Callistemon Bottle Brush trunk chop - again?

[_thinkaboutit]

I collected this tree from a landscape about 4-5 weeks ago, I wouldn't say it had been growing vigorously but it was relatively healthy. The roots were not extensive but they looked healthy. Originally they stood about 8-9 ft tall. Being my first time collecting material I was a little hesitant to do a severe trunk chop so I chopped each trunk down to where the lowest growth was coming from. As you can see, the trunk on the left had some growth much lower. I am now thinking that I should have just chopped the other trunk (on the right) to the desired height. Is it OK to do that at this point? The trees seem to be doing well so far - they lost some leaves in the weeks right after I collected them but have since perked up a bit and the ends seem to be pushing new growth. They are in full morning sun, then shaded from the afternoon sun and misted with irrigation about 3-4 times a day. I am located in zone 9b.

Thanks!

 

[Starfox]

Are you northern or southern hemisphere?
If it's winter now I'd hold off until the warmer weather personally, it does seem healthy enough from the pic which is good after 5 weeks.

 

[_thinkaboutit]

Are you northern or southern hemisphere?
If it's winter now I'd hold off until the warmer weather personally, it does seem healthy enough from the pic which is good after 5 weeks.

I am in the northern hemisphere - Florida, USA to be specific. So our winter is extremely mild and at this point in the year I think it's safe to say we are in spring. I'm leaning towards just going ahead and chopping it. No use growing it out only to chop it off again next year...

 

[M. Frary]

No.
Wait at least a year for it to recover from the initial chop and collection.

 

[sorce]

No use

Think about it! I know that's what those ......'s were for....what did you come up with?

My thing is this.

You NEED to have the higher one now be shorter since it's thinner.
I'm not really for blind chops, so waiting for something lower to cut back to makes sense.

But then again.

If cutting it lower now Guarantees it's popping lower, like an elm, I would get the saw.

Welcome to Crazy.

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

like an elm

Nothing is like one of those.

 

[Shibui]

It would certainly have been better to do the chop lower in the first place. Now the tree has thrown reduced resources into new roots and the tops of the trunks. It needs some time to recover and store more energy before another chop. Callistemon are tough so maybe it could withstand a second chop now but there is also a good chance it might just decide to give up on that trunk and redirect energy to the other one that is already growing.
Chopping a recently collected tree will involve the trunk moving as you saw through. The new roots that are probably growing are extremely brittle for a few weeks. Trunk movement can be enough to break many requiring even more resources to start the roots again.
Just show some patience for now. let it recover for at least a few months. When it shows good new growth and maybe some roots at the drain holes you can chop far more safely.

 

[_thinkaboutit]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I think I'll be waiting for another few months and just let it gain some strength.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I think I'll be waiting for another few months and just let it gain some strength.

I don't think you understood ShiBui's suggestion. You really should wait one full YEAR, possibly two YEARS, for the trunks to build up enough energy to bud significantly lower after another chop back. The first time you dug this tree up and cut the trunks lower, the tree used up its reserves of stored energy making new roots and new buds. It takes more than a few weeks, or even more than a few months for a tree to rebuild reserves after being dug up and chopped. If this tree were mine, I would not touch it again until sometime in 2021, maybe not until 2022. But you are in Florida, things do grow quicker there, you might be fine with sometime in 2021.

 

[_thinkaboutit]

I don't think you understood ShiBui's suggestion. You really should wait one full YEAR, possibly two YEARS, for the trunks to build up enough energy to bud significantly lower after another chop back. The first time you dug this tree up and cut the trunks lower, the tree used up its reserves of stored energy making new roots and new buds. It takes more than a few weeks, or even more than a few months for a tree to rebuild reserves after being dug up and chopped. If this tree were mine, I would not touch it again until sometime in 2021, maybe not until 2022. But you are in Florida, things do grow quicker there, you might be fine with sometime in 2021.

Message received - I'll be holding off for a while and let this one gain strength.

 

[Bonsai Turtle]

Did you do anything with it? Updates?