Sophora prostrata Little Baby

[AJL]

Has anyone here tried growing this?I found it a half price sale in a garden centre sale. Its about 3 foot tall and has a nice naturally twisted shape and very small leaf
Looks as if it could make a nice Mame or shohin.
Does anyone advice on this please and will it root from cuttings ? I think Im going to be pruning a lot off it!!
Hopefully some of you Kiwis might be able to advise on this?!! How hardy is it?

 

[sorce]

I think you should take that full pic with the reduced sign covered.

Then reduce it and take another picture with the reduced seen.

It's not reduced yet.

Feels funny.

Looks fun.

Sorce

 

[penumbra]

Its a neat little semi evergreen from New Zealand. It is rated at zone 7A by some and 8A by others. Not an easy plant to find in garden centers here.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Whenever I see this plant, I get flashbacks to my carbon chemistry courses.
The branches of this tree tend to follow a similar pattern.

 

[AlainK]

I had one many years ago. It even produced a few flowers, but it died after one year.

The branches of this tree tend to follow a similar pattern.

A kind of fractal then ?...

 

[AJL]

Thanks to everyone! The English garden centre where I bought it had it outdoors, but I suspect its an Italian import! I will keep it in an unheated conservatory for winter then outside for the summer.
If any New Zealanders out there who know and grow this plant in its native home I would be grateful for any more info- how big and fast growing is it and can I grow it from cuttings?!

 

[Woocash]

+1 on this! Any advice from the down under bunch would be most gratefully received. Very cool looking and I love the tiny compound leaves. If it flowers, it promises to look like a mini laburnum perhaps? At 8.99 I couldn’t resist. How are you getting on with yours @AJL ?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@KiwiPlantGuy
@Starfox

Either of you know this species?

 

[Starfox]

@KiwiPlantGuy
@Starfox

Either of you know this species?

Sorry no, I had to google it so can´t really offer any more than google can and not familiar with any of the other Sophora´s.
Related to the Japanese Pagoda tree which used to be a Sophora before it was reclassified. It´s a pea type. None of that is overly useful, apologies.

The branching is cool on it though.

 

[Bnana]

I have one, it's only one year old but it's a nice little tree. I plan to keep it protected in winter as it's colder in the Netherlands than in NZ.
I couldn't find a lot of info either but it does grow quite fast.

 

[Woocash]

I have one, it's only one year old but it's a nice little tree. I plan to keep it protected in winter as it's colder in the Netherlands than in NZ.
I couldn't find a lot of info either but it does grow quite fast.

That’s interesting. After reading up, it’s one of the few that I’ll likely protect as well. I guess only being a year old you haven’t worked the roots yet? I know some plants from the area, especially evergreens and semi evergreens, are best worked and repotted in summer so I guess that’s my main concern. The rest I can figure out over time.

 

[fredman]

Has anyone here tried growing this

Yeah I have a few of the Sophora spesies. I tried growing prostrata in the ground (to fatten up) for a few years but turned out to much of a challenge. Not worth it IMO.
It has this tangled bushy growth style that makes it impossible to develop.
Scientists speculate it's entangled growth habit evolved together with the Moa (an extinct flightless bird spesies) that used to feed on it.
Worth it as a landscape plant for sure. It has beautiful yellow flowers early spring.

 

[Woocash]

Yeah I have a few of the Sophora spesies. I tried growing prostrata in the ground (to fatten up) for a few years but turned out to much of a challenge. Not worth it IMO.
It has this tangled bushy growth style that makes it impossible to develop.
Scientists speculate it's entangled growth habit evolved together with the Moa (an extinct flightless bird spesies) that used to feed on it.
Worth it as a landscape plant for sure. It has beautiful yellow flowers early spring.

Yay Fredman! Do you mean impossible to develop as proper bonsai? My thoughts were to play around and prune regularly keep it from leaving the silhouette, much like the contorted hazels. It’s such an interesting plant though, so it’ll just be nice to keep it small in a pot tbh.

When you say evolved with the Moa, do you mean in some symbiotic way or as it’s food source?

 

[fredman]

Yay Fredman! Do you mean impossible to develop as proper bonsai? My thoughts were to play around and prune regularly keep it from leaving the silhouette, much like the contorted hazels. It’s such an interesting plant though, so it’ll just be nice to keep it small in a pot tbh.

When you say evolved with the Moa, do you mean in some symbiotic way or as it’s food source?

Yes as the Moa's food source. The tree evolved a self defence strategy by growing into this twiggy bush...trying to hide it's leaves.

Interesting...I have it's bigger brother that i'm trying to work for some 8 years now
https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/sophora-microphylla/

It also has this growth habit but only in it's juvenile stage. I trim it every few years and it forms a dense ball of twigs again. Here it is. I trimmed it a few weeks ago again.



I'll just keep on keeping on with it until it moves on from it's juvinility

 

[fredman]

Do you mean impossible to develop as proper bonsai?

Yeah I don't see a way of doing a worth while bonsai from it. It likes forming this dense bush. I suppose you can go along with it's growth habit and keep it round and bushy...don't know what that'll look like. But the flowers makes it worth the while. It'll be a shower when it flowers for sure.
They're called Kowhai here in NZ...Maori name for them....means yellow. It's spring and they're starting to flower. It's a spectical when driving along a street planted with them.

 

[Bnana]

I'm also just growing it as a nice plant, not necessarily as a bonsai. I prefer a pretty natural kowhai over an ugly bonsai attempt.
S. prostrata has less spectacular flowers than the big species but still quite pretty.

 

[Woocash]

Yes as the Moa's food source. The tree evolved a self defence strategy by growing into this twiggy bush...trying to hide it's leaves.

Interesting...I have it's bigger brother that i'm trying to work for some 8 years now
https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/sophora-microphylla/

It also has this growth habit but only in it's juvenile stage. I trim it every few years and it forms a dense ball of twigs again. Here it is. I trimmed it a few weeks ago again.
View attachment 326687


I'll just keep on keeping on with it until it moves on from it's juvinility

Thanks Dude. Interesting about the defence mechanism, but you’d think it’d grow thorns like an acacia or suchlike! I’m glad it doesn’t, but I’d have thought that would make more sense...

Anyway, my main issue with these is best time to repot. When do you do yours? The little one I picked up has been sat in it’s nursery pot for several years now, by the looks of things and really looks like it needs to breathe again.

BTW, is it a possibility that the one above is being kept juvenile by regular pruning? Could just being left alone initiate the mature growth, perhaps? Just a query really.

 

[DonovanC]

Just my opinion.

 

[fredman]

Thanks Dude. Interesting about the defence mechanism, but you’d think it’d grow thorns like an acacia or suchlike! I’m glad it doesn’t, but I’d have thought that would make more sense...

Anyway, my main issue with these is best time to repot. When do you do yours? The little one I picked up has been sat in it’s nursery pot for several years now, by the looks of things and really looks like it needs to breathe again.

BTW, is it a possibility that the one above is being kept juvenile by regular pruning? Could just being left alone initiate the mature growth, perhaps? Just a query really.

Exactly what i'm thinking to. Why not just grow thorns...the twiggyness shades out its inner growth, and I don't think it protect much from a hungry pointy mouth. Anyway that's purely speculation from science.
I'm not sure for best time to repot. I'm doing the bigger one this weekend. I wait until it pushes growth. That to me means the roots are waking up.
@KiwiPlantGuy should be in soon. He'll know them better. They grow naturally around him.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi all,
So I been tagged twice now lol. Time to tell you I have no experience in bonsai pre etc. in Sophora so I can try a few experience style comments as we grow a range of these at my nursery where I work.
Open soil mix would be great as they don’t do so well in the bark based mixes. They suffer from root rots re too wet, and caterpillars seem to enjoy them too.
I agree with @fredman that this style of contorted tree would be difficult re pads and branches. Also I think you would have more success with the other type of Sophora (do you have a dwarf version called “Dragon’s Gold”?).
You have bought this so have fun with it and looking forward to it’s progress.
Charles