AusBonsai

Hi All
Has anyone a bonsai of the Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea )? I have one and would like to bonsai it and wonder how successful it would be. I have been told they don't like root disturbance and can be a bit temperamental. Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks.

Hi I don't think you could "bonsai" it. It has no branches/nebari/ and couldn't reduce the leaves/grass. By all means you could try to keep it in a shallow pot but that won't make it a "bonsai grass tree"
Sorry.

Yes your right of course. What I should have said has anyone one of these growing in a bonsai pot. I am sure I have seen one in a bonsai nursery in my travels. Thanks so much

I seem to recall that Pup had one growing in a pot?

Thanks for the input. I will give it a try.

I think that the roots grow in a symbiotic relationship with a fungi (mycorrhiza). I think I read some where (no idea if it is true) that it is this balance that is important to protect when transplanting. The same sort of things happens with pines and we keep them going so I guess it is possible.

I know Pup had/has one...maybe he'll chime in. From memory it was estimated to be of quite some age.
I myself know nothing about them. Unique and purely Australian that's for sure. Photos??

Cheers!
Anthony

How big is the grass tree in question? It may make a good accent planting to compliment a large native bonsai tree?

This is quite tall around 75cm in height. It will require a larger pot. I think you cannot disturb the roots too much. Will be an interesting experiment. Many thanks everyone for all your input. It came with it's own registration papers. Thought that was pretty special.

Do you know what species it is?

I'd be hesitant to do it mainly due to the fact that they are worth so much! I've seen 75cm grass tree's priced at around $250 retail. As they are so slow growing, they can be worth quite a lot

If you do go ahead, just disturb the roots as little as possible, and they should be able to live in a small container for quite a while from what I've read.

I'm planning to use some as accents, but will be growign them from seed... well attempting to at least

I paid $120 for this one and it was a bargain. Rare plant that comes with it's own registration papers. This will be the project for the weekend. Will get a nice pot and hope for the best. The acacia howitti can be a bit temperamental with potting and root disturbance so maybe treated the same. Many thanks everyone. Always know one will get a lot of help on this site.

Is it already in pot?

When you say it has its own papers, these should be supplied with any restricted plant. They used to be just tags, but it sounds like you may have something more substantial. Do theses state wether it is cultivated or collected?

When I was selling native orchids I had to have a permit to sell them and could only sell "cultivated" plants, which also means any that have been in cultivation for 6 months or more even if they were originally collected. I use to get collected plants from both NSW and Qld, establish them on bark and then sell them. So if your papers say collected it could be a short while since collection and may take moving to a bonsai pot quite well.

Would love to see a picture.