AusBonsai

I purchased this plant for $10 from Riverview – a rundown nursery in Ermington, in July 2009.

I thought that I would get a tea-tree or melaleuca (somethng native) to play around with at Tops weekend in September (Illawarra). I took it home and immediately submerged it for 24 hrs to remove the earwigs, ants and slaters. It also looked thirsty.

Next day I repotted it into a low black plastic pot, keeping 80% of original rootball. That’s why it looks a little high – wasn’t taking any chances.

Just watered it for 3 months, and at Tops, it was identified as Kunzea Ambigua (up till then I thought it was a tea-tree or mela – and I’m not blonde !).

They redesigned it and basically overhauled it (I just watched and did what I was told). I gave it a fairly severe haircut, keeping at least one leaf. Also had the techie guys do some dremelling – after all, this was a practice plant.

Wired it in Sept 2009, and just pruned the shoots back 2-3 months. Reworked the wiring again in March 2010. – tilted it after much advice.

It does not shoot on old wood. Likes a little more water than traditional bonsai, but not sitting in water… and I’ve been dunking it in Charlie Carp once or twice a month.

First two photo’s in Sept 2009, and second two in March 2010.

Hi Leonarda, when you say you have been dunking it in Charlie Carp, what ratio of Charlie Carp to water are we talking about and for what period of time?

Hi ya Leo

Nice and healthy looking. Are those rocks on the surface of the soil? or am I seeing things

I would be considering shortening the left trunk somewhat. Make it look more like a daughter

Ken

Hi, I use 90ml charlie carp to a 9 litre bucket of water - I have 4 standard crates (milk crate size) and a v.large fishing type crate to dunk all my plants in. So... whether they are in orchid pots, bonsai pots, or large black plastic, they get a dunking for about 10 mins each. I have approx 60 pots of various sizes, and this operation takes me approx 3 hours. hence it only gets done on a sunday morning when the boys at home are still asleep. usually fortnightly, but... well that's life.

Ken, there are pieces of slate on top, since the roots were exposed due to my heavy handed watering. just trying to keep the soil in place and the roots from dying off.

updated photo.
I put Kunzea into PK pot in February 2011, planted really high, put spagnum moss around the exposed roots for protection.
There is still some wire on the both branches (you can see a length of it pointing down on left apex)
I will let branches thicken out and set them better - separate the left from right, fix back branching... and I must dig out that pesky weed.