NOTES OF INTEREST
FROM Grant Bowie lecture
POT ANTICS… Banksia serrata, integrifolia and Port Jackson Figs seem to rebel at being put in a pot and alter their normal lanky growing style, instead fattening up very nicely. It’s a feature bonsai artists love and capitalise on.
DOUBLE SEALING
At the National Collection in Canberra the curators have been using double sealing on large cuts and getting far faster healing. When the cut is made the tube sealant is thinly applied. When that is completely dry a layer of the putty sealant is placed over the wound. [The putty sealant comes with 2 lid colours: Green for conifers and white for deciduous and evergreen].
DEFOLIATING
In the past year Ash have been defoliated 4 times in the season at the National Collection with the trees showing no problems and producing smaller leaves. Figs, ash and banksias are well fertilised several weeks before the defoliation, defoliated and let grow out new leaves and in a month or so the cycle is repeated. This helps get the leaves down from natural size to much smaller.
