AusBonsai

This is a small bottlebrush I collected 4 weeks ago. It had been growing under powerlines and has been smashed by mowers for a number of years.
My plans are to split this tree into 2 individuals unless someone can suggest a style that might suit its present shape. Just showing signs of regrowth.
Can anyone tell me if Callistemons take bare rooting as this one has a pretty solid clump of clay attached to the roots. I will leave it in the ground for a year
untl it establishes itself, but I would like to put it into a growing pot and when I do I would like to remove all of the clay.

Regards

Steve W

Hi Steve
In my experience callistemon don't like being bare rooted and will sulk for a while. If you do some root work they can drop all their foliage and take a while to recover. I would keep the original soil (or clay) and pot it up into a free draining mix. Let it grow on for at least 12 months to develop some more roots before bare rooting it. I have nearly a 100 % failure rate with collected bottlebrush up here in Brissy - usually there is too much clay to get a decent amount of roots with them. Good luck !

Tony

Best you let it recover I have never had the clay problem with them as most of our soil is very sandy. I have barerooted Melaleuca rhaphiophylla not by choice the sand just fell away.
Back to the Bottle brush. If you are nervous about bare rooting it,and still wish to replace the clay soil.
Think of a pizza or cake, take some and leave some of the slices.

Then when you put fresh soil in where the space is new roots will find the way to it then repeat the process. till you have replaced all the soil.
A digging tip for collectors if you have access to water, or can manage to take enough to soak the soil ( Natives ) it makes them easier to dig also the soil is moist, for the tree as it is moved to its new pot or box.

When I have had occasion to dig from a clay swamp I have done it when it is very wet, IE wet season or winter.

Cheers Pup

Thanks Pup and Tony for your advice.

This came out of a very wet area and the clay was soft, so it was easy to remove with a good amount of root.
I have been pocking a stick into the clay and forcing some good mix into it. Hopefully by continuing this process and
watering with seasol I will be able to get a good result over the next 12 months.

Thanks again

Steve W.

Steve W wrote:Thanks Pup and Tony for your advice.

This came out of a very wet area and the clay was soft, so it was easy to remove with a good amount of root.
I have been pocking a stick into the clay and forcing some good mix into it. Hopefully by continuing this process and
watering with seasol I will be able to get a good result over the next 12 months.

Thanks again

Steve W.

You will mate Callistemon are one of our hardiest plants.

I only have one bottle brush that I have had for 6 years and after growing out in the ground have worked on for several years. After some advice I have bare rooted it a couple of times.
Didn't miss a beat. Both times where in early spring just as the buds where opening. I thought I was a little late but it did not seem to mind. I don't see any reason to bare root again and will just get a trim each year now I think.

I also collected a couple of large ones from clay soil late Autumn. The first I got out with a large intact root ball. Trimmed it back some and repotted. I was careful to save as much foliage as possible as I have had them do weird things just from a hard cutback. This hardly missed a beat and is now going great. It still sits at the edge of the veranda just poking out but gets full sun in the late afternoon.
The second one I was less careful with and chopped back quite hard only leaving minimum foliage on and it came out bare rooted with minimal fine roots. Although smaller I think this one was the better tree It slowly dropped most of it's leaves over Winter and is just starting to bud out again. Looks like all branches will survive. It is still in the shade house.

Thanks Bretts for the info.
Thats encouraging to know. I am tempted to get it out of the ground and into a grow box (didn't have one ready when I collected it) as soon as possible but I think attempting it this season may be frought with danger. PATIENCE someone once said.
Do you think transplanting to a grow box this season is a little risky.

Regards

Steve W

I hear that collected trees recover better in the ground but I always feel safer in a pot as I can monitor the soil miosture better.
Common sense tells me that if it has only just been put in the ground then it will not hurt to swap to a pot now but can't say for sure.
I would lean towards just leaving well enough alone but of course your choice