Callistemon Viminalis - Air Layer Status

[Firstflush]

After about 4 months I decided to separate this from the yard tree. Bottlebursh as a workable bonsai species popped up on here and other places so I decided to give it a go. Maybe a 3 inch girth. The bark shows it’s plus 40 years age, can be peeled and stripped. A slight curve to one side. The leader just happened to be a gift and a perfect cut point. The limb was 6 plus feet.

The cut ring was bridged a small amount but It also looked like it could be root material as well. About a third of the cut had nice white roots up to several inches through the sphagnum. Hopefully that will be enough roots. Also, the small new bud/branch was forming below the lower cut ring. I used more rooting hormone during potting on the roots and cut ring. We shall see.

 

[Firstflush]

Would you clean up the cut above the leader now or wait until recovery?

 

[Shibui]

C. viminalis is really tough and can handle big chops and massive root reduction so I have no doubt yours will thrive now.
Leave the chop until the new leader is growing strong. The stump will die back to natural sap flow paths then reduce the stump back to the live section and seal to allow better healing.
many Australian trees feature natural dead wood as a result of frequent drought and fires so consider dead wood as part of the eventual design.

It is likely you'll soon see lots of new shoots poking through the old bark as a result of the trunk chop. C. viminalis buds profusely on older wood, sometimes without any pruning! A very useful trait for developing bonsai from cut down stumps.

Most of us down here repot in summer when the trees are active s they seem to respond quicker and better than repot when dormant in winter but growers in warm areas have found that repot year round is OK too.