AusBonsai

MattA wrote:

VelvetSicklid wrote:

MattA wrote:
I am slowly trying to clear the front garden

Reminds me to come see you in the coming week.

That's right, you volunteered to dig my big Tibouchiana for me

I would Sensei but i've got no room for it
Umbrella and fig i can find room for LOL

Well i didnt have to wait long to know if it was live or die....

There are certainly some lovely lines somewhere in the tangle, but for my mind there are just too many to make sense of. While I wouldn't cut anything for a year until it got it's strength back, there's a lovely flowing trunk low off to the right in a couple of photos, and the rest could be cut off, jinned, layered or whatever. If the roots permit, you could maybe even lay it over a little more, so that it's a little above or below horizontal. Just my 2c. It looks like it's shooting back along the trunks usefully - keep us posted please.

Gavin

Gavin, I keep seeing a line when watering but once I am done & go to take a better look i cant find it again Plenty of time yet for that, Given how slow these guys grow & thicken I am tempted to try a few layers, once I decide what bits are unwanted

Yes, it's really easy to give an opinion on the basis of a couple of photos, much harder when you can walk around and see it from all angles and elevations. But you've got time and plenty of choices, it will tell you when it's ready. I liked so many of the sinuous lines, there might be a couple of trees in it...

Gavin

Scored a new pot that I thought was just right to take this Callistemon on for the next 5 or 10yrs. A couple of months ago I removed the end of the large left hand branch & a heavy one at front, both were potted up as cuttings & so far, are still holding their own. If no roots are present by november I might resort to layering to remove the remaining 2 heavy branches on the right & also the upper portion of the trunkline

Matt, I love it mate, great work bud,

Thanks Craig

After repotting the tree sat for a few weeks getting its roots settled then started to pump new buds everywhere, growth since has been fantastic for this species & to top it off its sporting a fair few flower buds, the first of which are open now. Given the backbudding along the trunk I am confident enough of getting replacement branches so have started the process of removing the large upper ones with airlayers. The next branch to be layered is intriguing for the bark, one part has lost its deep fissured bark to reveal a papery bark. The culprit was most likely a combination of the heavy lichen & moss cover along with sometype of bark burrowing borer. The bark that used to be below ground level is of a similar papery look that is now starting to age. In profile the bark reveals itself, even at the depths of the fissures it is still substantial enough to survive alot of abuse before damage would occur to the dormant buds buried deep within. I will take a full tree pic once more flowers are out

Flowering is at its peak, there is so much new growth that the best of the display is hidden. An interesting quirk of this species is the way many new growing tips die out once they have extended 5-10cm. I make sure to remove these tips when I notice them as they can provide a hiding place for pests.

Great stuff Matt.

Nice to see this one coming along..
Good little journey this thread is taking!

Love it matt, just using your standard air layer???

Thanks Boics, its all about the journey.

Jason, Yep, standard ringbark, sphagnum & bag method, Callistemon are usually pretty easy to strike root & I dont expect this one to be any different. I have only done one so far as I got interrupted, might get back to the others in a couple of days.

This has been a very inspiring read.

-Mo

It hasnt taken long & roots are showing already I am hoping its strong enough to take off by xmas as I intend to give it to a friend, she knows its coming so if it needs to stay on longer it wont be a problem.