Show off your mature acacia howittii

[Bonbon]

Not many seen ESP mature ones. Please share some pic of yours if you got one.
It is a very desirable species for the Chinese community as it mimics the weeping willow trees which are highly regarded in some top tourist spot in China.

Luckily they are easy to grow and grow reasonably fast. Hard to propagate, though. Have not try harsh trimming for mine yet. Any experience to share?

[Paul W]

Hasn`t anybody got any, isn`t there anybody out there that can help bonbon out, as I have got a few too and really don`t know how to trim them to make them look nice,What sought of pot do they look best in so the foliage hangs freely,a very
underrated native in my opinion.

[kcpoole]

I have had one for about 5 years now and is getting there slowly. See this thread here
viewtopic.php?f=49&t=11922

One the members of the School had a very large one on Tuesday night that was spectacular. Unfortunately i do not have a pic of it.

Ken

[John Henry]

Only have one.
Cheers John

[Bonbon]

This is nice, John.

[Jan]

Would love to but just bought one to play with today - check back with me in a year or seven. Thinking of trying this fellow as a cascade, has a couple of sharp direction changes in the trunk and long cascading shoot already. Any cascade howittiis out there?

Love the pics John and Ken, Mine is a little thinner yet not in this class but I'm looking for inspiration, too.

Bonbon, have a look at the opening of the new National Bonsai and Penjing threads; I think there was a ripper in there,

Jan

[Paulneill]

Some nice sticky wattles here.
Has anyone any tips on how when to root prune as I has killed 2 so far . And my third has been sulking since spring and I thought I went easy root pruning .

[GavinG]

Here's mine, not mature, in fact I bought it a couple of weeks ago, but you can see the bones are already there. Jan, it's probably harder to stop them cascading, with the prostrate form.

P1090105_2.jpg

As for pruning, I'm no expert, but I've heard that they're cut back to the last two, three or four leaves each spring after flowering. Then let them run for the rest of the year - the longer the hanging branches, the longer the flowering strands in spring, as they form on the last year's growth. Repotting is done after flowering, cautiously - a little at a time, replace all the soil over 3-5 years.

I'll be leaving mine in a large-ish pot, and fertilising well to get good length so the trunk thickens, for quite a few years before it gets to a bonsai pot. Cutting back each year of course. I'm assuming they don't back-bud on old wood.

Gavin

[corko]

This is the howittii from the National collection, pics taken nearly 2 yrs ago.
Which reminds me...I really need to get down there and check out the new site in person.

[Paul W]

I'll be leaving mine in a large-ish pot, and fertilising well to get good length so the trunk thickens, for quite a few years before it gets to a bonsai pot. Cutting back each year of course. I'm assuming they don't back-bud on old wood.

Gavin

What is the best fertiliser to use,as I have heard natives are a bit sensitive to fertilisers also when is the best time to repot or is it better to slip pot as from the comments above they seem to be not hard to kill,although I have read they are a weed in Victoria.

[kcpoole]

Some nice sticky wattles here.
Has anyone any tips on how when to root prune as I has killed 2 so far . And my third has been sulking since spring and I thought I went easy root pruning .

I repot in late Spring and take off about 1/3 - 1/3 the root mass.
Potted in Diatomite Zeolite mix like everything else.

Prune them back to a new shoot after flowering and as needed thru the rest of the year.

Fertilize ( again like all my other trees), Charlie carp / Miracle grow alternating fortnightly, and with handful of Neutrog "Sudden Impact" on the soil surface every 6 weeks or so.

Ken

[kcpoole]

they will back bud, but do not rely on it. they can be sporadic at best.
I find them to be quite hardy tho.

Ken

[Paul W]

Fertilize ( again like all my other trees), Charlie carp / Miracle grow alternating fortnightly, and with handful of Neutrog "Sudden Impact" on the soil surface every 6 weeks or so.

Ken

Ken is that Miracle grow for natives,also they tend to be prostate,so do you style them like a normal bonsai with an apex.
Thanks
Paul

[GavinG]

Ken, what after-care happens when you repot? Do you "flood" as some growers do to Eucs? Shade? Neglect? Vicious Threatening Axe Dances? I don't get why they're touchy for some growers, and not others, but what the hell, I think the universe should make sense too.

Gavin

[Watto]

Thought I would throw one in the mix. Not real old but has been in a pot for about 8 or 9 years. And of course in a hand made Australian pot.