AusBonsai

This is my first attempt at melaleuca claret tops. I have searched for ages to find something worthy to start on and finally I found this little tree in a 200mm pot a month ago. I am unfamiliar with the style of mels but I think its a reasonable start. Happy to hear any advice on direction and design. Cheers

Squizz

Hi Squizzy

Nice find. I too have thought that these little trees would look good as a bonsai. I don't know the longevity of them though, but there seems to be plenty bigger ones in the community that seem to be doing well over many years.

If it was me , i'd take it one of two ways:
1. keep all the branches but not take the middle one or lower ones on such a great bend, i doesn't look all that natural to me. If you look at the aubonsai banner and see the graceful natives have less angular movement. you have the makings of a mother and daughter style there.
2. Take the whole left hand branch / trunkline off and either have a jin or just cut to taper, then you would have a stronger trunk and still have some good branches to work on. I like the idea of a little inch long jin stub showing some sort of tragedy that the tree has had to overcome. I think i prefer this to my first suggestion actually . The more experienced members in our club are always reminding us to "cut to taper' and get the 'biggest' looking tree with the smallest size.

You asked for some advice! Good luch and keep us posted as they say!

Stew

Clarets back bud quite easily and i am always rubbing shoots off. I have found if you hit them hard with heavy work they will sulk and brown off all their leaves but they will shoot back. Keep them in shade until they are back in good health and then prune them often. They also love water and will let you know if they are to dry.They are one of my favorites and i just potted up a collected one about two weeks ago.
Cheers, Mark.

Any chance of posting a few pics Magzy??

This is the one i have just potted up and last years contest tree.
Mark.

Thanks Stewart and mark. Sound advice. I will consider both in my decisions in the future with this tree. Mark. How hard can I root prune when it comes time next summer.

Squizz

Updating a few threads today so sorry to clog all the main page if I do.

This little claret tops is experimental for me. I am still learning my style with a lot of my trees and some I think work and others dont. I don't always stick to guidelines as with this one.

Its shaped a bit more aggressively than a paperbark is normally shaped but that's not to say I haven't seen paperbarks in the wild in contorted twists and shapes. Something is still unbalanced at the moment which I think may be the left hand foliage but we will see how it progresses. The first foliage is only left there for healing the cut I made in summer.

Photo to follow

Squizz

squizzy wrote: How hard can I root prune when it comes time next summer.

Squizz

I don't really want to admit it, but sharing the experience I've had...

If you look at the Claret tops thread I posted the other day, I went from a black plastic pot the size yours is in (full of roots) to the far too small one it is in now. This equates to about a 95% root reduction which was done in late March.

I like where this is headed - it will look better if you can get a branch out of that first clump of shoots on the right. When you repot sit it in a saucer of water and it will recover much better, don't cut back more than 50 % of the roots - I killed a nice shohin by cutting back too hard to fit into a bonsai pot.

Thanks for the advice on potting guys. Will be handy for next summer when I repot.

Squizz

Have been working on this a bit lately. There are a few branches I have stripped back that are re shooting. They will fill the few dead spots. I have been looking at this the last few days thinking about what tree man and others have said about natives and realised I have to get a few more to work on with some different styling ideas. It's a pretty forgiving variety.

Squizz

Guess you just have to have a go! Procrastination can be a real nuisance!


Cheers
EZ
Via Tapatalk

IMO some of the upper branches are too thick and the lower ones too thin. I'd consider removing next spring most of the upper branches to let the bottom ones grow and to redistribute vigour.

Cheers for the thoughts boics. That be hardship to see but the reason the lower ones look less vigorous is because I have cut them hard back to wood. They are covered in small red shoots but will be slow to get going now the weather has cooled I suspect. I went and checked the branch thicknesses and the seem in proportion thicker lower down to thinner.

The first branches low down on the right are back branches which for now will stay bit I am still undecided as to them staying long term. They give the tree depth but do t look entirely right. To back branches as first branches certainly break free from the guidelines though!

I will try and update the photo once that foliage fills out.

Squizz