BANKSIA SERRATA /northwest tree.

[anttal63]

this tree is awesome beyond words. the movement and taper from base to apex has to be seen to be believed

[PeterW]

Gotta agree with ya mate. Its a beauty! Pots a tad small for the tree though! (sorry, i had to find something )
Peter

[Bretts]

I gave up after killing a few banksia. I may have to try again after seeing this and daves!

[Hector Johnson]

Is this a tree I've seen elsewhere on this site? Does it have a disfiguring lump hiding in the canopy?

[anttal63]

not this one hector!

[Hector Johnson]

Gotcha. I'm looking forward to lifting a couple of Banksia I've seen down near Kingscliff. They're in dune sand so they should be easy enough to collect.

[Luke]

wow!! amazing tree! I have a young B.serrata with much potential. someday, with much care i hope to have a bonsai of the same caliber as this work of art.
glad i could see this!
cheers
luke

[bodhidharma]

thanks for the photo Ant. Could you give me details of its feeding regime as i have one that nearly died but us now coming back. I think my fertilizing programme is incorrect.

[Bretts]

Hey Bodi. As from my comment above I am no expert but I believe one thing you must be very careful with on these is proteoid roots. They are microzia looking extensions that are able to extract every ounce of nutrients out of the soil. It will grow them when the soil is lacking.
It has been written by Grant I believe that if your feeding of these is lacking and it has grown lots of proteoid roots and then you give them a normal dose of fertiliser it can be like over fertilising.
I believe the idea is to start with very weak solutions and slowly build up.


Ah here it is

I mentioned proteoid roots earlier and will now add a few points. In pot culture, if your Banksia is not potted and fertilised regularly, it will of course become pot bound and hungry and thirsty. It may at this point put out roots that enable it to scavenge even the smallest amount of food through these super-fine roots. If, however, at this stage you were to heavily fertilise the plant it may take up too much fertiliser and die.

From this article which also has some fertiliser recommendations.
http://asgap.org.au/APOL31/sep03-5.html

It will be intresting if Grant or Antonio have any different fertiliser programe than the one mentioned in the article as I believe it was written a while back.

[anttal63]

hey bodhi; the guy who owns this, treats all his trees the same. good pinch of osmocote every 2-3 mths and seasol fortnightly. not aggressive at all imo, yet he grows some of the best trees in the country! go figure. me personally you have read my fert regime. i do find it needs lots of water + sun and it hates cold and frost. it also needs the big leaves constantly cut off or in half. yes bretts, everything that grant said makes sense.

[Grant Bowie]

Hi,
I saw this tree at the Bonsai Northwest show and was very impressed. It is reminiscent of another by Kerry Anderson that has unfortunately since died possibly due to a possum pissing on it, so i hope the owner takes good care of it.

I haven't changed my fertilizing of Banksia much since I wrote the article. Slow and steady to start with and then build up to normal levels. They seem to grow OK with Native or standard Osmocote in the potting mix and then top dressed each year until next repot. I cut a channel around the outside of the pot and then put it in the gully then cover with gravel.

I also then liquid feed them with maxicrop at full strength(only 4.6% nitrogen and 1.2% P) and occasionally with seasol at the same time.

Powerfeed is 12% nitrogen and 1.4% P so it should also be OK. Nitrosol etc as well.(Osmocote although slow release is 16% nitogen afterall).

I am building up my fertilizer levels generally in canberra now as I feel I have been under doing it.

[anttal63]

no possums near this tree; 2 big guard dogs to contend with.