Picked up some Callistemon stock today

Lou T

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Found a few of these in the “rehab section” of my local nursery today. Picked the one I thought had the most character. Paid 10 bones for it. Going to bury the nebari and put it in a larger pot to let it fatten up and get healthy for a season. I’ll reevaluate next season to see if it’s ready for a hard-prune/ trunk chop. I believe it’s a dwarf variety.

D5342468-8ACE-4480-90E1-1C44E224E27C.jpegF441B3CF-4A25-4A73-AFA5-5641225B3FC9.jpegD0A63F4E-0190-481F-8324-2F913A970517.jpeg22DFD54D-0A5B-450F-87E7-D357B0FF6DA9.jpegBA57E971-C0FF-4E32-9D57-461B2448D5F1.jpeg
 

Starfox

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Nice little pick up, it definitely has good movement and interesting taper.
It looks healthy enough too, Id' be tempted to wait and see if it flowers then cut it back a bit this season and at the same time try to get some good soil in there.
Still not bad for a tenner.
 

Shibui

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I have found all callistemon I have tried to be excellent bonsai material. They sprout very well from older, bare wood. Sometimes too well and I need to remove unwanted shoots from the trunk of my oldest C. seiberii.
Not fussy about fertiliser so you can use any fert on them.
Getting good movement into the lower trunk before it hardens gives great results so you have chosen a good specimen.
Tolerate root pruning best during the warmer months while actively growing.

Good luck with yours.
 

Lou T

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Nice little pick up, it definitely has good movement and interesting taper.
It looks healthy enough too, Id' be tempted to wait and see if it flowers then cut it back a bit this season and at the same time try to get some good soil in there.
Still not bad for a tenner.
Aye I see you right there my friend. Not in such bad shape, just needs a little attention at the roots. I don’t have much experience with species aside from in the landscape but shows me it’s a resilient one. The nursery has so much stock that they seem to forget about stuff in their acre or so yard. They know me as the dude who rolls in and combs through. Usually open for haggling which is cool.

I have found all callistemon I have tried to be excellent bonsai material. They sprout very well from older, bare wood. Sometimes too well and I need to remove unwanted shoots from the trunk of my oldest C. seiberii.
Not fussy about fertiliser so you can use any fert on them.
Getting good movement into the lower trunk before it hardens gives great results so you have chosen a good specimen.
Tolerate root pruning best during the warmer months while actively growing.

Good luck with yours.
Thanks for the insight. I’m going to let it take off for a few months and see where we end up. Repping one of your island’s darlings. I’ll try to do ya well. Do you have any photos of specimen in this genus you’ve worked with?
 

Lou T

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Nice little pick up, it definitely has good movement and interesting taper.
It looks healthy enough too, Id' be tempted to wait and see if it flowers then cut it back a bit this season and at the same time try to get some good soil in there.
Still not bad for a tenner.
Forgot to ask, what would be your reasoning for waiting to see if it flowers? Eventually I’m going to cut it all the way back to after the curve. Was going to keep the top broom just as a factory for the growing season to fatten the base up a bit. Once that happens she’s gone though.
 

Starfox

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Forgot to ask, what would be your reasoning for waiting to see if it flowers? Eventually I’m going to cut it all the way back to after the curve. Was going to keep the top broom just as a factory for the growing season to fatten the base up a bit. Once that happens she’s gone though.

Well as Shibui said it is better to wait until warmer weather to do any major work and by the time it has flowered you should be well into the warmer months. That and frankly the flowers are the best bit about them, they look cool so I would want to enjoy them a bit first.
 

Ryceman3

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Looks like a promising trunk line. Agree with all said above, Shibui knows more than me when it comes to advice on Callistemon so I would refer to his bits of gold. I bought one off him a while back and it is still going strong - at least a couple of years now! Is yours a Little John? Looks that way to me (could be wrong) but if so, these are used regularly as bonsai material down here... root pruning during warmer months as already stated, other work Spring/early summer seems to be optimal, but probably can be lenient on that if required... enjoy! ??
 

Lou T

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Well as Shibui said it is better to wait until warmer weather to do any major work and by the time it has flowered you should be well into the warmer months. That and frankly the flowers are the best bit about them, they look cool so I would want to enjoy them a bit first.
Aye, I got ya. Not surprisingly, the dwarves and standards are common landscape pieces around here in Florida due to their exotic beauty. I’ve got one currently in my backyard about to explode with flowers. When I first observed Callistemon, I thought the old flowering structures were galls.

Looks like a promising trunk line. Agree with all said above, Shibui knows more than me when it comes to advice on Callistemon so I would refer to his bits of gold. I bought one off him a while back and it is still going strong - at least a couple of years now! Is yours a Little John? Looks that way to me (could be wrong) but if so, these are used regularly as bonsai material down here... root pruning during warmer months as already stated, other work Spring/early summer seems to be optimal, but probably can be lenient on that if required... enjoy! ??

Thanks! Yeah like I said there’s a whole gaggle of them sitting up there. Might take some more photos today when I ride past to see what you folks think. Definitely seen some abuse/neglect but it seems to have done them well.

View attachment 228474
This is my oldest calluistemon as bonsai. Not the best photo. Looks a lot better in person IMHO.

Damn that things a little tanker. A beaut indeed!
 
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