Leptospermum scoparium guide

[lackhand]

I know the reputation these trees have as being very tricky to grow as bonsai, but they are so striking I just can't help myself. Seeing that there are some out there in the world (try a quick google search) makes me want to keep trying, so I would like to gather all the info people have on growing them in one place to see if working together we can figure the species out a little better.

To start with, I want to borrow from CJ(newzealandteatree)'s blog:

Some general guidelines on handling them are
1. Always keep the top soil moist.
2. Never completely defoliate.
3. No bare-rooting. Clean cut for root reduction.
4. Feed them well.
5. Protect them from intense heat.

Additionally, from browsing all the info I could find here, they do not back bud at all.

I have found conflicting information on pruning, anywhere from they die if you touch them to they respond well to pruning. I can't comment because I don't have any experience. Yet. Just bought two though so I will update as I experiment.

Lastly, I want to ask about soil. It seems they need to be moist and drying out at all can lead to instant death, so what type of soil have people used? Thanks!

[MattA]

Stick to safe & tested advice you have already gleaned then try growing the prunings to give you more material to experiment with other methods. As you have found conflicting information already in your research, the grower is a big factor in results achieved.

[newzealandteatree]

Karl,
It is alright to prune except don't do it during hot summer. In fact leave them alone in Summer. I killed a nice one by just removing the moss during summer. They are that fragile.
Within the Leptospermum Scoparium family there are variations and some are more hardy than others. I have more than 10 types of Leptospermum in my garden. I am still learning from the tree. So good luck on your tea tree adventure.

Cheers,

CJ

[shibui]

I have pruned all my leptospermums at least once this summer and all are still alive. They have even grown strongly after pruning. I'm glad they have not been listening to CJ
Most of my Leptospermums also backbud quite well. Coast teatree is one that seems reluctant to bud on bare wood and can be a bit touchy about rootpruning. All the others seem tolerant and have grown better after rootpruning and repotting.

Species grown here: L. grandifolium, L. laevigatum, ' L. rotundifolium 'Lavender Queen', L. 'Mesmereyes' and several other Lepto. garden varieties.

[newzealandteatree]

I suggested not doing anything in Perth summer not because if u do it, u will definitely kill the NZ tea tree. Sure I have pruned n worked on my NZ tea trees this summer n the trees r still alive. I suggested this as an extreme precaution because I have killed quite a few especially one variety of Leptospermum Scoparium while working on them in Summer. I have not found the exact cause(s), so for the precious ones, better to take the precaution. My observation is the NZ tea tree generally struggle thru the hot n dry summer of Perth. So best to leave them alone to fight it out without us stressing them further. After all, this specie, Leptospermum Scoparium has the reputation as the "Ultimate Forbidden" bonsai for good reasons. I killed 3 dozens before I got a handle on them. I hope to see completed NZ tea tree bonsai by others. I saw one in Japan years ago. It is dead now.

Cheers,

CJ

[lackhand]

My observation is the NZ tea tree generally struggle thru the hot n dry summer of Perth. So best to leave them alone to fight it out without us stressing them further.

I might have my work cut out for me in the long hot summers of Phoenix then. When do you repot these and how much root reduction would you recommend, CJ? Right now mine are in 1.5 gallon (5.7 liter) black plastic nursery pots. I'm thinking it would be best to keep lots of roots over the summer since these don't like to go dry, and don't like their roots messed with anyway. Right now it's early spring here and they are in full bloom - I'll post some photos when I can.

[thoglette]

and how much root reduction would you recommend,

As little as possible.

You can cut the top pretty brutally but reducing root ball size is universally considered rather difficult (Any counter arguments? Anyone? Ferris?)

L. Scoparium make absolutely be-a-u-tiful bonsai but are stroppy about root pruning. I've killed a few.

Watch the watering carefully - L. don't wilt. They go from green to dead.

[lackhand]

Watch the watering carefully - L. don't wilt. They go from green to dead.

Yeah, I've seen that firsthand. Bought one last year and put it in the ground in the front yard. It was beautiful and happy until the dog chewed through the drip system in the backyard, so no pressure = no water in the front yard. Fixed it two days later, but the L. Scoparium didn't survive. The dog nearly didn't survive.

So it sounds like a super light root prune and back into the same pot may be the way to go?

Stick to safe & tested advice you have already gleaned then try growing the prunings to give you more material to experiment with other methods. As you have found conflicting information already in your research, the grower is a big factor in results achieved.

Some really sound advice there Matt, I'll be growing some cuttings for sure. Conflicting results there too, with some reporting over 80% success and others close to 0. Guess I'll see how it goes.

[newzealandteatree]

An ex-nursery owner who came to our annual exhibition regularly, told me that she generally lost 50% of her Leptospermum Scoparium stock. So if u can keep your Leptospermum Scoparium alive even in an ordinary pot, is an achievement. To make a Leptospermum Scoparium into a bonsai is another matter altogether. The most difficult part is getting them safely into the bonsai pot. In my early days of experimentation more than 10 years ago, I managed to successfully cut off up about 70% of the soil and roots in one go. However I don't do it now as I began to understand this specie more. I don't advise u to do it. Of course u r free to do it if u want to try. The safer approach is to get the root mass down in stages of 20 - 40 %. Resting the tree well in between, for it to regain its' health and vigor. Of course the tree must be in tip top condition - healthy and growing vigorously - before any attempt to cut the root mass. When u r cutting off the root, hold onto the soil. Do not hold onto the trunk or branches. Reason is to avoid dislocating the root from the soil. The roots of the NZ tea tree is extremely sensitive and any slight disturbance can lead to sudden death. The best time is when the weather continously cools down for a few months. In Perth it is around mid-Autumn. Reason is they love the cool weather which is less taxing on them. The longer time it has to recover before it faces the onslaught of our hot summer, the better the chances. This is only my approach and I don't claim it to be the only or best approach. It has worked for me. However I must add that one of my close friend initially failed even with me holding his hands. It was only after some experiences that he began to get the hang of it. That could well be the price u have to pay to learn to handle this most difficult specie. Good luck on your NZ tea tree adventure.

Cheers,

CJ

[lackhand]

An ex-nursery owner who came to our annual exhibition regularly, told me that she generally lost 50% of her Leptospermum Scoparium stock. So if u can keep your Leptospermum Scoparium alive even in an ordinary pot, is an achievement. To make a Leptospermum Scoparium into a bonsai is another matter altogether. The most difficult part is getting them safely into the bonsai pot. In my early days of experimentation more than 10 years ago, I managed to successfully cut off up about 70% of the soil and roots in one go. However I don't do it now as I began to understand this specie more. I don't advise u to do it. Of course u r free to do it if u want to try. The safer approach is to get the root mass down in stages of 20 - 40 %. Resting the tree well in between, for it to regain its' health and vigor. Of course the tree must be in tip top condition - healthy and growing vigorously - before any attempt to cut the root mass. When u r cutting off the root, hold onto the soil. Do not hold onto the trunk or branches. Reason is to avoid dislocating the root from the soil. The roots of the NZ tea tree is extremely sensitive and any slight disturbance can lead to sudden death. The best time is when the weather continously cools down for a few months. In Perth it is around mid-Autumn. Reason is they love the cool weather which is less taxing on them. The longer time it has to recover before it faces the onslaught of our hot summer, the better the chances. This is only my approach and I don't claim it to be the only or best approach. It has worked for me. However I must add that one of my close friend initially failed even with me holding his hands. It was only after some experiences that he began to get the hang of it. That could well be the price u have to pay to learn to handle this most difficult specie. Good luck on your NZ tea tree adventure.

Cheers,

CJ

Thanks for all the advice CJ, I really appreciate it. I'm not into killing trees for no reason, so I plan to follow it as closely as possible, and very slightly adapted to my climate/continent and such. For me, a lot of the joy of bonsai comes from the challenge of trying to keep a tree thriving while also making it grow as you want. The NZ tea tree is the ultimate challenge to me, but if I can keep it growing, I will be thrilled.

I will repot when it cools down in autumn, and probably go for a very minimal root reduction. I'm okay taking a few years to get these into bonsai pots. When I do get around to pruning, what tool would you recommend for minimal soil/root disturbance? Do you ever make any effort to put them into better soil (mine came in standard nursery mix, not typically great for bonsai)? Do they mind being root bound?

[bouquet]

Wow after reading this post I wish I didn't purchase 5 tube stock of this species, did realize they were such a difficult tree/species. Oh well looks like it will be a steep learning curve. I'll either end up with a half decent tree or 5 babies to the gods.

[thoglette]

I thought it was in this post - but somewhere there's another post suggesting repotting/root work underwater. Ah, the black cat/white cat thread

[GavinG]

Thanks for the reminder Thoglette - I must try that technique out next year.

Gavin

[bouquet]

I hope to see completed NZ tea tree bonsai by others.

Cheers,

CJ

Hi CJ

I am in Adelaide and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind providing some basic advice for the species of tree. I have 5 tube stock just arrived and I am hoping they all don't end up in the bin.

Cheers

[Rory]

I just gave up on this species. Obviously this is only my , but I say, don't bother. For all the effort and heartache you go through for this beautiful species, losing them is just too painful. I have lost them after heavy top pruning, and I have also lost them after small amounts of root pruning, and I usually attempt root pruning under water with most of my stock. But, if you have success good luck, I have tried with both advanced stock and seedlings, and had no luck. There are so many other beautiful species that are far better suited to bonsai, that personally I can't see why you would attempt such a difficult feat, other than for the sake of attempting a significant challenge I guess. But in my opinion, a stock that does not respond well to heavy pruning, is not a great choice of stock to begin with.... again...