Preissiana progression

[Craig]

all,

Around a year ago whilst out working I came across some gardeners redoing a median strip, they had abandoned this M. preissiana, so I took it home with me. Knowing all too well the preissiana are hard to transplant when combined with hard rootpruning , I decided to only remove some roots and keep most of the ball intact for now.

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long lanky branches with foliage miles away from any key areas of the tree. A rather sick looking tree basically close to being on it's way out.

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The tree recovered very slowly but once I felt it was growing well I started thinking about how i would begin training it.

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I take styling on a daily as it comes basis, general direction know but final destination is a mystery.

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So with a little patients and time an ordinary tree which presents no immediate inspiration for anything is able to become trainable.

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I love M. preissiana and hope you do too

[cre8ivbonsai]

Coming along nicely Craig I like the angle of the lean, looking pretty healthy too

Cheers,
Ryan

[Booga]

Good one Craig. I think that I dug the same variety a few weeks ago and you are spot on. It lost all the foliage in the second week and when first dug there was no growth in close to the trunk.
I thought that I had saved enough of the root ball for it to battle on but I think that I have killed it

I dug it on the side of the rd at the local Tip and the medium was dry and compact clayish type crap so maybe I drowned it
What I do like about them is the aged bark on a small tree.

[Craig]

cheers Guys
Yes for sure it's alot healthier than when i got it, now i'm getting some backbudding into old wood which I really need and want. Lots of sunshine, moderate amounts of water and a healthy lack of respect is what preissiana need .
Booga, keep it a while and look after it as if it were alive, wait and see , I also love the bark.

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[Pup]

Looking good Craig as you have said one of the touchiest of all the Melaleucas, but like all Mels give them time,they just seem to want to live.

Good work Mate.

Cheers Pup

[Booga]

cheers Guys
Yes for sure it's alot healthier than when i got it, now i'm getting some backbudding into old wood which I really need and want. Lots of sunshine, moderate amounts of water and a healthy lack of respect is what preissiana need .
Booga, keep it a while and look after it as if it were alive, wait and see , I also love the bark.

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I will keep at it Craig I did notice today that my small cutting is sprouting like mad around the base, Below where your fingers are in this shot.
I might try to find a good size one in sandy soil so I don't have to work to hard osteo arthritis is a pain. Keep up the good work

[Craig]

Thanks Pup .

Booga, I feel some Mels are to be treated as you would treat a Juniper/pine, water yes but less frequently as the roots appreciate the dryness before watering. It is a very fine line.

For a while now i've said to mysely, try preissiana with the gravel/water method, got a funny feeling it will work. Generally they are growing on the outskirts of water logged areas not IN them , but in some locations they seem to be able to stand in waterlogged ground.

I found 5 M.rhaphiophyllas which were bulldozed out of the ground around 16hours prior to me taking them home and all 5 using the gravel/water method are thriving. Never give up too early, even Pup who knows this only too well, found this out recently with a gifted Melaleuca , ..