Urbandori Candidates?

[count_thumper]

Hi All,

Wondering if you can judge whether I could do a hardwood cut on the olive tree? Its pretty mature & would be pretty groovy to get something of that size in a pot.

Secondly there is a Banksia in my backyard (Well Banksia looking anyway), I'm thinking that this could definitely be developed, but once again your thoughts would be much appreciated.

Photos:
https://imgur.com/a/lxXoy

Many Thanks,
Mike

[alpineart]

Hi Count thumper , mate you would be better off trying to locate a place where you can dig feral olives up or remove some from abandoned plantations . The second pic is a calistermon /bottle brush , it could be dug up and utilized as a good trunk .

I have lost a few bottle brush digging them out in the hotter months as they had to be removed then and there , someone here will know the optimum time to dig them .

Cheers Alpineart

[shibui]

I think your banksia might be a Callistemon Mike. Most callistemons bud well when they are cut back hard and they seem to be hardy and good for bonsai. Most can be transplanted reasonably easily but seem to prefer to be root pruned and transplanted in the warmer months. Should still just be Ok now in Melbourne.
Olives also bud very well after a hard chop. There's nothing for scale in your pictures but I think it looks a bit too chunky for a bonsai. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. You will need a very big pot for something like this. In my experience most plants need a pot at least 6 times the thickness of the trunk to accommodate the roots that will be under there. Olives also have a swollen base just under the soil which is often 3-4 times the diameter of the trunk you can see above the soil. Have a scratch around under there first to see how wide it actually gets (dig down until the trunk starts to get thinner - you may have to go down 20-30cm) before you decide to dig.
A trunk like this will probably weigh 50+ kg even when it has been cut down and all the soil removed from the roots. you'll need to pull it out of the hole after cutting all the roots then lift it into a pot then somehow move the tree and pot of soil (add another 20-30 kg) when you need to work on it, repot it or show it.
Our club will be digging feral olives next month so I think you should be able to transplant olives now.

[count_thumper]

Thanks for the advice Alpine and Shibui!

I think you may be right in regards to the Olive tree. However I may give the bottle brush a dig up it has a nice thick trunk and could be great to work with, perhaps I'll wait till the weather gets a tad cool.

Thanks,
Mike

[matty-j]

Hey Mate

If the tree doesn't have to be dug now and can be left in the ground, I would be giving it a good chop and letting it grow for another year before you dig it, that way it will really throw new shoots because the root ball is established. Also when you do dig it next summer you won't have to chop it hard and worry about die back.

Cheers
Matt

[shibui]

However I may give the bottle brush a dig up it has a nice thick trunk and could be great to work with, perhaps I'll wait till the weather gets a tad cool.

Maybe you missed the bit where I said callistemon prefer to be transplanted in the WARMER months???? Maybe it won't get cold enough to be a problem for you in Melbourne. I know that Pup in Perth says he collects callistemon any time of year but up here where it gets cold in winter they don't do so well when dug during cooler time of the year. Transplanting in late spring and summer gives the tree time to re-establish roots and some growth before winter.

[Redsonic]

I think the OP was asking if he could do a hardwood cutting on the olive? I don't think he is planning to dig out a 5m street tree

Not intending to hijack the thread, but I have a (sickly) dwarf olive that has done nothing in the last 18months, and I think I have it in dodgy diatomite (not draining well at all). I thought I got rid off all the dodgy stuff, but this one must have slipped through the cracks.
I am in Brisbane, and temps are still in the high 20s; Would it be OK to repot it now?

[count_thumper]

However I may give the bottle brush a dig up it has a nice thick trunk and could be great to work with, perhaps I'll wait till the weather gets a tad cool.

Maybe you missed the bit where I said callistemon prefer to be transplanted in the WARMER months???? Maybe it won't get cold enough to be a problem for you in Melbourne. I know that Pup in Perth says he collects callistemon any time of year but up here where it gets cold in winter they don't do so well when dug during cooler time of the year. Transplanting in late spring and summer gives the tree time to re-establish roots and some growth before winter.

Ah I did indeed misread your post, thanks for picking up on my mistake

I think the OP was asking if he could do a hardwood cutting on the olive? I don't think he is planning to dig out a 5m street tree

Not intending to hijack the thread, but I have a (sickly) dwarf olive that has done nothing in the last 18months, and I think I have it in dodgy diatomite (not draining well at all). I thought I got rid off all the dodgy stuff, but this one must have slipped through the cracks.
I am in Brisbane, and temps are still in the high 20s; Would it be OK to repot it now?

Yep hardwood, not the tree as I'd need a small crane haha.
I thought the diatomite situation had been fixed a while back? ...I'd presume a repot would be better now, than letting it continue in the mushy non draining diatomite?

As for the bottle brush, I'll just give it a good chop above the lowest branch? Removal of all the other branches should stress it out less being removed?

I could leave it in the ground, but it would look quite average having a stump in the garden

Mike

[shibui]

I am in Brisbane, and temps are still in the high 20s; Would it be OK to repot it now?

As indicated earlier, I believe olives can be repotted almost all year. Our club will be digging olives next month - far more stressful that just repotting and I expect good success rate. they may not shoot (here) until spring due to cold winter but should still survive. We are led to believe that warm temps are no impediment to olive transplant if the heat up there is your concern.

I think the OP was asking if he could do a hardwood cutting on the olive? I don't think he is planning to dig out a 5m street tree

My bad. I interpreted

whether I could do a hardwood cut on the olive tree?

as whether the tree could be cut back to hard (old) wood which is a question we get asked a lot. As to digging up a 5m street tree, you would be surprised what some bonsai enthusiasts will think they can collect It took 2 healthy young men to carry one stump back to the car at our last olive dig. Mind you, they had expended quite a bit of energy extracting it from the ground

[Redsonic]

My hand has been forced. The neighbour's kids knocked my olive over with a basketball. Repotting it tomorrow
Thanks for the advice, guys.