SoHem Nation, Kiwi Check-in.

[Greenman99]

Think your absolutely right about that. Only the rootsystem gained, so that's part of the establishing. If I would replant it again next Spring it will stay in the establishing phase. Stems will never develop like this. A little too ambitious (read impatience ). Gonna try to make a growbox big enough so it can develop for couple of years without disturbing. And portable. Thanks @BubblePopScott

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi all,
The start of Summer here and a few photos to share.
First two are of a couple of Southern Rata. I think these are a natural dwarf cultivar of Rata as I found no way of gaining trunk girth as they don’t throw great leaders, although short compact growth will help the Shohin set up.


Also am trying a Mountain Beech (Fuscaspora solandri) as a forest. Just set up this a few months back, they survived the ordeal, give them a couple of years, reposition the trunks so you can see them all, and then a bit of ramification.

23 trees I think, and 1.5 m tall. I am thinking of chopping the outsides to stop any girth, and eventually shorten this whole forest to around 75-100cm. Comments welcome,
Charles

 

[SpOoNzL]

Hi Charles. I like your little Rata's, pretty flowers. As for the Beech forest I think the trees with bigger trunks need to be brought forward, you want the trees with the thickest trunks to be like the feature trees of the planting. I feel you have planted the ones with the biggest trunk more in the middle witch for my eye is like hidden and I keep looking at the smaller trees in front of it. I also feel some of the skinny trees could of be planted closer together. As for trimming I wouldn't touch them Id want those roots to fuse and all the trunks to thicken so it looks more dense.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi Charles. I like your little Rata's, pretty flowers. As for the Beech forest I think the trees with bigger trunks need to be brought forward, you want the trees with the thickest trunks to be like the feature trees of the planting. I feel you have planted the ones with the biggest trunk more in the middle witch for my eye is like hidden and I keep looking at the smaller trees in front of it. I also feel some of the skinny trees could of be planted closer together. As for trimming I wouldn't touch them Id want those roots to fuse and all the trunks to thicken so it looks more dense.

Hi,
Thank you for your critique, as all opinions are worthwhile. I do see what you are saying about the composition. Yep more of the main tree as central focus.
I am pondering doing another repot this next winter to reposition the trees somewhat before the trunks and roots get too difficult to separate etc.
Charles

 

[Greenman99]

Hi all, finally repotted and pruned my Fuchsia excorticata and transplant into selfmade growbox. Here it can develop next couple of years. Flowerbuds already popped out couple of weeks ago, now also leaves starting to appear. Splitpoint of the trunk has a weird black colouration, as if it was burned. See last pic. Although quite sure the only fires in my backyard never left the BBQ last summer. Could it be kind of a fungus? In the center of the trunk wood is kind of crumbling. It's dry and hard, does look like rotting.

 

[SpOoNzL]

@Greenman99 if its not smoke for the BBQ id say its most likely soot fungus. Our native Manuka plant is often covered in it. It seems to happen more on the Manuka where the bush is quite dense so I'm assuming it happens due to poor/low air circulation combined with higher humidity. If you keep it in the green house over the winter that could be why. Id spray it with a diluted white vinegar solution leave for 10-15 mins then wash off.

 

[Greenman99]

Thanks @SpOoNzL. There is some ventilation in the greenhouse but probably not enough. Will try the vinegar treatment and keep it in open air as long as it's not freezing.

 

[Greenman99]

Gave fuchsia excorticata the diluted vinegar treatment. Blackened bark on the lower sections of the 3 trunks is peeling off. Flowers and leaves seems healthy. Just see how it develops in the next months.

 

[Greenman99]

Today pruned crown of my Kauri. Sticky business as branches are not woody but very fibrous and bleeding thick white glue-like sap. Tried to seal every cutted branch with wound pasta. Besides some minor leaks, most of them are sealed. There's a lot of preasure on the sap stream. Also did some wiring. Hope the pruned branches make new buds and ramify. Give it a couple of weeks to recover and than repotting it n a larger growbox. As @KiwiPlantGuy suggested I'll try a 2nd pruning on the new growth around longest day. Cheers.

 

[Greenman99]

Finally repotted the Kauri into a wooden growbox. Rootball looked very healthy, did some minor root pruning. Compared to last year when I repotted it from organic soil into akadama/lava mix rootball gained with some 30%. Lot of fine feeder roots. Put it in a mix 55/45 kiryuzuna/akadama. In case of any presence of mycorrhiza also added a little of the old soil mix. Will give it some blood and bone after 4 weeks and mulch it with a layer of leaves. Let's see how it will respond!

 

[Greenman99]

A little fun with 1 year old seedlings NZ Kanuka and Kowhai.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi,
You are having great fun with NZ natives I can see. Apparently the Kanuka/Manuka can be really grumpy with any root work done. Have you found this, or too soon in your journey?
I would love to try and collect one from up north (Auckland way) but I get nervous thinking about it.
Charles

 

[Greenman99]

Hi, tried some Manuka couple of years ago. Only in containers on the teracce, not as bonsai. Indeed I read they don't like root work. We'll see how Kanuka will respond. Will plant some in full ground, some in growboxes. Having quite some of them, a few may die.

These little ones were actually left behind in last years seed tray. Wanted to throw them away, when I remembered having some very tiny pots.

As they grow fast you could order seeds. Saves you a trip to the North and you'll have enough to experiment on

How is your Kahikatea Forrest doing?

 

[SpOoNzL]

@Greenman99 Unsure if you ment my Kahikatea forest on your last post of if Charles has one also (if so id like to see it). Anyways it is a nice day here so took a pic of how my forest looks today and added a photo of how it looked 6 months ago. Its starting to look abit better, I plan on trimming the back 5 trees next spring and letting the front 2 run wild to increase there trunks maybe for another season.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi, tried some Manuka couple of years ago. Only in containers on the teracce, not as bonsai. Indeed I read they don't like root work. We'll see how Kanuka will respond. Will plant some in full ground, some in growboxes. Having quite some of them, a few may die.

These little ones were actually left behind in last years seed tray. Wanted to throw them away, when I remembered having some very tiny pots.

As they grow fast you could order seeds. Saves you a trip to the North and you'll have enough to experiment on

How is your Kahikatea Forrest doing?

Hi,
Um, I have a NZ beech forest in the making, which has grown real wild this year. I recently bought a book on forests and their design by Saburo Kato via Stone Lantern, and I have now realised that all my 7plus forests have been designed incorrectly. So after another year in the boxes I will uplift them all and start the process again. I also have a Totara forest in the making (in a big black crate), so I need to build a box and try and get the design sorted.
I see @SpOoNzL has reminded us that he has the Kahikatea forest, which is coming along nicely.
Charles

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

@Greenman99 Unsure if you ment my Kahikatea forest on your last post of if Charles has one also (if so id like to see it). Anyways it is a nice day here so took a pic of how my forest looks today and added a photo of how it looked 6 months ago. Its starting to look abit better, I plan on trimming the back 5 trees next spring and letting the front 2 run wild to increase there trunks maybe for another season.

Hi,
I have probably said this before so sorry if I have, but I would love to see one of these planted in a 5-10 litre bucket for a few years then planting the others around it. I guess the other method is to plant what you have REAL close (like just a finger/thumb between trees and and grow them as 1 tree.
Charles

 

[Greenman99]

@Greenman99 Unsure if you ment my Kahikatea forest on your last post of if Charles has one also (if so id like to see it). Anyways it is a nice day here so took a pic of how my forest looks today and added a photo of how it looked 6 months ago. Its starting to look abit better, I plan on trimming the back 5 trees next spring and letting the front 2 run wild to increase there trunks maybe for another season.

@SpOoNzL yes indeed I mixed up your Kahikateas with @KiwiPlantGuy 's Beech. The' re doing fine I see. Like the idea of trimming the ones in the back next Spring.

 

[Greenman99]

Hi,
Um, I have a NZ beech forest in the making, which has grown real wild this year. I recently bought a book on forests and their design by Saburo Kato via Stone Lantern, and I have now realised that all my 7plus forests have been designed incorrectly. So after another year in the boxes I will uplift them all and start the process again. I also have a Totara forest in the making (in a big black crate), so I need to build a box and try and get the design sorted.
I see @SpOoNzL has reminded us that he has the Kahikatea forest, which is coming along nicely.
Charles

Interesting that youre going to re-design your forrests. I remembered your beech forrest in the making was very tall. Lot of possibilities I guess. Also curious at your totara forrest. Will have a look at the book you mentioned. I like the forrest styles.

 

[SpOoNzL]

Hi,
I have probably said this before so sorry if I have, but I would love to see one of these planted in a 5-10 litre bucket for a few years then planting the others around it. I guess the other method is to plant what you have REAL close (like just a finger/thumb between trees and and grow them as 1 tree.
Charles

I see where your coming from I guess for this small planting I am going to try a more farmland grove type planting rather then a true forest much like in the first picture I have attached. Since I do like Kahikateas so much I may try to purchase some larger trees in winter and make a more medium size forest with those trees planted closer together abit like the 2nd picture. Kahikatea forests can be quite diverse as you can see by the photos.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Interesting that youre going to re-design your forrests. I remembered your beech forrest in the making was very tall. Lot of possibilities I guess. Also curious at your totara forrest. Will have a look at the book you mentioned. I like the forrest styles.

Hi,
So it seems from the book on forests that I/we are supposed to grow all the forest (eg.beech) of the varying girth in either 1 or 2 or 3 per pot. I think this will definitely help create a more random look, like 2 or 3 seeds landed together then germinated.
My forest of beeches has grown really tall, another 50-75cm from that photo, as I was trying to get girth increase but this would be slow process. I will prune this quite heavily this winter and get a triangular look.
I have a NZ beech growing as an Informal upright bonsai, and shall post it here also, as they ramify mega fast as I get 3 flushes re cut and grow etc. per year. I am still trying to figure out the pad thing, probably need to use wire.
Charles