My Ugly Tea

just.wing.it · Dec 11, 2016

I can't remember where I originally posted this ugly Fukien Tea tree of mine....so new thread...
As purchased: Quite shaggy, and full of white mealy bugs, mid October 2016.

After initial thinning:

And yesterday, I thinned it again because I saw that the bigger leaves were shading many new buds and young shoots....then I said, well, it's already got a few downward growing, droopy looking branches...so I wired it up a little bit, to bring more branches down.....

Underdog · Dec 11, 2016

I've just gotten 2 of these very recently and will watch your thread as these are my first.
One is S shaped like this my sister sent me from Wiggarts just last week and the other one is a straight trunk I brought back from Miami at the end of November.

Love the tropical in the winter!

just.wing.it · Dec 11, 2016

Nice! Great to play with over winter.

Hank Miller · Dec 12, 2016

Have you considered removing the 2 lowest branches - the one on the bottom left and the next lowest on the right?
Hank

just.wing.it · Dec 12, 2016

Hank Miller said:
Have you considered removing the 2 lowest branches - the one on the bottom left and the next lowest on the right?
Hank

I have... and I might, next year...
They do look weird....especially that super low one...
Just gonna leave em for now, let the tree regain some vigor...

petegreg · Dec 12, 2016

Yes, use them, let them run free for trunk thickening, they can be removed later. Daemons closes wounds well.

just.wing.it · Dec 12, 2016

petegreg said:
Yes, use them, let them run free for trunk thickening, they can be removed later. Daemons closes wounds well.

Yeah, I want to get some more thickness in the base...
The other branches, I'll keep clipping new shoots to try and get back budding to chase em back and tighten up the pads, get some branch ramification going on...

petegreg · Dec 12, 2016

Daemons instead of Carmonas... How I love autocorrection...

just.wing.it · Dec 12, 2016

petegreg said:
Daemons instead of Carmonas... How I love autocorrection...

Figured....

Anthony · Dec 13, 2016

The answer is - sadly - ground grow in a colander - zone 9/8 in the ground.
Trunk takes about 3 years.

Wanna teleport to down here and I do the deed.

Maybe a friend in Florida ?

Wood roots even when very mature, watch the wounds.
Good growing to you.
Good Day
Anthony

petegreg · Dec 13, 2016

Anthony said:
The answer is - sadly - ground grow in a colander - zone 9/8 in the ground.
Trunk takes about 3 years.

Right, mine showed some signs of trunk thickening after some 5 years in the pot. The bark 's started cracking.

Anthony said:
Wood roots even when very mature, watch the wounds.

I can support this with a picture...The former top of the first one, cut and put in DE in spring + bag for higher humidity, rooted very quickly, trunk size 1,5-2cm.

petegreg · Dec 13, 2016

I looked under the hood to show you the wounds...cut this spring, the max size is 2,5 cm, you can see the remnants of putty. Just make the cuts deeper than you would do on other species to avoid re-cutting. The calluse is very thick and will make bulges if the cut is too shallow.

just.wing.it · Dec 13, 2016

petegreg said:
I looked under the hood to show you the wounds...cut this spring, the max size is 2,5 cm, you can see the remnants of putty. Just make the cuts deeper than you would do on other species to avoid re-cutting. The calluse is very thick and will make bulges if the cut is too shallow.
View attachment 125777 View attachment 125778

Good stuff there!
Yeah, mine has a few bulging wounds...

petegreg · Dec 13, 2016

Thanks and you are welcome.

just.wing.it · Dec 13, 2016

At least one of the wounds on my tree appears to have stopped rolling over, and the exposed wood is black.
I'll get into it with my little knob cutters and rewound the edges in the summer.
Maybe I can close em up like yours.

petegreg · Dec 13, 2016

And one more note, mine are kept indoors, so no enemies like rain, high air humidity can harm healing cuts. The bigger grows in 100% zeolite and the rooted top in 100% DE, I can't see any difference.

just.wing.it · Dec 13, 2016

petegreg said:
And one more note, mine are kept indoors, so no enemies like rain, high air humidity can harm healing cuts. The bigger grows in 100% zeolite and the rooted top in 100% DE, I can't see any difference.

How about summertime?
Do you ever put them outside?

petegreg · Dec 13, 2016

just.wing.it said:
How about summertime?
Do you ever put them outside?

I would like, but no room on my balconies. I know people do not like hearing this, but indoor, E-facing window sill is their permanent place.

Anthony · Dec 13, 2016

This is a hedging material, they love sun. Lots of it.
With hedge material, almost any shape is possible.
Comes in 3 sizes of leaf.

Makes excellent under 3 inch [ 8 cm ] Bonsai.

We feed them on 1/3 strength lawn fertilizer to hold the deep rich green during the dry season [ no rain ].

Nothing, but good things to say.

Try a Sageretia t as well.

Please note this a zone 7 outdoor hedging material in China ------- deciduous.
As usual can be acclimated for commercial sales for indoors.
Maybe zone 8 in a Bonsai pot.
Needs bright light, burns in our sun. Or use morning sun.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/20/46/bc/2046bc28adaa3da3b97eb36e07563de8.jpg

http://www.bonsai-creation.com/images/bonsai_fiche/1191519608_sageretia.jpg

These are the standard indoor plants from China,

[1] Sageretia t
[2] Serissa s [ now known as cultivars only one Serissa ]
[3] Chinese elm - southern - valley tree
[4] Fukien tea
[5] Ligustrum [ this one really grows beautifully ] not Tropical dies after 4 years down here in the Tropics.
[6 ] Podocarpus.

These will give the most excellent tree type shapes. No big cuts on the Sageretia t. [ called Sparrow's plum ] they rot
This big [ ] is the limit.

Hope this helps?
Good Day
Anthony

petegreg · Dec 13, 2016

Anthony said:
These are the standard indoor plants from China,

[1] Sageretia t
[2] Serissa s [ now known as cultivars only one Serissa ]
[3] Chinese elm - southern - valley tree
[4] Fukien tea
[5] Ligustrum [ this one really grows beautifully ] not Tropical dies after 4 years down here in the Tropics.
[6 ] Podocarpus.

These will give the most excellent tree type shapes. No big cuts on the Sageretia t. [ called Sparrow's plum ] they rot
This big [ ] is the limit.

Hope this helps?
Good Day
Anthony

Good list, I grow them all, plus Duranta erecta. Duranta can stand placing over the heating with figs. But have documented in another thread. CHEs and podocarpus with cold wintering.

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