Leptospermum

The reason they don't like rootpruning is abit of a mystery, but in their native environment here in Australia, they are dry country plants, and like the Eucalypts, tend to have long, long, long root systems. Hard to fit in a pot.

=================================================================

From: Scott Barboza 
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 13:49:28 -0800

Hey,

I think your tree might be a Leptospermum Myrtaceae.  These are the guys 
I've seen referred to as Australian tea (due to the aroma when their 
leaves are crushed).  If so, these are evergreens, definitely indoor, and 
VERY touchy about root pruning.  This plant likes moist conditions and 
will put out a beautiful flower that looks like a miniature rose at the 
end of new growth.  It must be pinched back continuously.  When it comes 
time to repot, prune the roots lightly (if at all), or you will quickly 
have a dead tea tree on your hands.  It is easy to care for other than 
root pruning,  but because it is so touchy in this regard, I wouldn't 
recommend this tree except for someone with some experience.  That said, 
the tree has its rewards; the bark looks old rapidly (even though the 
trunk thickens slowly), the leaves are small and compact, and the flowers 
are beautiful.  

Good Luck!

Scott

=================================================================

Some info from BONSAI with Australian native Plants
by Dorothy & Vita Koreshoff. Boolarong Publications ISBN 0 908175 66 3
Reprinted May 93

Leptospermum (The Tea Tree)
Suitability for Bonsai is variable determined by the variety.
Varieties: Best variaties derived from L. scoparium. (very touchy! go VERY
easy with the roots)
 Try: L. flavescens, L. laevigatum, L. petersonii, L. attenuatum or
 L. flavens.
 Potting Mix: Well drained mixture of sand, soil & humus. Acid.
 Can stand sever pruning.
 All can stand light frost only

=================================================================

From: Brent Walston 
Date: 11 Mar 1996 16:04:03 GMT

You have purchased Leptospermum scoparium, Australian Tea Tree. It is 
important, as I have written before, to keep track of those names. It is 
hardy to about 15 degrees, as bonsai it should not fall below 20. It is 
difficult to keep them inside, they require very bright light, and good 
air circulation, humidity is not much of a problem, lack of light is 
probably the limiting factor. 

Pruning is probablematical with this species, never cut back past the 
leaves or that branch will die back completely, they seldom break new 
buds from old wood. Root pruning is difficult, they are very fibrous and 
will tolerate only minimal pruning. The cardinal sin for lepto is to let 
them dry out. They don't wilt or give any warning when dry, they just 
die. There is no recovery from drying out. Having said this, it is also 
easy to drown them, so give regular water allowing the surface to become 
slightly dry before watering again. Fertilize sparingly with dilute 
solutions, they don't need a lot of fertilizer and can burn easily.

As I have said before, if you really want Lepto, get L. humifusum, it 
will withstand severe top and root pruning, it is a much tougher plant, 
and it grows prostrate with wonderful arching branches. Great for 
cascades.

Brent
Evergreen Gardenworks

=================================================================


From: fparnold@quads.uchicago.edu (Frederick Perry Arnold Jr)
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 19:06:23 GMT

Well, I'll condense the lists experience with L. Scoparium. (This I think has
become a FAQ, if someone cares to add the data)

Leptospermum bonsai are possible, but somewhat difficult due to the tendency 
of the plant to die upon root-pruning.  It has been reported by several 
growers that if you don't try to untangle the roots, but just cut straight
across the bottom of the port to shorten the root mass, survival is greatly
enhanced.  It likes sandy soil, sun, and should never be allowed to dry out, 
as they will invest in a section of agricultural real-estate in short order.

It is also reported that you should be careful in pruning them, since if you
cut back past the current live growth on a branch, that branch will die.

My experience was positive, up until the point where I thought it looked 
pot-bound in its nursery can and attempted to transplant it to a training
pot.  It was struggling back, but a really hot day last summer apparently 
dried it out too much, and it never quite recovered.  It finally expired 
six months later, despite my best efforts at intensive care.  It responded 
well to wiring, and grew aggressively throughout the spring and summer months.
It a branch still had growth at the tip, it tended to throw new growth from 
old wood with little effort, so branches can be grown in in desired places, 
with a little patience.

Other past notes have included that you should be careful about giving it 
too much phosphate, it thrives in the climate of San Francisco Bay Area, 
where it is an outdoor decorative shrub (I've seen a couple nice 6-8 foot 
tall hemispherical ones at Golden Gate Park), and that Leptospermum 
Humifusum may be more appropriate for bonsai.  Harder to get to flower, but
more tolerant of pruning, supposedly growing in a prostrate habit, thereby 
lending itself to cascades and semi-cascades.

As an aside, I saw at Golden Gate Park, but did not record the name of, 
a Lepto that had yellowish bark, quarter inch long leaves, and tiny pink
flowers.  Any suggestions as to which one this might be, and its suitability
to bonsai?

                                                -fred
=================================================================

Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 19:15:17 -0700
From: Brent Walston 

Tea trees, Leptospermum scoparium make difficult bonsai. They are sort of
like Serissa but with a different set of problems. The difficulty with L.
scoparium (and its cultivars) is two fold. First it really resents pruning,
both at the top and also root pruning. Any pruning must be gentle, done at
the right time  and never beyond the foliage. Root pruning must never be
more than about a third and it is safest to do in late winter before new
growth begins. Top pruning should be done when it is actively growing and
restricted to pinching new growth as much as possible.

The second problem with L. scoparium and the most common cause of its demise
is that it can never, no never, dry out. It doesn't wilt, it doesn't tell
you it's dry, it just dies. Having said that it doesn't like to stay wet
either, it's a Mediterranean climate plant and must go a little dry before
watering and have well drained soil.

They like high levels of light, and are reputedly OK as indoor bonsai, but I
would think that without a grow light this would be impossible. They are
tender and cold hardy to only about 15 degrees F. Some branch dieback will
occur before this point.

I grow a dwarf cultivar called 'Kiwi', that is a little more cold hardy than
the species, has nice deep pink flowers and incredibly tight foliage with
occasional reversions that need to be pinched out. It is more suited to an
accent plant, but it makes a nice mame.

Now, given all this, there is a way around these problems: Leptospermum
humifusum. This species is much more cold hardy, to about 0 degrees F. and
will tolerate both top and bottom pruning. It is a prostrate plant and makes
a fabulous cascade or weeper. The branches grow in a natural arching
pattern, that practically makes bonsai by itself. The bark is brown and
peels. Although it grows rapidly it is not a big plant and is perfectly
adaptable to bonsai culture. The flowers are white and bloom in May, later
than L. scoparium. It doesn't set many flowers and some people report
problems getting it to bloom, but for my money it could never bloom and I
would still use it.

Brent
Evergreen Gardenworks
bonsai@pacific.net

=================================================================

Date: Sun, 2 Jun 1996 22:56:21 -0400
From: IrisCohen@AOL.COM

New Zealand Tea Tree, Leptospermum scoparium, is the tree of choice for
bonsai masochists. Worse than serissa. Once you have had a Leptospermum in
full bloom while there is a blizzard outside, you will not rest until you
have grown one successfully, but you will kill several of them in the
process.
Never let it dry out. One day without water will kill it. If in doubt,
overpot a little.
Do not prune, wire, & repot all at once. Style the tree gradually. Repot only
in May or June.
It responds well to wiring, but be careful of brittle branches.
Never prune back to bare wood. It does not bud back at all.
Never root prune. When you repot, just shake the excess soil off the roots.
Since it is a slow grower with a small root system, you will probably not
have more roots than you know what to do with.
Grow in full sun during the summer. Once it is established in a pot, feed
generously, as much as a serissa.
During the winter, keep it in a very sunny location. It does not do well
under fluorescent lights.
I just repotted a New Zealand tea tree without killing it, for the second
time in my life. That makes me a big authority already.  Sandy Vrooman grows
them very successfully.
Iris

=================================================================

Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 09:55:35 -0400
From: IrisCohen@AOL.COM

Some of what I will tell you may be contested by a couple of other members,
who live in different climates or growing conditions & are more experienced,
but this is from my experience with this tree. I have killed about 4 or 5 of
them. Yes, I do have one now that I repotted, styled, and wired this year, &
it is doing great.
Unfortunately (?), New Zealand tea tree is very captivating and attractive,
but I would not recommend it for beginners. There is almost nothing on it in
the bonsai literature. There was one article some years ago in Sunset
Magazine, which advised not to grow it in containers altogether.
I am sorry to inform you that your tree is probably dead. Once New Zealand
tea tree goes into shock, it usually does not recover.
In general, it is not a good idea to repot any tree as soon as you get it
home. The change of environment from the nursery is already a stress,
especially for a ditzy species like this one. It is better to wait until you
and the tree have gotten acquainted, unless there is an emergency. In my
climate (upstate NY, zone 5), the best time to repot New Zealand tea tree is
May-June, but in Seattle you may have more leeway.
Did you prune the roots at all? Some may disagree, but I have found that the
safest way to repot this rascal is just to shake off the old soil and stick
the roots in the new pot. This may require a slightly larger pot than you
would like, but it is better than killing the tree.
In Seattle, this species should not need added humidity or misting. It is a
tree of dry climates and takes full sun, except when just repotted.
The first thing I usually tell people is the botanical name of their tree.
This one is Leptospermum scoparium, but it won't help much because there is
so little information available anyway.
Don't give up. Try another one, or meanwhile something easier.
Iris

Return to the top of the page.
Return to the species care page.