Leptospermum scoparium 'burgundy queen' 1

[Rory]

L. scoparium 1-07 03Nov2023.jpg.jpg

03Nov2023

This was repotted 2 weeks ago, slight root prune and placed into a purple Tokoname wood fired bonsai pot. I can't remember the potter, but I'll look another time. Takeyoshi said it was a rare toko potter, but for the life of me I can't remember.

Do you know what is so beautiful about seeing this species, 2 weeks after its been repotted and root pruned?.....
The fact that its still alive.

Repotting these guys is scarey and you have to be very, very, very careful, and take your time.

[boom64]

Hi Rory ,
Great to see all the updates . All looking well. Love this Burgundy Queen about to repot a few as well however a bit smaller so hopefully not to stressfull.
Cheers John

[Mickeyjaytee]

Thanks for the post Rory. Scoparium is one of my absolute faves but, scares me to death to even attempt what methods do you use when repotting/root pruning?

Cheers mate

[Rory]

Hi Rory ,
Great to see all the updates . All looking well. Love this Burgundy Queen about to repot a few as well however a bit smaller so hopefully not to stressfull.
Cheers John

Yeah, I’ve found the older ones seem to give the same result.
I no longer even have the spray on any forceful pressure at all. Rather I prefer just wetting the roots and gently easing them apart and then cutting back the outer unwanted roots seems to work better. Good luck John.

Thanks for the post Rory. Scoparium is one of my absolute faves but, scares me to death to even attempt what methods do you use when repotting/root pruning?

Cheers mate

Well, first off, as you can see…. this tree is over potted.
I don’t recommend anyone does this. However, my wife has ‘politely’ requested that I no longer have my bonsai in training pots and have them displayed in bonsai pots. We also have full sun now, so over potting isn’t as much of a concern as it was with low sun.

I apply all the same methods as to any other standard native repot, except I no longer ‘spray’ the roots to ease them apart. You have to be very gentle with the root systems on scoparium.
Do not pull the roots or use a ‘root rake’ like you might use on a Casuarina or Melaleuca. Only use your fingers, and be gentle. If you have to remove roots, carefully cut them, don’t pull or damage the surrounding roots.

They’re a real oxymoron for Bonsai….very hardy trees, but only if you don’t touch the roots.

[Brekel]

From my experience with L.scoparium, if you think you've lost one after repotting or a root prune, don't give up too quick.
When I moved one from a training pot to a bonsai pot, it lost all leaves within a week or two and was looking quite dead. Stayed that way for 3 months before buds started to appear, total of 4 months until leaves reappeared.
They're such hardy, vigorous growing trees and you can do anything above ground. But the roots are the total opposite.

[Rory]

This was cut back very hard in Summer, and given a new pot as I changed my mind and didn't want the tree having too much room to grow.
With this species, you do not want to remove a lot of root as they grow. So its easier to just cut back hard on the foliage each season, and then slowly chew away at the roots once a year. Its way to sensitive for heavy rootwork.

As you can see, even in late Autumn they explode with new growth. The purple coloured new growth is so beautiful. I also wanted it to 'pop' from the pot, so a purple pot was not the wisest choice going forward. It still has a fair bit of room to grow, but now it will be less stress on the tree at repotting time.

L. scoparium 1-08 10May2024.jpg

10th May 2024

[Matt_W_NZ]

With this species, you do not want to remove a lot of root as they grow. So its easier to just cut back hard on the foliage each season, and then slowly chew away at the roots once a year. Its way to sensitive for heavy rootwork.

I concur - in my (limited) experience the quickest way to kill a perfectly wonderful tree is heavy root work - mine never even looked like recovering.

[Rory]

Today I thought I'd give an update just to help those that aren't sure of how much root to remove on scopariums.
This shows you the before and after of the roots. Now its important to realize that the before is before I have removed all the old potting mix. Once you remove all the old potting mix, there isn't a huge amount of root in comparison to the before photo.
The after photo only had the outer root areas trimmed and one major cross root that was interferring with the flow of repotting time. So essentially it was only a small nibble at the roots. I removed most of the flower buds straight after it was repotted as well. Its best to remove these so the tree isn't using energy to continue to push these out, and instead to focus on new roots and new shoots.

The old mix was very gently rubbed away with my fingers for about 20 minutes. Then the hose was on a soft spray to remove any excess mix. I bare rooted this because the previous mix wasn't great. It was developing a type of fungus after about a week of rain that I didn't like, so I've started bare rooting everything I have this repotting season to make sure all my bonsai have a fresh start and a new mix.
No foliage was cut back at all, and it hasn't grown much over winter.

It has been kept in its Pat Kennedy pot.

Lepto root removal 5Sep24.jpg

Root removal BEFORE and AFTER

L. scoparium 1-09 6Sep2024.jpg

06Sep2024

[Rory]

Winter is very rewarding here when you grow natives and have full sun. Nearly all of my natives are in full growth mode at the moment.

Just a pic of this one in its full winter flower at the moment.
Also reduced this one into a smaller pot. I'm still trying to get most of my stock into smaller pots.
I have no issues repotting these at the moment. Its in full growth mode so I repotted it a few weeks ago.

L. scoparium 1-10 27Jun2025.jpg

27 Jun 2025

[Ryceman3]

Not sure the latest pic gives a great shot from the front but definitely agree a smaller pot helps in terms of scale for this, and every tree. Root work (and pot size) are pretty important in making an authentic bonsai no matter how you sell it … without it you really just have a pot plant … I think this took a step forward. That’s a plus.

[Rory]

Yeah it wasn’t a photo to update the progression, it was just to show the flowers.
I usually update progressions in Spring or Summer

[treeman]

Winter is very rewarding here when you grow natives and have full sun. Nearly all of my natives are in full growth mode at the moment.

Just a pic of this one in its full winter flower at the moment.
Also reduced this one into a smaller pot. I'm still trying to get most of my stock into smaller pots.
I have no issues repotting these at the moment. Its in full growth mode so I repotted it a few weeks ago.



L. scoparium 1-10 27Jun2025.jpg
27 Jun 2025

Looks very natural Rory.