AusBonsai

Hello!
I’m new here and to bonsai in general.
I got this plat last week, do you know what type of Melaleuca is it?
The water here in israel contain a lot of salts, what can I do about that? Will it be a problem for this tree?

Adi

Hi Adi,
Welcome!
I’ll start with the bad news first. I don’t know definitively what your tree is.
My two picks from your pics are either Mel Armillaris or Mel Ericifolia. Not sure how prevalent either are in Israel but still, hard to say for me from those shots, I’m no expert.
The good news, not sure it matters terribly for now. Both are good bonsai candidates so take care of the tree and watch it develop into something great if you can keep it alive!
Water, fert etc and you will see great growth over a reasonably short period of time. In terms of the salts in the water, mmm... I don’t have that problem so never considered it but if the tree has lasted that long in Israel, I guess it’s OK!?!??

Welcome to Ausbonsai.
There are many different melaleucas so it can be difficult to tell which is which just from leaves and bark. To make it even more difficult we have selected different forms of many species that have slightly different leaf shape and colour. If/when it flowers we will have a much better chance of an accurate ID.
Many melaleucas are tolerant of high salt level as they are trees of the seaside and estuaries. Some actually grow with the roots in salty water.
To keep salt levels down make sure you water well with enough water to flush out any accumulated salts.

Looks close to raphiophylla. Take pic of shoots growing in full sun.