bdmatt
Mame
Premna microphylla is one of my favorite species. They bud back crazy, grow rather quickly, are forgiving, and is easy to reduce their leaves. I don't work with many tropicals but I absolute adore the premna and plan on getting many more.
My first premna came from a grower in Puerto Rico and was delivered in early November 2022. It also was the first tree I purchased and shipped from outside the country.
Unfortunately, the tree suffered its first few months and quickly dropped its leaves. I'm guessing shipping the tree over winter from a tropical island to Socal was too much for the tree to handle. Temperatures reached high 30s and low 40s in my area. Photos below are from Nov 14, 2022 and January 1, 2023. (In hindsight, a repot after its leaves dropped and in the dead of winter may have stalled its recovery time. In my defense, water would not penetrate its previous soil.)
From December to May, the tree had no foliage. I was sure it was dead having no foliage for half a year, but a monthly scratch test reassured me it was still alive. It was until late June, I noticed very small buds popping out everywhere.
From July to September, the tree exploded in growth. The apex died, but luckily there several shoots growing that could replace it.
This is a photo of the tree today. There was so much growth that a lot of the interior leaves were weakening due to being shaded. I decided to cut some larger extensions to allow light to penetrate. Overall, I didn't prune much, just enough to allow light inside.
I'm still learning how to take care of this species, so any tips would be appreciated. This premna in particular is far from being a decent tree, but I hope to learn a lot from it. As of now, I'm not really focused on its design, just looking to stabilize its health.
My first premna came from a grower in Puerto Rico and was delivered in early November 2022. It also was the first tree I purchased and shipped from outside the country.
Unfortunately, the tree suffered its first few months and quickly dropped its leaves. I'm guessing shipping the tree over winter from a tropical island to Socal was too much for the tree to handle. Temperatures reached high 30s and low 40s in my area. Photos below are from Nov 14, 2022 and January 1, 2023. (In hindsight, a repot after its leaves dropped and in the dead of winter may have stalled its recovery time. In my defense, water would not penetrate its previous soil.)
From December to May, the tree had no foliage. I was sure it was dead having no foliage for half a year, but a monthly scratch test reassured me it was still alive. It was until late June, I noticed very small buds popping out everywhere.
From July to September, the tree exploded in growth. The apex died, but luckily there several shoots growing that could replace it.
This is a photo of the tree today. There was so much growth that a lot of the interior leaves were weakening due to being shaded. I decided to cut some larger extensions to allow light to penetrate. Overall, I didn't prune much, just enough to allow light inside.
I'm still learning how to take care of this species, so any tips would be appreciated. This premna in particular is far from being a decent tree, but I hope to learn a lot from it. As of now, I'm not really focused on its design, just looking to stabilize its health.
