Acacia saligna in progress

[Starfox]

I said I would share this in another thread when the flowers had popped and now 2 ratty little flowers have appeared. Although it is nothing spectacular and certainly a work in progress the first flowering seems like a good time to start documenting things.
I have gone back and found all the pics I can find so at least I can show you what work I have done and the timings for it. Maybe some may find that useful.

Anyway, I think I collected(pulled out of the ground) this tree in winter 2018 as a small sapling. I grabbed 3 of them and the other two didn't make it. In fact I thought this one hadn't either as it died back but come spring it shot from the base so basically started out from scratch.

The earliest pic I could find is from May 2019.
I had wired it a little with no real idea of much.

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Same day I repotted it into a small training pot.

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The next day potted up and unwired.

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This pic is from June 2019 where I wired it again.

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The next pic is from mid June 2020, unwired and I noticed that it was getting quite root bound so I did a mid June repot.

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A lot of healthy roots.

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The kitty litter DE produces ample fine roots.

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Put in an icky blue pot as that was all I had laying around. Always felt it could do with a bigger pot.

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And here it is April 2021 today bit more wire and growth.

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My tentative plan with it was to let it grow wild this season to build up the trunk and side branch a bit more and to fill out the wire scars. However it is already pushing the tree up out of the pot so it may get a clean up and new pot yet, unsure of that but it puts out root growth so quickly.
My thinking is I want to wait until that right branch, which has become dominant, has thickened up a touch more and got even colouring and then I want to jin that. That will hopefully leave the left side to extend taller above the loops giving the tree more of a bunjin look.

Observations, The tree grows quickly in a small pot, puts out lots of root growth quickly. It spontaneously buds out in spring on older(well not that old) lower down wood. Generally I rub those off.
Root pruning in June, early summer for me, seems to be the way to go. Night temps can be anywhere from 15dC to 20+dC and days 25 to 30. Humidity ranges from 50 percent upwards that time of year. This would also roughly match the time of year after the flowers had gone and are setting seed so probably a good to to get rid of them too.
It takes wire well when young enough to bend and is quite plyable. I have put a couple loops in it so it didn't seem to mind being pointing downwards.

All in all it's on the way, nothing special yet but first flowering always excites.

[melbrackstone]

That really seems to be thriving under pot culture, well done!

[Raging Bull]

As you have stated, it puts growth on very quickly, so to avoid those wiring scars it would be beneficial to re-wire more often and maybe not quite as tightly.
As some acacias have quite long leaves it will be interesting if the leaf size will reduce over time and when more mature perhaps with a defoliation.
Cheers, Frank.

[Starfox]

That really seems to be thriving under pot culture, well done!

It really hasn't missed a beat so far, finger crossed for the future.

As you have stated, it puts growth on very quickly, so to avoid those wiring scars it would be beneficial to re-wire more often and maybe not quite as tightly.
As some acacias have quite long leaves it will be interesting if the leaf size will reduce over time and when more mature perhaps with a defoliation.
Cheers, Frank.

True, I could be more diligent and frequent with my wiring. Especially as now is the time it starts to bite in so maybe I will remove it for a bit and redo it.
I know the leaves/phyllodes on these tend to change and look much more pleasing when they are more mature and densely packed in the landscape. I have no idea how it would react to a defoliation but something for consideration in the future. Maybe I can try a patch on that right branch and see how it responds.