and under-potting early on. There was a 360 degree kink in the trunk which was very appealing at the time, but this developed into the ugly bulge you can see, before I ground-layered the thing. Since then, I've experimented with home-made soil mixes, big pots and lots of "clip'n'grow" - the ground-layer helped a lot too...

I cannot comment with regards to flowers/fruit - my trees tend to suffer one or two massive drying events every year, so my Lilly Pilly has never held flowers.

anttal63 wrote:krittas all mine are in pots and thriving. they hate the soil compacting. and they cant get enough food and water. how do you treat yours fly? i know your mixes are very free draining.

Hey Antonio!

I think my previous mix was a bit too organic, and i found a lot of large dead roots when I repotted. I suspect that it is the compaction thing you mention, as well as the fact that the tree should probably be in shade in mid-Summer, and watered more regularly. It has sorta been a 'junk' tree for me, and maybe it's time to rectify that. The new mix should drain so quick it will make your hair curl (or straighten, depending on your orientation). I hope for results one way or the other.

Thanks all!

Fly

FlyBri wrote:

bonscythe wrote:Just curious how long it took to get to this thickness and how you went about it Fly?

Gday Bonscythe!

Without proper documentation to refer to, I'd guess it's been about 10 years - I believe I got this one as a gift for my 30th, along with a copy of the Koreshoff book. At the time it was around 5mm thick in a 4" pot, and I think I committed the usual crimes of over-pruning and under-potting early on. There was a 360 degree kink in the trunk which was very appealing at the time, but this developed into the ugly bulge you can see, before I ground-layered the thing. Since then, I've experimented with home-made soil mixes, big pots and lots of "clip'n'grow" - the ground-layer helped a lot too...

I cannot comment with regards to flowers/fruit - my trees tend to suffer one or two massive drying events every year, so my Lilly Pilly has never held flowers.

anttal63 wrote:krittas all mine are in pots and thriving. they hate the soil compacting. and they cant get enough food and water. how do you treat yours fly? i know your mixes are very free draining.

Hey Antonio!

I think my previous mix was a bit too organic, and i found a lot of large dead roots when I repotted. I suspect that it is the compaction thing you mention, as well as the fact that the tree should probably be in shade in mid-Summer, and watered more regularly. It has sorta been a 'junk' tree for me, and maybe it's time to rectify that. The new mix should drain so quick it will make your hair curl (or straighten, depending on your orientation). I hope for results one way or the other.

Thanks all!

Fly

fly my man you've hit the nail! i think this is more the reasons, same has happaened to me. tough as tridents but delicate as japanese maples.