Defoliation with a difference

[banksia]

A few weeks ago we experienced a very full-on hailstorm. I was at work at the time and the missus was busy with our young boy at a friends house. All my trees were in their usual places on my benches (covered by shade cloth) except one tree which I'd been working on the previous day and this was totally open to the elements....I think you know where I'm going with this
A Melaleuca Rhaphyiophylla I've had for quite some time took the full brunt of the 30mins + deluge.
The next day I inspected all my trees and everything looked pretty normal. About 4 days after the storm I noticed all of the foliage on the Mel was wilted...like it hadn't been watered. As this wasn't the case I can only assume the hailstorm caused a lot of trauma to the tree and consequently all the foliage died off (see photo)
I've had this (complete foliage dieback) happen only once before, this was due to my watering system failing....but it bounced back fine with alittle TLC. In actual fact it back budded so heavily that I had nearly double the ramification as I did prior to the dieback.
Therefore I''m not really asking for advice, but more to the point, I hope to document the regrowth and future revival of what looks like a very sick tree. I've heard Pup say it in the past (both on this forum and to me in person) never give up on a Melaleuca....sage advice I say.
Not the best of photos...but you get the idea.

Cheers!
Anthony

[Naimul]

Im loving the trunk and bark texture on that

[banksia]

Im loving the trunk and bark texture on that

....Thanks mate!....unfortunately that's all there is to admire atm

Cheers!
Anthony

[Pup]

That will be fine mate just seasol and water. It will bounce back.

Cheers Pup

[Isitangus]

Hailstorm-could be a new bonsai technique??? I can just picture all of us bonsai crazies running around put our trees out during a storm

[kcpoole]

Hailstorm-could be a new bonsai technique??? I can just picture all of us bonsai crazies running around put our trees out during a storm

It will also break branches clean off, and break pots as well
Not advisable way to go if you only want selective pruning

Nice tree Banksia, hope it recovers and documenting it will be good.

Ken

[Andrew F]

Wow Anthony, wonderful Mel. True Australian bonsai at its finest. Look forward to its recovery and refinement.

[GavinG]

Very fine tree, best of luck with the recovery.

Gavin

[treeman]

Very nice natural looking tree. I like! WA seems to be the Melaleuca state..

[EdwardH]

Great looking tree. I'm sure that it will bounce back.

[banksia]

Thanks for all the encouraging comments people. As said earlier, I'll document it's recovery (hopefully )

Cheers!
Anthony

[Ryceman3]

How's it look a couple of months on??? Love to see it!

[banksia]

So a few months on and it seems to have bounced back quite well. I'd say about a 90% recovery all in all.
We've had some pretty hot days here, and it was during these that a little of new growth got dried out. Some areas fired back stronger than others and some small branchlets never shot
Things could've been worse though..so I'm grateful she's recovered to this degree. All I have to do now is trim out the dead twigs and get down to wiring the new growth and take it from there.
Thanks for the advice given.

Cheers!
Anthony

[Boics]

Splendid specimen!

Great to see it back to health.

[banksia]

Cheers Mate! The tree is far from perfect, as are a lot of my collection. I joined a great club, but was unable to attend regularly, due to work, family and the fact that I live an hour and a half away from the meeting venue. My bonsai journey so far is pretty much self-taught. So therefore a lot of traditional flaws exsist in my trees...but beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.

Cheers!
Anthony