clerodendrum triple trunk

[Rod]

Jamie I did a little virt just to give you an idea of what I am thinking may look good . These trunks have good direction which I think you could work with not against when you style it . Doing it this way it would have to be planted well to the end of the pot , maybe in a shallow tray what do you think? ROD...

[Jamie]

Rod

mate you hit the nail on the head with that one, your virt was what i pictured

i have managed to get it to that angle in the pot it is in now withought stressing the tree, it looks good, just havent had a chance to take a pic.
i do like the idea of a trap, maybe a freeform to, would go well with the ruggedness of the trunk i reckon i might have to hit penny up about that once i start to get some good strong growth happening and can wire out a bit, (it is pushing new growth very well ).


jamie

[Jamie]

update, change of angle and its starting to push some leaves now havent taken pics of that but will wait a bit now while it is filling out then post a before and after of the styling

fig and clero 002.jpg

jamie

[Jamie]

well after a week and a half or so of being repotted into the bonsai pot this little clero has been popping new shoots and extending, some long enough to cage wire, others just a bit to short, ahwell, they will be rady next week, so i did a bit of wiring today

Tclero.jpg

new shoots, some long enough to wire

Tclerowired.jpg

and after some wiring


this wiring was done very carefully as the shoots were still green so cage wiring was done, after i finished it i remembered stevens technique by wrapping wire around a pen then feeding the spring on. bugger.


jamie

[MelaQuin]

It's a great start. Let everyone pick away but once the foliage starts happening a lot of the branches will disappear.

You need to keep on to clerendendron constantly as they shoot like crazy, thicken quickly, ramify rapidly and send out long shoots constantly. It is a case of regular pruning to remove excess branchlets that are rapidly becoming branches and keeping your style plan pretty much on the go. There's no sitting back with another beer with these critters. I do some wiring on main branches but do a lot of clip and grow but my tree isn't even as big as one of the branches on your specimen. Once it gets a go on you will be a busy man.

Try to keep it on the dry side to see how this slows the growth. When I got my three they were all water starved and happily surviving. My one remaining C is accustomed to moist soil and since it is in a small pot it is hard to try to keep it dry without killing it. Yours will be in a larger pot and you will have a better chance but I am not kidding when I say the growth [in Sydney] is amazing.

I've found them pretty pest free and tolerant. The main thing to watch for is their growth as one becomes a pair becomes a quad and on it goes until you can't see the tree for the forest.

They flower easily but hard to have them flower as they tend to flower on long shoots and that messes up the design. And the tiny white flower really isn't spectacular enough to make it worthwhile to let the tree get shaggy for the flowers.

The vert is nice but you will NEVER keep the foliage pads so neat and small. Plan on several clumps of foliage but not individual pads. If that's your plan I'd recommend a divorce and pet out your kids so you have time to do the necessary trimming!!

[Glenda]

.........I'd recommend a divorce and pet out your kids so you have time to do the necessary trimming!!

LOL. Love the way you have your priorities right, MelaQuin.

[Jamie]

hey mel

thanks for the input, i have noticed that since the buds popped it has started to take off like a rocket, i am keen for it to fill out well, i think i will be able to manage to keep it under control, time isnt as much of an issue any more. thanks for the input mate i do like the look of the padding though... even if i aim for that to start with then if it doesnt work i can go for the full canopy. i know i might be fighting a losing battle, but i will give it a crack! it sounds like you have had the experience with them too


jamie

[MelaQuin]

Clerondendron 2006-10 1.jpg

Clerondendron 2008-03.jpg

Clerondendron 2009-03.jpg

Three years development in a small, shallow pot. Imagine what you will get with a better root spread. I sold this late last year because it was outgrowing the tray pot and still putting on circumference and foliage. She's a goer, this one!!!

[Jamie]

thats an nice little tree mel! and the growth rate is amazing! three years and you basically have a tree and that is in a pot so mine should grow quite well,
how often did you repot.root prune these buggers ?

jamie

[MelaQuin]

Repot pretty well necessary twice a year... thick creamy coloured roots rollicking around the sides of the pot. Guess with this reminder I should tip my current Cleri out and see what its underpinnings are - maybe that's why it is drying out so fast. Might wait until the temps drop and then do it.

[Rod]

Mel that is terrific info you have given Jamie, I have been growing clero`s for a long time now and find them very rewarding. A good result can be acheived in a short amount of time, I think one of the main areas to watch as well as the roots is the apex it can get away. The tree I have as my avatar is a clero I collected about 2001 , I have always thought cleros are a tree with a great future. CHEERS ROD....

[Jamie]

just a little update, this thing is extending shoots like there is no tomorrow, i have had to take the wire off that i only put on a few days ago and rewire it, so here is a few shots, excuse the pics, i have been having to use my camera phone again as the digital has been borrowed by the mother in law!

Cl.jpg

Clwired.jpg

Clwires.jpg

i dont think its going to take to long for this to harden off and thicken up enough to work on secondary branching, when that happens its gonna get a bit intricate, but i am always up for a challenge!

jamie

[Jamie]

its amazing looking at this tree in the pics from only about a week ago, its packed on some foliage, it is rather messy in the wiring though but it was the first time to and it come out looking better than it did from the first time after some grow out too

so here we go, before and after of a couple of angles, i have kept one side out as the pics were blurry and i couldnt get a better one as i had my bub in my arms

Ttcf.jpg

Ttcwired.jpg

and if you turn this front clock wise 90 degrees

Ttcr.jpg

Ttcrwired.jpg

so it is coming along nicely since the tree only come in to leaf that was long enough to get some wires on, on the 25 of january so its been about 10 days and the shoots have been up to 130mm long

the shoots grew two thirds extra from there original size as of the initial wire. fast grower


jamie

[Rod]

Mate it`s comming along nicely, I just think you need to be patient - let the bottom branches grow and control the top. CHEERS ROD.....

[Jamie]

cool mate, i have just been rewiring it as the new shoots that extend once they past a certain point they start growing up, so i am just trying to keep in check, next time i might leave the wire of and let it grow out some, it will have a little bit of shape there then anyway


jamie