My First Swampy

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » July 30th, 2010, 6:09 pm

Hi all,

I have had this swampy for about 30 years and although i can't remeber if it is actually my first swampy it is as good as. I carved out the trunk about 25 years ago and it has not rotted or needing treatment. It grew in shallow water for a few years but has been out of water for 20 years. It has never been in the ground; only pots; and the trunk has fattened and flared quite nicely.

Lindsay Bebb saw it at my house two years ago and said it was the best swampy in Australia, but I don't know.

Anyhow I am going to do a major bare root repot tomorrow to change it over to new potting media, move it to a much shallower pot, expose more of the basal flare and make the entire package much lighter and easier to handle. Also tie down some rogue brannches that have started to grow upwards a little.

I will document as I go.

Grant

RIMG0114.JPG

Leigh Taafe · Post by **Leigh Taafe** » July 30th, 2010, 7:00 pm

Great tree - the pic doesnt give you the impact of the size of the base on this tree. You need to stick a "Crowny" next to it !

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » July 30th, 2010, 8:01 pm

Leigh Taafe wrote:Great tree - the pic doesnt give you the impact of the size of the base on this tree. You need to stick a "Crowny" next to it !

My hands with the thumbs together and flared out don't go half way around the tree! I hope to expose much more but haven't seen under the soil for about 5 years. It is currently in a bath tub(A big bonsai pot to grow it on in) and has thickened in those five years of growing.

Grant

ozzy · Post by **ozzy** » July 30th, 2010, 8:10 pm

There was a crowny next to it but it fell down behind a piece of gravel

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » July 30th, 2010, 8:12 pm

ozzy wrote:There was a crowny next to it but it fell down behind a piece of gravel

But Leigh caught it and dispatched it before it hit the ground. He's quick!

Grant

Leigh Taafe · Post by **Leigh Taafe** » July 30th, 2010, 8:14 pm

Just like the guy at the BBQ !

MattA · Post by **MattA** » July 30th, 2010, 10:47 pm

Hey Grant,

Look forward to seeing this tree when you finish repotting.

In the photo you posted the healing edges of the shari are really obvious, How long had it been done? Has this softened and blended with the rest of the trunk now?

Matt

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » July 31st, 2010, 11:44 am

MattA wrote:Hey Grant,

Look forward to seeing this tree when you finish repotting.

In the photo you posted the healing edges of the shari are really obvious, How long had it been done? Has this softened and blended with the rest of the trunk now?

Matt

The swampy grows so vigorously that every so often I have had to reopen the carving as it almost closes over. The picture was taken 5 years ago and has not been recut since.

I am waiting for the camera batteries to charge and I am about ready to get started.

Grant

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » July 31st, 2010, 1:39 pm

Sizes of tree.

Old pot is 63cm x 49cm x 17cm high.
New pot is 60cm x 47.5cm x 10cm high.

These are external dimensions of the pots but because of the lip on the old pot the internal dimensions of the new pot are exactly the same except for the depth of the pot. The new pot will effectively be half the depth of the old pot if the root system will fit into it.

Height of tree in the old pot from the bottom of the pot is 105cm.
Height of the tree from the base of the tree is 92cm.
Tree in new pot should be around 100cm high.

Grant

Before start of work.JPG

Hands around trunk.JPG

New shallower pot.JPG

Bretts · Post by **Bretts** » July 31st, 2010, 1:59 pm

Seems like a good chioce Grant. Definatly looks smaller.
Will you put it back in a water tray for a bit this time?

Post by **kcpoole** » July 31st, 2010, 2:43 pm

beautiful Grant
Cant wait to see the finished work

Ken

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » July 31st, 2010, 3:56 pm

Bretts wrote:Seems like a good chioce Grant. Definatly looks smaller.
Will you put it back in a water tray for a bit this time?

No I won't. I will water it adequately by hand to see how the new potting mix performs.

Grant

Grant Bowie · Post by **Grant Bowie** » August 7th, 2010, 2:40 pm

The tree ended up needing a lot more than just a repot so i took the time to tie down strongly all the branches and micro wired everything else.

The new shallower pot looks good for the tree and the tree now sqeaks in at just under 1 mtr tall.

Front.JPG

left.JPG

Back.JPG

Right.JPG

Grant

Hutch11 · Post by **Hutch11** » August 7th, 2010, 3:35 pm

Huge improvement, this tree has so much character.. beautiful

nealweb · Post by **nealweb** » August 7th, 2010, 6:06 pm

Wow, what an amazing tree. Absolutely world class I reckon.
Are those eyelet screws just screwed into the base of the tree? and what are the circles at the top of the wires?
Thanks Grant, and congrats

AusBonsai

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