Evolution of a Callistemon from nursery stock

[Steven]

I purchased this Callistemon in November 2008 from the Riverview Nursery in Ermington. It wasn't in great shape however the bark was amazing and it had an interesting base. It cost me all of about $10.

03.12.08 Before.jpg

It stood about 700mm tall, the base is approx 70mm wide and it hadn't ever been repotted I removed about 80% of the roots and then decided to go to work on the top

Before I show what was done, I'd like to know what you would do with stock like this.

Regards,
Steven

[Damian Bee]

Wow Steve, 80% at this time of year? It does have a nice trunk. i think that taking off most of the branches and letting it re-shoot would be a good idea but I am in Melbourne and my Callistemons are dormant right now so I would wait until spring. My Callistemon did struggle when it was a little weak and and I cut it back What is the variety? It looks like a Little john.

[Damian Bee]

PS. watch out for those nasty little webbing caterpillars, they are very good at defoliating and wrecking fine branch structure on some of the smaller Myrtaceae

[Steven]

Wow Steve, 80% at this time of year?

Sorry, I should have clarified that the major work was done in November 2008.

What is the variety? It looks like a Little john.

Not sure Damian. It had finished flowering when I got it and the nursery it came from is notorious for not knowing what species they have

Regards,
Steven

[Damian Bee]

If it has red flowers, we could be getting closer to Little John but there are a few more Callistemon that are grown as low hedges in landscape use. Looks like you will have to wait until flowering time and go off and do some comparison work to find out its true identity

meanwhile, the suspense is building....................... ............

[bonscythe]

I like the look of that tree, you could do a few things with it im sure!
Given a good clean up it will look nice in a couple of seasons..
I was given a Callistemon spp. for bonsai and had the problem of trying to identify it without the prior knowledge that it was a hybrid cultivar.
Good luck with the ID-ing..

[ketutg]

If i had stock like that i would put it on here and ask you lot what i should do with it

If it were mine i would consider putting it in the ground to thicken up the trunk and stimulate more growth through feeding etc
There's not much taper or movement in the trunk so would also think about doing a trunk chop and growing out a new leader.
I would then start the process of styling it into an informal upright.

keen to see what you've done to it steve

[anttal63]

geez you guys are a boring lot why not split the trunk and create a master piece?

ahhhhhhh na i dont think so. chop to one the first 3 branches, wire and grow on. certainly a good base to start with for the money.

[Marc]

i'm keen to see what the outcome is as I have 2 I am right in the middle of thinking wtf to do with them, i am waiting with antici

[Marc]

pation...

[Steven]

Sorry for the delay...

Well, as some have said, I chopped it back to the first (sizable) branch. I didn't want it to be just another 'trunk chop' so I left a stub for deadwood.

03.12.08.jpg

I loosely wired the branches and spread them a little as the remaining growth was bunched up.
It then sat in my garden (full sun) and was fed on a rotation of Charlie Carp and Miracle Grow for Azaleas (and natives).

[Steven]

Over the next 6 months it put on a substantial amount of growth and its health improved immensely.

17.06.09 before any work.jpg

The wood on Callistemon can be brittle so as a precaution I wrapped it in silicone tape before wire.

17.06.09 wire detail.jpg

Then gave it a little bend here and a twist there...

17.06.09 after.jpg

17.06.09 after back.jpg

It still has a long way to go before it sees a bonsai pot but at least it is more aesthetic and healthy than it was. I may do a bit of carving on the deadwood in the near future but other than that it will just go back into my garden. In Spring I'll check the wire and will probably decide then if it is a keeper or if it will end up here in the marketplace.

So, what do you think? Did my vision match what you had in mind? Would you have done something totally different? Do you have any advice for future styling?

Steven

[FlyBri]

Nice work Mr Oz!

This is a textbook case of working the material to find the smallest possible tree within.

Many novice Bonsaiists might have chosen to work with the tree at its original height, which may have given a fuller canopy immediately, but this would have been at the expense of any taper or trunk movement. The work you have performed might slow up the canopy building process somewhat, but in choosing your new leader you have taken complete control of the tree's future development, as well as creating great taper.

The only thing I might have done differently would be to take an air layer rather than making a trunk chop: as you mentioned, the bark is nicely aged, and a layer would have produced a new tree on which you might have better control of the root flare. (As it stands, I am a little concerned about the roots that appear to cross one another in the front view - looks like a standard case of the tree being left in its seedling tube too long. Do you know what is going on beneath the soil? Are there more significant roots that might allow you to remove the tangled ones above?)

Thanks for sharing, and please keep us posted!

Fly.

[Marc]

Steven, i was wondering why you cut off the 2nd live branch to just leave one? Also, that one you've left you've wired the larger branch line in a semi cascade style, what are you planning for it - the lower branch that is?

[Jarrod]

My guess is he will be tilting the tree over a little bit thus bringing the branch onto a more level plane? thats my guess.

I love this tree and the way you have found the best tree within a mess of branches. Thank you for posting this.

Jarrod