AusBonsai

this is my first time trying a Shohin i really want to put an entry in for the next comp so i thought i might as well get my hands dirty with sap Hopefully get the feel for it. All tips and advice will be kept completely confidential so i can hopefully win a sticker for the fridge
ps still working on taking decent photos but they are getting better, if only marginally

I see what you mean about the photography but we can just see what you've managed to achieve.

I can't see any problems with what you've done. It should produce buds all over the place. As the branches develop you can work out which bits to keep and which to prune off.

Have you scratched around the trunk to se where the roots are? Commercial production growers often put the small plant in the bottom of a larger pot then top up with mix which means the roots are all way down in the pot. A well shaped small tree suddenly ends up as a nicely shaped small tree on a long straight trunk when you repot
Fortunately callistemons are good at growing new roots so, even if it was potted that way it may have new roots around the trunk just under the surface

That looks good. I have something similar underway.

Hi Kane...cheers mate...don't be shy chuck up a pic of your tree and compare notes, in a year we can see how far we have both progressed

hi Shibui...sorry mate, i should have given a short spiel,i got it from Tumut Landcare Nursery where i do volunteer work, it was one of about 100 tube stock that were being tossed as they were all heavily root bound when i got it home i cut the root ball in half. It did bugger all for about 2 months, and in the last 4, shot everywhere. This is it's 2nd hack. Squeezed the pot and it's quite firm, so a root prune is in order (not sure if it's a bit late tho). Feeding it blood and bone with camellia/azalea fert. Soil is a native mix that gets sent down from Sid en knee . I noticed that when it was root bound, the branches, tho very thin/tiny and small all had the paper bark and gnarled twisted look, small hardened leaves, either from being severely root bound or lack of fert (misted twice a day) i hope to emulate that if possible. What do you reckon?

You are aiming at Shohin size so fast growing techniques can do more harm than good. I think you are on the right track in growing it slowly in smallish pots. My best small trees were all developed that way but it still takes years of patience.
Just don't let it get too root bound. My experience has been that root bound trees die in summer because water cannot penetrate the pot properly. At this time of year it should make it through to spring. I'd repot in October or November I think.

My waterswept callistemon started life just like yours as a pot bound, end of year throw out from the landcare nursery.

tried to find your wind swept on your page but alas must not have survived the move to the new server

Here's a link to a recent thread with a photo viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23338&hilit=+waterswept
Note that I've labelled this one 'waterswept' rather than windswept. Styling is suggested by the trees that grow in the rivers around this area. The ones that germinate on the rocks in the river bed are subjected to annual flooding and all have similar characteristics - elongated branches pointing downstream, roots flowing over the rocks seeking footholds and nutrients from the cracks, damage to upstream side of the trunks from being bashed by debris in the floods so that is what I've tried to incorporate into the bonsai. I like to think this is a unique Australian style
Mine is a bit bigger than shohin - around 35cm tall and 50-60cm long but it may give some inspiration to play more with native trees.