Hakea as bonsai

[Elmar]

... I'd start with smaller, younger specimens and see how they cope before trying larger wild plants.
I'm opposed to taking wild plants from the natural environment because of the potential for damage, loss of habitat and species, etc. Please be careful where and how you dig to limit your environmental damage.

Ah, point well made! I had not considered that, foolishly. Thank you shibui.

Better start paying attention and see if I can harvest seeds - one has already started to flower, of all that is in my area ONE! So perhaps I need to revise my plan! I know of an area that is being dug-over for a development (power upgrade for the Pilbara) & mine development (Roy Hill) so I will focus any harvesting in the areas being bulldozed.

[Elmar]

Been reading and reading and finding more and more information - I just wish it would stay in my head...

Apparently the Hakeas' have evolved survival characteristics that allow the whole tree (above ground) to be burnt to ashes while the roots store enough energy to rebuild the whole thing ... that should make the trimming of growth a treat but makes trimming of roots a potential death sentence!

Read on!

[Jarad]

I would have thought that a plant that stores energy in its roots would respond well to a root prune. Assuming that the energy is stored in the thicker roots where there is more space, I'd have thought that trimming the fine feeder roots would be ok...

I think you need to get at least 100 to torture/practice on.

[Elmar]

I would have thought that a plant that stores energy in its roots would respond well to a root prune. Assuming that the energy is stored in the thicker roots where there is more space, I'd have thought that trimming the fine feeder roots would be ok...

Unless you cut them off which then removes the access to that stored energy ... so I'm thinking. I tend to cut away the big roots and keep the little feeder roots ... maybe that is my problem

I think you need to get at least 100 to torture/practice on.

I've seen one go into flower and am hoping that the others will follow soon as the only seed pods I can see are already open and there is not a seed to be seen (granted the spinnefex doesn't help, but short of burning it all away I can't see me getting past it; and then you'd realise that the fire would most likely burn the seeds away as well ... so the conundrum continues!

Anyhoo - back to the local nursery to see if I can buy some of their seedlings!?! Better set up that tiny shade house I got first!

[mjhc]

I had a needle hakea in my collection for a little while. It took really well to trimming and even total cut backs. I found I generally got three branches forming from one cut site. I lost it by doing a big root prune, kept it in the shade but I didn't mist it as much as I should have after the pot change. I did it during summer and it was it great health so I'd be careful if transplanting and repotting.

[Elmar]

Thank you mjhc,
Making notes!


Cheers
Elmar

[Rory]

How are your Hakea going Elmar?

[Elmar]

G'Day Rory,
Don't know if I want to admit this, but, keen as mustard I went out took photos, noticed 2 different flowers... Kept taking photos, talking to a horticulturalist who told me that digging them up will be very difficult because they're development (read adaptation) to our environment is such that they have long tap roots and nodules where they store energy so the top is sacrificial, so he plant dies and it regenerates form the stored energy... At a later date.
Went to numerous development sites here in town, dug up just under 15 smallish examples (25-50cm in height, stem thickness varied, but all were less than a pencil) and not a single one survived.
Tried them in their own soil, with potting mix for natives, in Bonsai soil... Then, I it was pointed out that I had, in fact two different trees, one was Hakea and I can't recall the other right now, sorry.
So all data is useless because it's all mixed!
Hakea have a nice bottlebrush-like flower (not all around the stem, just on top) in a greens-yellow to vivid yellow.

They can easily be grown from seeds, so I'm waiting for this years seed batch to be able to grab some! I think I've done my dash digging for now!


Cheers
Elmar

[Rory]

I admire your honesty, Elmar.

I have picked up a lovely weeping Hackea in a 6inch pot, and I know zip all about them myself. I'll update in about 2 years I'd say. They certainly have a nice look to them.

Yeah, as far as collecting wild stock goes now.... I don't really have the time. I leave it to those with more experience and just buy off them if they are willing. One of the disadvantages of collecting wild material .... well, quite a few are: A lot of effort to go out and collect, and its quite a big shock to the plant, thus the aftercare must be spot on. Even then, simply the initial shock of transplanting is enough to kill the material no matter the aftercare. And of course, the roots can be just a nightmare depending on the material too.... So much easier to just source nursery stock. You wont really get much of a tap root from potted material, or if you do it simply spreads the moment it hits the base, thus usually promotes radial roots higher up later on. Eucalyptus for example typically have strong tap root growth initially from potted material that sometimes doesn't have radial spreads until the stock gets more root bound below.

[Elmar]

There is info out there, Rory,
its just not very specific, and has nothing on Bonsai (surprise surprise). Anyway, I won't be able to put it up this weekend (picking up a new truck - loads of driving) ... I'll hopefully be able to do it once we get back.

I love their stems, so gnarly, even on the young ones!