AusBonsai

Hi everyone,
A few of us were discussing the right time for gathering and transferring Natives. All of the feedback from the guys was basically correct. I thought as there were questions arising about time to collect and repot etc etc I would do some research and post. Well this comes from the Gardening Australia website and is what I think very relevant for Bonsai enthusiasts.

Regards Panda

I get asked all the time about transplanting Australian native plants and people are often a little bit nervous about it, so I’m going to run through a few basic steps that’ll make transplanting worry free. Angus moves a Callistemon because of overcrowding.


Transplanting

Timing is all important. Move plants during the cooler months of the year from autumn to early spring and do it during the early evening as it will help to minimise moisture stress.


Soak the area around the plant you want to move and even add a bit of seaweed solution to help lessen the transplant shock.
Pre-dig the new hole and give it a good soak too, so its thoroughly moist. Add a bit of seaweed solution here too.
Prune plant by a third removing things like flowers, fruits and new growth as they place extra demands on the plant.
Dig out the root ball to match the size of the plant above ground making sure you take note of the all important ‘above – below’ rule. (The rootball that you take from below ground needs to match the mass of foliage above the ground).
Keep as much soil around the roots as possible to stop them drying out and even wrap it in damp hessian to help it retain moisture.



Re-planting

The conventional wisdom is that you would re-plant at exactly the same level as the plant was in its previous home, but Angus prefers to re-plant natives a little bit deeper than they originally were.



Add some really well rotted compost with the soil that you’re going to use to backfill the hole.
Position your plant and backfill with compost/soil mix.
Water in plant, making sure to give it a really good soaking to remove any air pockets around the roots. as the biggest single cause of failure in transplanting is moisture stress.
Give the plant a good dose of seaweed solution to help the roots start to heal. To be on the safe side, you could also use an antitranspirant spray which will limit water loss from the leaves.
Mulch around the plant.


Some of the finer rooted native plants such as Boronias and Epacris are much more difficult to transplant and Angus would advise against trying to shift them. But with most natives, follow these basic steps and you’ll give your precious plant every chance to survive and thrive in its new home.

That information was pretty good. Thanks for the post Panda.

One thing that is very important, is that people realise the soil profiles they are planting in. Soil has layers (called horizons) and if a root ball is so large that the bottom of it will be in the clay, this means you will have a place for the water to collect and it will quickly rot. If you do need to plant in such a situation, it is critical that the surrounding soil is built up. For some species, it may be easier to prune the bottom of the roots off.

One thing I disagree with that Angus said (and i noted it when i saw the episode a few months back) was the addition of organic matter into the subsoil. You should never dig organic matter (potting mix, compost etc) any deeper than 200mm into the soil profile. In most cases it should even be less than that. Think about it, how well does compost incorporate itself into the soil naturally? Not very well. The leaves break down on the surface (called the O-horizon) where sufficient oxygen is present to support the microbes that break it down. These organisms just do not exist further down the profile. The incorporation of organic matter cannot help the trees, but may harm them as they produce toxins whilst they break down in anaerobic conditions.

It should also be noted that if you are planting to a greater depth, the original soil cannot be covered over with the soil of the new site unless the soils are of the same texture. If the soil is finer, for example, the water will be pulled from the existing rootball via capillary action and the water than lands ontop of the soil from the new site will not penetrate through to the root ball unless it is uncovered.

Joel

Hi everyone,
It may be fine for Angus to transplant Callistemon where he is during the cooler months but this does not necessarily mean all other natives should be treated similar.
APAB - (Australian Plants As Bonsai study group) have been gathering information about growing Aussie natives as bonsai for a number of years now and Roger is in the process of trying to make some general sense of the info that has come in from all over Aus. findings should be available soon.

From the info so far it appears that Callistemon can be transplanted at almost any time of the year without any harm.
The data seems to be suggesting that many natives prefer being transplanted when it is a bit warmer. Most experienced banksia growers are suggesting when temps are over 20C. Ficus are best transplanted in midsummer.

Happy for anyone to continue experimenting with natives but please keep good records of what and when and let us know the results. Publishing adverse reactions (even death of the plant) is just as important as successful ones.

Great topic running here. The question is a good one and is often asked. The contributions are all helping to build the many stories needing telling.

I think it is important to say which species one is referring to when discussing this matter. It isn't as useful to just say 'Australian natives' compared to saying Melaleuca styphelioides (prickly paper bark, NSW). Not all 'natives' are the same 'horticulturally'. Nor are all 'melaleucas' (honey myrtles) or 'callistemons' (bottle brushes) etc the same horticulturally. Large groups such as Melaleucas, often fall into groups of species that respond similarly, but differently to other groups within the genus.

If we are to progress with answering this question, then knowing which ones your experience relates to as well as where in the country you are/were working on them is vital. What works well in Sydney, may need modification for Canberra, Hobart or Perth.

Keep you records of what you are doing coming in and we will develop the knowledge base we all want.

Roger