Walking the dog...

[MJL]

I walk the dog most evenings - today, a little earlier than normal to take advantage of a break in Melbourne’s feral weather. What’s this got to do with Bonsai? Well this...

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Noticing these two trees by a bin ... I was intrigued. Could I? Should I? Of course ... I knocked on the door and felt reasonably weird and uncomfortable - for start, my dog was causing numerous dogs in inside the said house to to go nuts and the owner seemed none too pleased - maybe because of his dogs, maybe because of me. Anyway he opened the front door - I still could not see him through his security door but I politely asked if he was chucking the trees out and if so ... could I please take ‘em. Sure - came the quizzical response.

Ok - now it’s raining again and I have two trees and a dog walking in the rain ... it did not help that Hadley the pooch then decided to take a dump! Now I had two trees, a bag of poo and a dog ....in horizontal rain! Strange times indeed.

Anyway ... here they are when they arrived home. The trunks at the base are 1-1.5” thick.

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But the small one looks really sick and I am not sure how long they have been out of the ground. No time to waste..... I think ... let’s repot ‘em now!

It’s now pissing down and I am outside with my family questioning my sanity.

Here they are post operation. Did I choose the right time? Only time with tell.

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In truth - I reckon the one of the left is history —- looks sick. The one on the right - more of a chance but hey - what have I got to lose?

Bl@@dy fun this hobby.

And now not only do my family think I am strange ... so too my neighbours and maybe folk on this forum too.

By the way - any idea on what I have landed from the photos above?

Cheers,

Mark


Bonsai teaches me patience.

[boom64]

Hi Mark ,
I for one don't think you are crazy ,exactly the way a good bonsai addict should react. I did the same thing several years ago ,go out with dog come home with several Buxus trees and dog .Still have the Trees. Partners soon get used to this type of behavior ,mine didn't even give mine a second glance ,more concerned about the dog..
Not very good on identifying Trees ,number two in the second photo looks like a crab with both of its claws raised. Hope they make it. Both look like natives so a good time to pot up. Cheers John.

[DangerousDave]

Hi Mark
Both Callistemon. Could be quite a number of different species. Plenty in cultivation. Others more local might be able to help further with what’s likely there.
Looks to me like you got them in time. If the reserves are there and the roots weren’t stuffed then they should back bud no worries. Good luck
Dave

[MJL]

Thanks John and Dave.

I hope the ‘crab’ survives! John... if it does survive - the progression series will have crab in the title in some way!

Also - it was rather strange and I can’t figure it out. Both plants had something akin to flyscreen about an inch under their rootball?

So .... when I collected them - as the photo shows - both root balls were wide - not deep and I had to cut roots pretty severely to get rid of that mesh. Also - the roots were growing circular. I can’t figure it out - was it a weed mat? A weed mat in pot? A bit of a mystery for my simple skull.


Bonsai teaches me patience.

[Raging Bull]

Good score coming home with that (not the dog poo ). The "weed mat" may have been someone's attempt to start a bonsai and then given up on it? Looks like they did you a favour in creating a spreading root system.
Cheers, Frank.