AusBonsai

Have been told to take it easy for a few days.

So I have been looking at tree's I am working and keeping a progress of.
This Banksia Grandis bull banksia is the only one I have at the moment. I will be getting some more when I find some worthwhile.

This tree as you can see has been grown and cut back and grown again and cut back again. What I am achieving by doing this is the area circled has no branches. So by constantly making the tree push new growth it is finding places to put out Buds.
So that area has now got some Buds that will help with the overall design. Which is making me a happy little cheesy mite
Any way here are today's crop of pictures.
Pup

Just a follow up with the Bull Banksia I have done a bit more pruning trying to get some top and side growth. If you look closely at the last pic you will see the start of growth at the top left. which I am happy with.

Cheers Pup

Looking good Pup. If your aim was to get more intrested in the banksia then it is working. I finnally got a new Banksia, marginata this time, sapling. Have it growing out in akadama and terracotta. I expect it to grow fast as you guys have been showing. Grow Damit

Up dating the progress of this Banksia grandis ( bull banksia ) as you can see the leaves have reduced very well, and there is certainly a lot of new growth.

Fortunately most of the new growth is where I had hoped it would be. I remember Grant saying once.

Take care of the branches the apex will take care of its self. I was puzzled now I know what he means. The lower branches seem slower to grow. The top is going like a Bondi tram shooting all over.

Here are some pics as at 9-am this morning 29-12-009 These are only 19 days since the last pics when I chopped a bit more off the top.

Cheers Pup

Hi pup,

Sorry, this post is not about your beautiful tree. I just thought it was interesting that i made a purchase of a pen, and a few other items yesterday, that were made from the dead banksias of this species. Apparently this banksia is the only large banksia to have hard enough fruit to use its wood. Its inflorescence can grow to 30 cm long!

Joel.

Joel wrote:Hi pup,

Sorry, this post is not about your beautiful tree. I just thought it was interesting that i made a purchase of a pen, and a few other items yesterday, that were made from the dead banksias of this species. Apparently this banksia is the only large banksia to have hard enough fruit to use its wood. Its inflorescence can grow to 30 cm long!

Joel.

The fruit is large enough to be turned on a woodworking lathe I believe.

Grant Bowie

Hi Pup
I'm just doing a bit of catching up on some old forums I've missed. I don't get a lot of time on Ausbonsai these days, alas.

I'm worried about your banksia being called B grandis. B.g. has very different leaves than what this one shows. B.g's leaves are very coarsely saw-toothed. The indents between the teeth reach right in as far as the midrib. On your plant, the teeth are very shallow. As a number of people suggested in the forum, it looks like B. serrata. Everything about the plant in your photos says, B. serrata. I wonder if someone switched the labels on the plant you got?

Cheers
Kunzea

Kunzea wrote:Hi Pup
I'm just doing a bit of catching up on some old forums I've missed. I don't get a lot of time on Ausbonsai these days, alas.

I'm worried about your banksia being called B grandis. B.g. has very different leaves than what this one shows. B.g's leaves are very coarsely saw-toothed. The indents between the teeth reach right in as far as the midrib. On your plant, the teeth are very shallow. As a number of people suggested in the forum, it looks like B. serrata. Everything about the plant in your photos says, B. serrata. I wonder if someone switched the labels on the plant you got?

Cheers
Kunzea

It is very possible that happened. It is just that when I got it had the huge leaves of the grandis. Which I thought to be a challenge. Then when they started to reduce the way they have, I started to have my doubts.
Not being a Botanist or qualified horticulturist, I stuck by the name on the tag. Now it is going to be even more difficult unless I let it flower

Thank you for your input, I think now the safest would be to put Banksia spp, in all reference in the future.
Cheers Pup

Hi all,
I'm loving the progression of this tree, just root pruned a B. integrifolia and found out first hand how quickly they grow under the soil too!
I would have to agree with Kunzea, B. grandis has different leaves to what I can see from those pics. They do remind me of B. serrata or a similar Banksia sp. (B. aemula etc.).
Did you get those buds where you wanted them Pup?
Cheers

Did you get those buds where you wanted them Pup?
Cheers[/quote]

Yes I did and a couple more so I will have a choice I would like one on the opposite side though.
As you can see I have decided to go with Spp till I can get some positive ID.

Will keep up dating here though.

Cheers Pup

Well now I have had to rethink the species. I also remembered when I cut the top of in November I stuck it in some soil, just to see what would happen.
Well it is now 2 months since I did it and this is what it looks like.

Now I am not sure if it will get any where, but as I had cut it of I had nothing to lose. Nothing special just a pot lying around with some Akadama.
So I just Plonked it in.

Now that we are not sure what it is. I do have a question.For you Grant, have you ever tried cuttings if you have what sucess rate and what method please

Now here are the pics of the cutting 2 months down the track.

Pup wrote:Well now I have had to rethink the species. I also remembered when I cut the top of in November I stuck it in some soil, just to see what would happen.
Well it is now 2 months since I did it and this is what it looks like.

Now I am not sure if it will get any where, but as I had cut it of I had nothing to lose. Nothing special just a pot lying around with some Akadama.
So I just Plonked it in.

Now that we are not sure what it is. I do have a question.For you Grant, have you ever tried cuttings if you have what sucess rate and what method please

Now here are the pics of the cutting 2 months down the track.

P1080364.JPG

P1080365.JPG

Hi Pup,

I never tried cuttings of Banksia serrata as it grew so prolifically from seed but my thick trunk, corky bark Integrifolia I could never get seed so I always
grew it from cutting with an extremly high success rate, say 80% or more and never any misting or bottom heat. Just as you have done there i would use cuttings from a strong portion of the tree, give a slight angle cut on the base and I usually used a rooting gel. Some say it doesn't help the plant strike but just increases the amount of roots that do strike. I used numerous cutting mixes over the years from straight sand, gravel, peat, vermiculite, perlite, prepared cutting raising mix and straight potting mix without to much difference I must say. Late spring into summer is a good time.

Let us know how the cuttings grow and whether they develop the lignotuber (the lumpy base) quickly or not. Some say cutting grown Port Jackson Fig for instance don't swell like seedling grown PJ Figs but I never noticed any difference after a few years.

Grant Bowie