Starting An Acacia Melanoxylon

[FlyBri]

Gday folks!

I recently visited one of my favourite haunts (Sertel's nursery in Doreen) and spent a bit of time going through their native stock. I came away with this root-bound Blackwood (Acacia melanoxyon), as it displayed a few promising characteristics: a little bit of movement in the lower trunk, lots of low branches and buds, and significantly smaller leaves than many other specimens I saw there.

A_melanoxylon_0511_01.jpg

As expected, the trunk was being strangled by roots which had circled their way up from below, and I had to work hard to find the beginnings of a root base. By the time I had found some roots radiating from the base, I had exposed a further 2-3cm of trunk and removed about 80% of the root mass.

It is now potted into very open soil mix, and I expect rapid growth in the months to come. Once the two wired branchlets begin to thicken, I will remove the long, straight trunk above.

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Stay tuned!

Thanks.

Fly.

[dannynovo]

Fly,
love your progression on Eucs , can't wait to see what comes out of this Acacia. Is this the first on you have worked on?

Danny

[Damian Bee]

watch out for the suckers from the roots Fly

[FlyBri]

Gday Danny & Damian!

This is my first 'serious' attempt at working with Acacia - I had dug some unidentified seedlings in the past, but they never amounted to anything. I've decided to work with Blackwood because it grows very vigorously, and gets nice flaky bark in very short time (at least when grown in the ground). (If time permits, I'll get some photos of the A. melanoxylon that were planted in our nature strip when our roads were sealed a couple of years ago.)

I have read that Blackwood like to send up suckers, but as I have removed nearly all the roots, I figure there shouldn't be a problem. In all seriousness, I hope to have the top growing strongly enough to keep root suckers at bay - what happens at the next trunk chop is anybody's guess...

Any idea whether Blackwood will take to air-layering?

Thanks gents!

Fly.

[Damian Bee]

They tend to send up suckers after root damage, you may have a mini forest on your hands

[PaulC]

Hi FlyBri,

I have been admiring your posts and work from a distance, and I would like to like to say well done.

You have great trees and a healthy outlook on things as well.

I did a quick google search on your Acacia, and found this link

http://coolexotics.com/plant-535-acacia ... xylon.html

It isnt much, but it does mention air layering as propagation, and also says mid to late winter is a good time.

So it seems this might be an ideal time to start searching for that perfect branch !!

Regards,

Paul.

[FlyBri]

They tend to send up suckers after root damage, you may have a mini forest on your hands

Gday Damian!

Thanks for the warning - I was just trying to be funny. If 80% root reduction qualifies as "root damage" (and I daresay it does ) I'll have to keep an eye on this one. If it suckers on the surface roots, I should be able to control them, but if it sends up suckers from the damaged taproot, things might be a little more difficult. Perhaps a clump-style Blackwood would be nice?..

Gday Paul!

Thanks for the link! I've got sphagnum moss and modified layering pots standing by!

Thanks again, fellas.

Fly.

[Damian Bee]

I have bought one on inspirartion from you see them around roadsides as clumps or thickets, perhaps we can come up with a new style
they will sucker from any damaged root and sometimes from roots left in the ground after the tree is removed.

[FlyBri]

A_melanoxylon_0811_01.jpg

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I think my rough treatment of the roots at the beginning of Winter has slowed this tree's progress. In fact, until last week I believed that I had killed it altogether. With 2 weeks to go until the official start of Spring, things are starting to look up for my little Blackwood.

Thanks.

Fly.