Seasol

Grevillea "Pink Ice"

Grevillea Pink Ice, a Gem amongst the Gravel.

One of my favourite things to do where shopping for plants is to search through the “sale” plants at the back of the nursery. Not only because sometimes you can pick up a bargain but also because sometimes you can find a gem in amongst the rubbish.

Back in Autumn I was doing this and came across a Grevillea which had a label that indicated it was grafted and that was all it said. The only identification it had was “Grevillea Pink Ice” written on the pot with $28 crossed out and replaced with $15. This Grevillea caught my attention straight away as I wasn’t familiar with it. The good thing about it though, was it was grafted onto the rootstock of the Silky Oak, Grevillea Robusta. This meant that it would grow quite happily with the phosphorus toxicity in my soil. On the downside though, it didn’t appear to be doing very well as the potting mix was dried out and the thin needly leaves also reflected that it was really struggling.

The first flower for the season in August.

Never the less my curiosity got the better of me so I purchased it and took it home. Now normally when I buy a new plant I’m pretty quick to plant it but in this case I decided that it might need some pampering before hand so the first thing was to soak it in some Seasol for a few minutes. I then potted it up into the next size pot, left it a protected place for the last few months and then pretty much forgot about it.

Grevillea Pink Ice. Still narrow and sparce but I'll tip prune it after flowering so it will thicken for next season.

Then about a month ago it started to flower. The flowers in fact didn’t turn out to be pink as the name suggested but instead they are white which is reasonably uncommon with most Grevilleas you find in nurseries. Then again it has been groing in the shade for the last few months so maybe when it starts to get some sun the flowers may have a pink tinge to them but we’ll wait and see. The other option is that it might not even be Grevillea Pink Ice?

Anyway yesterday being the 5th day of spring I decided to go ahead and plant it. It’s still in flower with lots of small buds still appearing as well so it appears as if it may have a reasonably long flowering season. The other thing I like about this grevillea is that it does appear to have an erect growing habit which will make it fit in well in a small garden with lots of plants in it.

So looking at my purchase today I must say that I’m pretty happy with it. Whether it has pink on white flowers doesn’t make much difference to me. The important thing is that it looks like it will put on quite a nice flowering display, it is a little different to the other grevilleas in my garden and it should be very hardy and drought tolerant.

Grevillea Pink Ice Flowers and Buds

So next time you’re at the nursery have a look out the back and see if you can find a gem. You may not find the same one I did but never the less you may find one just as good as Grevillea Pink Ice.

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Posted in Grevillea | Tagged drought tolerant plants, Grevillea, Grevillea Pink Ice, Grevillea Robusta, Seasol, Silky Oak | 2 Comments

Transplanting Plants

Transplanting Plants – How to do it Correctly.

A while ago I wrote an article about how I transplanted a Grevillea Caloundra Gem and despite doing nearly everything wrong, still got a successful outcome. Today though I thought it might be much better to write about transplanting plants the correct way.

Now before I start I need to say that plants such as Australian native plants and Proteas are in some circles considered to be difficult to transplant. All I have to say is this, if anyone tries to tell you this they are wrong.

I’ve always been of the opinion that anything is possible. You just have to find the right way to go about it.

Anyway todays subject is Protea cynaroides, aka the King Protea. Now this particular plant here has an interesting history. It was one of two plants propagated by my mother from two cuttings taken from a King Protea in another garden in 2001. It was my first introduction to my mothers method of propagating plants. I’d tried all sorts of elaborate methods to propagate Proteas beforehand with hardly any success at all. From two cuttings, using this method, two plants were produced. Both are still alive today, eight years later and one in the subject of this article today.

My mother had about 6 King Proteas growing in her garden she said she wouldn't miss this one.

My mother has about 6 King Proteas growing in her garden. This one wasn't in an ideal position as it's growth rate over about 7 years suggests.

So to get back on track, here’s what you need to do. Water the plant late in the day before you transplant it, with Seasol and water so it is well hydrated. Now I must confess I didn’t in this instance as it was a bit of a spur of the moment decision but the weather was cool as it was the middle of winter. So, it is best to select a day that is cool and if possible a time of the year when the plant is dormant.

Next is to select your pot/container beforehand and place some potting mix in the bottom so it’s ready for the plant before you even start to dig. Also have a bucket or watering can ready with a Seasol and water solution.

This pot is selected to suit the size of the anticipated rootball. I'm hoping for a rootball around 30 cm so I've selected a 38 cm pot. It's best to select a pot size just larger than the rootball.

Another important point, is to make sure that you have a sharp spade to do the digging as you are going to have to cut through some roots. If it’s not sharp then get a file and sharpen it otherwise you may have some trouble cutting through those roots. The other thing to consider here is the size of the rootball. The more the better, but at the end of the day you are going to have to lift it into the pot so if it is too large some of the roots may break away. In this case I’ve tried to keep it to about 30 cm/12 inches in diameter.

King Protea 2

Before you start to dig just scrape the mulch away from the base of the plant and then just dig a circle around the plant with your spade, cutting through the roots as you go. Once you’ve done this you then have to level the spade into a position so as to then cut the roots underneath the plant. The King Protea didn’t have a tap root but if your plant has got one a sharp spade will really come in handy.

Once you’ve cut through all the roots it’s then into the pot. I used the spade to lift it. It’s then just a matter of filling around it with potting mix. Make sure you fill in all the gaps with the potting mix. I used a narrow stick to just push it all in.

You can see the size of the rootball. You can also see how dry the soil was. It is best to water your plant the day before.

After you’ve done this it’s just a matter of watering it in with the Seasol and water solution and this is the important bit. I really saturate the rootball in the new potting mix so that you make sure that the potting mix fills all the gaps and also to ensure all the severed roots come in contact with the Seasol. I normally use about 30 litres/7 gallons/3 watering cans of the solution and place the pot in the garden so the excess drains into garden for the other plants. In this case I placed it in the old hole as there were other plants in close vicinity just in case I cut through some of their roots as well.

Water generously with a Seasol and water solution.

Over the next few days it’s important to keep the plant in a cool, shady area. Also make sure you keep it moist. I normally keep giving it the Seasol solution for another week and then just back off the watering to, as it needs it.

I’ve decided I’m going to grow this King Protea in a larger pot permanently because of the phosphorus toxicity in my soil. I’ll probably re pot it into a more attractive pot once the roots recover. Probably in next Autumn, in about 8 or 9 months. It’s probably also probably due for some low phosphorus Native plant fertilizer and I think that I will also start to introduce some Multicrop Plant Starter to help encourage some root growth.

Also at this stage I’m really hoping that it will flower this time next year, but we’ll wait and see about that.

My King Protea has now been recovering quite happily over the last few weeks in it's new Container.

My King Protea has now been recovering quite happily over the last 5 weeks in it's new Container.

Other things to consider when transplanting plants is that the more preparation you do beforehand the better your chances of success.

If I was transplanting a larger more established plant such as the Grevillea Caloundra Gem in my other article here’s what I might have done differently.

1. Cut a circle around the rootball with your spade, the size that you’ve decided on for your pot. Only do it so that you miss every second cut. Then water it well with a Seasol and water solution.

2. Then leave it for a month or so to recover and then cut the other areas around the roots that you missed the first time. Water it again with the Seasol and water solution.

3. Then a week before you are going to transplant it prune the plant back as hard as you can and then paint the cuts with a liquid adhesive to seal the wounds. The pruning will make it easier to lift the plant when lifting it out of the ground. This may or may not be necessary, just use your judgment here. Another reason you might want to prune your plant is if you are going to Bonsai it. In this case how much you prune it will depend on the type of plant. It may be best though to give it an intermediate prune at this time and then again after you have completed you Bonsai.

4. Instead of just placing it in it’s new hole in the ground. Plant it into a pot so that you keep it in the shade so that it doesn’t dehydrate.

5. Another important point I would like to make is to consider your soil. By this a mean heavy soils will bind together better than sandy soils. This is important when you lift the rootball out of the hole so it will stay in one piece and not have bits break away. If you have a sandy or crumbly soil though you may have a problem. If you read my other article about the Grevillea Caloundra Gem that I transplanted you will read how most of the rootball just broke away when it was lifted. You really need to avoid this and here’s how to do it. Just before the plant comes into it’s growing season sever the roots all around the plant as mentioned above and then water frequently with a Seasol and Multi Crop Plant Starter solution diluted in water. This will encourage a denser root growth within the circle you’ve severed with you spade. These roots will hopefully bind the soil together for when you lift it out of the hole. The other thing to test is if your soil binds together better when wet or dry. Test it. Remember a wet rootball will be heavier with a chance the extra weight may cause it crumble ever more. It’s just up to you to use your judgment here.

6. Finally the last point I would like to make probably goes without saying. The larger the plant you are trying to transplant the more difficult it will be. It will require more preparation and maybe even lifting equipment. So don’t bite of more than you can chew.

Some of these steps may seem like a bit of an overkill but it depends on how conservative you are or how desperate you are for the transplant to be a success. This is especially true if your plant is a favorite. If you want to experiment find a plant that is expendible and use it to hone your skills. After all if you’ve got a plant in your garden you don’t like, don’t put up with it. Dig it up, put it in a pot and give it away.

So there you have it. This is how I transplanted my King Protea. I’ll be writing another article about the King Protea soon. How to grow it and how to prune it into a nice shape. The King Proteas in my mothers garden are just coming into flower now. She’s got pink ones, a red one and a white one.

I’ve transplanted lots of plants over the years for a variety of reasons. There are lots of ways of doing it. The one thing that I would always recommend would be to use a high quality seaweed solution and make sure you don’t under use it. I use Seasol when transplanting plants but whichever one you use is up to you.

Here’s to your success!

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Posted in Information, Transplanting Plants | Tagged Bonsai, King Protea, Multicrop Plant Starter, phosphorus toxicity, Protea cynaroides, Seasol, Transplanting Plants | 2 Comments

Bonsai

How to Bonsai Australian Native Plants

The art of Bonsai is something that has always interested me but was something I was always reluctant to take up mainly because of my lack of patience. Recently though I came across a gardening blog with a video of a Banksia Ericifolia Bonsai. It was amazing to hear how this bonsai had grown for the last 20 plus years and the fact that it now had a flower on it.

Afterwards I then recalled a book I’d read a few years ago about how to bonsai Australian native plants.

Looking back now though, I now remember that this book was probably the inspiration for my Banksia Integrifolia that I’d been growing in the same pot for the last 6 years. Looking at this plant today it now amazes me how it has survived the last 6 years. It’s certainly been the victim of neglect. I don’t think I’ve ever fertilized it and I can’t even remember giving it any Seasol although the chances are it probably has had some from time to time. It now resides under a window sill with some other neglected plants, it gets about 3-5 hours of sunlight a day and only gets watered when I remember.

December 2003

June 2009

So now the more I think about it I come to realise what great bonsai specimens Australian native plants are. Some of their features are obviously their drought tolerance, most of them respond really well to pruning and despite a popular misconception they are relatively easy to transplant.

Banksia Serrata Bonsai

Here’s a Banksia Serrata I found in a Nursery a few years ago. These are a popular bonsai choice as they develop a large swollen trunk over time and certainly look interesting grown as a bonsai.

I once had a prostrate version of this Banksia growing in my garden called Banksia Serrata “pygmy possum”. Just before we shifted house I dug it up and transplanted it into a pot. Part of the operation involved cutting back most of the foliage and to my surprise the short trunk had actually grown large and swollen as the perfect blank canvas for a potential bonsai. I kept it in the pot for a couple of years and then not having the patience decided to plant it in my new garden to grow as it pleased. Unfortunately it fell victim to the phosphorus toxicity in my soil and so for me I suppose it was an opportunity lost.

As far as Banksia Serrata goes, I think that Banksia Aemula might be a better option as a Bonsai. This Banksia is very similar in appearance to Banksia Serrata, but it is quicker growing, has smaller leaves and the yellow flowers I feel are much more attractive. The other point about Banksia Aemula, despite being rarely seen in garden centres, is that it is very easy to grow, has deep green leaves with yellow flowers held at the end of the branches and comes in tree as well as shrub forms.

Banksia Integrifolia as I said before is also a good subject for bonsai but this tree Banksia also comes in a prostrate form called Banksia Integrifolia “Roller Coaster”. This Banksia can also form a large trunk very quickly and like the “pygmy possum” would make a great bonsai in a tall container with cascading branches.

Now here’s a little trick you can use if you want to accelerate the growth of your bonsai especially if you’re using a prostrate plant as described above. Now the bonsai purists will probably not endorse this practice but what you can do if you like is plant your subject in a large container or even plant it into the ground. You will find that your plant will grow a lot faster and you can train it and prune it as you require. When your subject has reached the desired size you can then dig it up and transplant it into a smaller pot. It’s then just a case of reducing the size of the rootball over time (or even straight away) until you get it to fit the container you require.

Another method you can use to short cut the process is find a semi advanced plant in a nursery. One of my favourite things to do is visit nurseries in out of the way places. These nurseries are the ones that quite often have old stock that has been sitting out the back somewhere for the last few years in amongst a whole lot of other stuff. It’s normally root bound and growing crooked and twisted and quite often has a semi advanced trunk and has an unusual or interesting look to it. I reckon these nurseries are quite often a treasure trove and sometimes an excellent place to find interesting potential bonsai subjects. Here’s a couple below.

Banksia Integrifolia

Banksia Serrata

They may not be crooked but you could always replant them on an angle and then cut the main trunk just above the smaller side shoots. As far as pruning the root ball goes just soak it in a Seasol solution and cut back to the size desired the same as described above.

Another plant that I feel would make a great bonsai specimen is the “sticky wattle” Acacia howittii. This grows into a large shrub or small tree but it also comes in a prostrate version and this is the one I’m talking about. Here is a photo of one growing in my mother’s garden. If you use your imagination you may be able to see the potential here for a bonsai or two.

Acacia Howittii prostrate would probably suit a Japanese garden?

Now if you were to try Acacia howittii prostrate as a bonsai there may be several ways to go about it;

1. You could go about it in the traditional way,
2. take a cutting and strike it,
3. plant one in the ground and then dig it up and go about in the manner described above,
4. Or you could use an existing plant like the one above, find an interesting branch and then use the “aerial layer” technique to propagate it.

All of these methods would work. It all depends on the results that you’re after and the time you have available.

Brachychiton rupestris

Here’s another Australian native plant that lends itself to become a bonsai. A few years ago I bought two Brachychiton rupestris, aka the Queensland Bottle tree. Both were meant to be planted in the garden. One did, but the other one seen below, actually developed this twisted swollen trunk, so I just left it in the pot. This one though, I think I may try and bonsai. I’ll probably cut the length of the trunk back and then try to get it to form a canopy, but I’ll have to have a think about that first.

Brachychiton rupestris

Brachychiton rupestris swollen trunk

Lastly I’d like to write about another little experiment I’ve been conducting for the last 18 months. A few years ago I propagated some Banksia Integrifolias to plant in my garden. After I discovered they didn’t like the phosphorus in my garden I was then left with 5 plants that nobody wanted so I decided to turn them into a long term experiment. So here’s what I did.

Banksia Integrifolia x 5

Banksia Integrifolias 2 First I got an old clay pot and just planted them all together as shown above. The idea being that they will eventually grow into one plant and hopefully form a buttressed trunk similar to say a Moreton Bay Fig. But we’ll see. It will take time. The best thing about this plant though is it requires little attention and maintenance so it’s just a matter of watering it from time to time.

There are lots of Australian native plants that would make great bonsai specimens, Melaleucas (paperbarks), Leptospermums (tea trees), Callistemons (bottlebrushes) are just a few that can be used. It really is up to your personal preference.

So there you go, some of these examples may not be traditional examples of bonsai but you can see what can be done when you let your imagination go wild. Gardening for me is about experimenting and trying new things but you never know where you next inspiration will come from. I suppose for me it started with the book I read about How to Bonsai Australian Native Plants. Who knows where it will finish!

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