Sweet Myrtle, raw material

[anttal63]

definately in the corner for you great things take much time. i have the progression for mikes tree. i will scan and pm it to you as soon as i have time to scratch.

[Greth]

thanks antonio, lotto numbers didnt work, lol.

[Tim]

I have your exact opinion with a tree of mine greth. Out of my collection i only have two finished trees. If you like it as it is then i would tidy up the branches it has then shorten them to get better taper. I think it looks very australian as it is. Jmo.

[Tim]

In saying that, jamie is right, the right hand side holds promise. Anyways, you can always cut it back later, the worst that can happen is a little trunk thickening!

[Jamie]

In saying that, jamie is right, the right hand side holds promise. Anyways, you can always cut it back later, the worst that can happen is a little trunk thickening!

well not exactly... i mean its not the worst that could happen, reverse taper could invertantly be a problem. not saying it will but COULD be a side effect. but mate like i said it has got potential for a broom and if that is the way you want to go thats not a prob. it is your tree
i think it would make a convincing broom but like i said it will take some work.
as for the time thing we all have the same problem
but this is one thing bonsai must teach us, patience. and like you have said you have got a few in training in the informal uprights so, go for the broom then mate
it will be a great progression to see and i look forward to it


jamie

[Greth]

It is going for the broom style I think. I have thinned out all branches which have no shoots for now, if they aren't going to be good citizens after 6 months they aren't healthy.
Repotted it back into the same pot, but with the broom bit vertical, so it can adjust to a new angle. It also lost a piece of root which was looking like a problem for later, but still has plenty of feeder roots. Will take off the left branch when I can extract some suitable tools from my husband, and might try it to see if I can get it to root, it might just make a nice little tree in its own right.

[Greth]

Well, it has survived stage 1 Ok, not sure I want to post a pic at the moment as it looks quite ratty. I have pruned back to lower shoots where I had them, which isn't every branch.
I could cut the other branches back by half and hope for suitable shoots, but when I tried that approach when I lifted it the results were patchy, quite a lot of branches just died off without shooting. However, I think I will have enough useful shoots.
Still preserving all the removed material as cuttings, not a great success rate but half a dozen or so coming on. Branches are quite brittle, going to have to be very careful wiring this one.(I want to bring the branches down lower now.)

[Greth]

Ok here is the restyle as it stands. lots of new growth and backshoots, which bodes well I think.

Myrtle Dec 09 reverse..jpg

Myrtle Dec 09.jpg

[Jamie]

nice greth, i would be trying to fan out thos branches some if you are going for a broom style or bend them down if you are going for an informal upright, whichever way you go they need to be dealt with before they become to brittle to move and bend, just today i was trying to bend a thick fig branch and i snapped it, and figs are supposed to be flexible, i think i remember reading bout myrtle that they have quite brittle wood once at a certain age. even one or two year old wood can be quite brittle.

JMO


jamie

[Greth]

Yes Ive discovered that Jamie, the hard way, but not so far as to be unretrievable.
These are going to have to be wired very very gently.
The good news is that these reshoot so easily I could get away with a bit of a whoopsie.
Overall I am pleased with the change so far, yes it needs crown development, but it is growing so well this shouldn't be a problem.
In the next month it will move into an overlarge bonsai pot so the roots don't go too deep.

[Petra]

Greth, just by lowering those branches it'll open it up and create more branches.
Thus thickning & rounding off the tree. Good luck. Cant wait to see it in the future.

[Greth]

Petra I have tried a bit to lower the branches. First one made the loud cracky sound we all hate, but only a bit split, have bound it up and will leave it alone until it heals. I removed some gentle wiring for the photo, will keep trying to spread it out more and lower, I hope to remove the higher layer of the canopy, reduce the whole size by about a third at least.
It didn't do much while the weather was colder, I was pessimistic then, but now the backbuds are going really well. Not every branch has produced good shoots.
What is happening? the plant is producing new shoots about half the length along the branches, in some places, but not all.

About a third have done so well I have removed the longer half of the branch. They are now looking good for a canopy.
About a third have small shoots, haven't trimmed back but I probably can, and probably will in the next month or two.
About a third have no backshoots, could either trim back and hope they happen or wait and see. I will wait and see a bit longer. Why? because I don't want to stress the plant by cutting healthy growth, I could kill those branches completely. I tried trimming healthy shoots about six months ago, and didn't get particularly good results. Just cut sticks, some really dead. The plant is open, light and healthy in the middle. Backshoots will happen on the branches which haven't produced them yet, but until I know where, Im not chopping off the ends.

[rayfam5]

Hello! I will just put my 5 cents worth on to the plate.
I understand that it is a native tree and if so I would be careful to take into consideration that it should look like a typical Japanese tree. Think outside the square and visualize its natural habits of growth and shape. Too me there is nothing more unnatural than seeing an Australian native tree turn into a Japanese looking exotic. Let the tree tell an Australian story.

[Greth]

Myrtus communis is native to the Mediterranean and Middle East. Apparently it was sacred to Venus, and a myrtle grove is symbolic of love (Now there is something to do with all those cuttings

Anyway, I will start moving those branches down a bit, it moved into a bonsai pot and seems to have settled well. Only got to get it thru 3 months of regular heatwaves now...

[Greth]

Okies, well have pretty much finished the branch shortening exercise, so here is the current look for Myrtle.

Myrtle Jan 10.jpg