AusBonsai

Hi, I would like to establish some meleleuca bonsai in the interests of furthering the use of Aussie natives for Bonsai, I wish to start them from seed and would like some reccomendations on which seed to use, there is a large number of different species of meleluace seed available online and I have no clue were to start.


I guess we would be looking for the usual attributes that make a great bonsai which include the following


* Compact foliage.
* Interesting bark.
* Ability to be trunk chopped.
* Able to be started easily from seed.
* Can be safely root pruned.

( any others folks ) ?


I have found a list of seed available from a supplier that is quite extensive and I will reproduce it here to help choose some suitable species.

Sourced from http://www.austrahort.com.au/


MELALEUCA $/25g $/kg
acerosa 27.00
acuminata 10.00
alternifolia 14.00 450.00
argentea 13.00
armillaris 8.00 195.00
bracteata 12.00 270.00
brevifolia 12.00 295.00
capitata 13.00
coccinea 45.00
cordata 25.00
cuneata 13.00
cuticularis 13.00
decora 10.00
decussata 10.00 230.00
densa 17.00
densispicata 15.00
diosmifolia 10.00 275.00
elleryana 8.00 135.00
elliptica 22.00
ericifolia 8.00 240.00
ericifolia nana 10.00 240.00
erubescens 15.00
filifolia 49.00
fulgens 20.00
gibbosa 17.00
halmaturorum 10.00 275.00
hamulosa 15.00
huegelli 13.00 335.00
hypericifolia 9.00
incana 15.00 350.00
irbyana 10.00 310.00
lanceolata syn M. pubescens 10.00 259.00
lateriflora 29.00
lateritia 87.50
leucadendra (broad leaf) 10.00 225.00
leucadendra (fine leaf) 10.00 225.00
linariifolia 10.00 295.00
megacephala 17.00
minutifolia 12.00
nervosa 15.00
nesophila 11.00
nodosa 15.00 379.00
pressiana 11.00 310.00
pulchella 25.00
pungens 32.00
quinquinervia 10.00 235.00
quinquinervia (red form) 25.00
radula 13.00
scabra v tuberculata 13.00
sieberi 25.00
spathulata 32.00
squamea 32.00
squarrosa 11.00
striata 18.00
styphelioides 10.00 245.00
suberosa 22.00 795.00
subfalcata 22.00
symphyocarpa 16.00
teretifolia 15.00 375.00
thymifolia 15.00 480.00
trichophylla 69.00
uncinata 10.00
violacea 17.00
viridiflora 12.00 260.00
wilsonii 12.00 275.00

I have some Decussata I am working on. One is in the ground to thicken up and the other in a pot.
The back bud well and have nice small foliage, and the flower is pink so is a bit different I think

If everyone else who reads this goes out makes sure the get one to work on and try, then we will have large knowledgebase here to pull from

check out your local Native nursery for what they have too

Ken

Ozzy just about any one of them will do it. Some with alot more ease than others.
So here are some from the top of my head which is small .

Amillaris, alternifolia,bracteata,brevifolia,cuticularis highly recommended,coccinea,elliptica high,lanceolata high,styphelioides high,
preissii high,wilsonii high.
The ones that I have said high to are very good Alternifolia is an exceptional one. I do not see rhaphiophylla there! which is my favorite.
I think that any you try will be good. Have a look in your area to see if any are growing. They would be good.
I hope this helps in some way. Pup

Melaleuca alternifolia is the one they get tea tree oil from. Not a tea tree.

I am doing some (crap) work with a M. thymifolia. It is a pink flowering form that has very small leaves and back shoots well. Its quiet interesting.

JayC

Thanks, I remember having some amilaris along the fence, they were about 3 metres tall and I cut them down to a stump and left the stumps but they never resprouted for some reason, so I figured they would be no good to trunk chop back to nothing, there are a lot of mels around here that look good, identifying them is the problem, some have real flaky bark that looks great, I guess I'll have to take a pic and see if anyone here can name them.
I'll google up some of the others and see what they look like too.

I found a decussata -dwarf in the reject dept at the nursery, of course it followed me home. About 2' tall, very tiny foliage, and a small purplish flower.
Couldnt see any immediate stlying prospects, so have planted it out in the garden for now (also the daughter was quite taken with the one flower it had) Might look at trying an airlayer later when we get past the 43C days, or maybe lifting it back up once it has recovered from its potboundedness. Or indeed checking the nursery for more, its a lovely little thing, and I think the foliage could be trimmed into something very tidy with a bit of work. $5 worth of more happiness

Greth the Melaleuca decussata is the one that started the Koreshoffs quest for a Paperbark after they had seen one. In Disneyland Florida USA next to a lake.

It is on page 10 of the colour plates in the booklet Bonsai with Australian Native Plants a very natural setting also.

Cheers Pup

I dont have any of the books, sorry, but this says it is a dwarf variety, and has tiny little triangular leaves, I think they would make really nice pads once trimmed to get good ramification.
I didn't like the overall shrub shape, two pretty straight trunks with no branches for about 5 inches from the base, then a set of thin (wireable) branches. Could make a broom, but a very rigid looking one. I even considered splittling between the trunks and making two trees of it that way, or one tree, one garden shrub. Trunks are only 8-10mm diameter, not really promising thickness there either. For now it can grow in the ground, won't do it any harm, and will fill up a bare spot for a while, then I can think longer.

The little Mel went crunchy brown almost straight away, not too surprising for a nursery discard planted in Feb. Was ready to pull it up until my daughter decided to do a scratch test, informed me there was still green under the bark, and begged for a reprieve.
Duly granted, it stayed on my watering list despite grave doubts. The thing is now covered in new shoots.
My wise offspring is not yet 5 1/2!

Greth wrote:The little Mel went crunchy brown almost straight away, not too surprising for a nursery discard planted in Feb. Was ready to pull it up until my daughter decided to do a scratch test, informed me there was still green under the bark, and begged for a reprieve.
Duly granted, it stayed on my watering list despite grave doubts. The thing is now covered in new shoots.
My wise offspring is not yet 5 1/2!

I was given some advice many many years ago by Dot Koreshoff that has been the saviour of many a tree in my care. "if it looks like its dead dont throw it, put it in a corner or under the bench & keep it watered. If its still dead in 12mths then chuck it" its amazing how often I have had things sit bare for almost the whole year and when I do decide to chuck they suddenly show signs of life.

Matt

Greth you have just had an epiphany, which Melaleucas will give you many times. I have said in the past and will say it again do not throw them out.

I have a tree come back after two years doemancy . I have also had them throw suckers up at the side of the trunk, to start all over as new trees.

Yes Melaleucas are the tree for all States and all Climes. Just my opinon though Pup

Pup wrote:Greth you have just had an epiphany, which Melaleucas will give you many times. I have said in the past and will say it again do not throw them out.

I have a tree come back after two years doemancy . I have also had them throw suckers up at the side of the trunk, to start all over as new trees.

Yes Melaleucas are the tree for all States and all Climes. Just my opinon though Pup

Yep,

I love them little suckers too. Hi Pup.

Your Mels were looking as good as I expected.

Grant

Melaleuca Linariifolia is my favourite. Got to be careful to keep up the water to them though. They can dry out very easily. They don't like the sun much either. A little burning can take out more foliage than you would expect.

Krusty wrote:Melaleuca Linariifolia is my favourite. Got to be careful to keep up the water to them though. They can dry out very easily. They don't like the sun much either. A little burning can take out more foliage than you would expect.

I have never had that trouble with linarifolia, I have with parvflora though, water that is, never burning of the foliage.

Cheers Pup

Pup wrote:

Krusty wrote:Melaleuca Linariifolia is my favourite. Got to be careful to keep up the water to them though. They can dry out very easily. They don't like the sun much either. A little burning can take out more foliage than you would expect.

I have never had that trouble with linarifolia, I have with parvflora though, water that is, never burning of the foliage.

Cheers Pup

My personal experience is of one tree totally dying from one day of too much sun, and the most recent one i have got a little bit of burn and i lost about 2 inches of foliage, when i would only have expected to loose the leaves that got burnt. I make sure now to keep it out of the sun and it seems happy enough. To me it seems that any over sunning makes it go into shock. The trees came from two different nurseries, so i don't think its the medium.