Carissa - Natal Plum

weeijk

Hi all,

I need your comments/critics about this Carissa. Its a native bush in South Africa.
The tree has a double trunk and it stands 20cm high above the soil. I've not done anything about it except a little pruning and offcourse watering.

I see in it a windswept bonsai. What do you all think?


Regards Wessel

Attached Images

carissa - natal plum - 9-1-2005.jpg (38.2 KB, 397 views)

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weeijk

Why cant I get a single reply on this tree?
Please give me an idea what to do with this tree.

thanks Wessel

ozzerbon

G'day Wessel,

Just seen your posting, and I also can't think why, I like your carissa very much, I have two about the size of yours and four very small ones being produced by cuttings whiich were simply placed in glasses of water in a well lit window and rooted in about two weeks time.

Your tree would make a very good semi-cascade as far as I am concerned, but care must be taken as the trunks are/can be very brittle and snap, and the way that I proceed is to wire carefully and gradually bend the trunk into my desired shape, gradually about at weekly intervals, I can get flowers and fruit on my larger one when I place it outside as the weather warms, say May thru to September, but on the whole they live successfully indoors.

Leaf reduction is fairly easy, but the whole process with Carissas is a very slow Journey, well at least it is here in Amsterdam.

I love them, with their dark glossy leaves, the near perfect Jasmine type scented, white flowers, and ghostly trunks.

Hope that has been of some help.

ozzerbon....Nigel

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Attila

Hi Wessel,

* A windswept bonsai suggests a rugged harsh environment and has an austere look. Usually it should also use some deadwood on the wind side.
Your carissa will not be very successful conveying that image just because most of the branches point to the right. So, I wouldn't use it for a windswept style.

* Before you take some action, you need to decide how tall and how thick you want this tree to be. Some people who like powerful, thick trunks will tell you to grow more branches close to the base in order to create better taper and nebari. If you want to do that, you need to prune back severely in order to induce new branching.

* If you like the tree to be slender (thin) and tall, that's fine too. In that case, I would go with an informal broom style. The problem with the thin trunk is that the leaves look big compared to the thickness of the trunk and the internodes are too long. Just think about it: when the leaf looks three times as big as the diameter of the trunk, that will NOT create the illusion of an old and majestic tree. So, you have to focus on reducing leaf size and creating a dense crown with fine ramification. The current crown will not work, you need to start from scratch. What you can do is cut back each branch to the first pair of leaves. Then, every time you get a new branch, let it grow to 3 pairs of leaves, then you will cut it back to the first pair again. Doing this many times will reduce the leaf and internode size and create a dense round crown, perfect for an informal broom.

* The other issue is the double trunk. To me it looks a little high for a double trunk, especially if you want to keep the tree small, but if you like the way it looks, it's fine, your choice.

I've been working with my Carissa for about 8 years now, it is a very easy and rewarding plant to work with.

Regards,
Attila

dbdotdot

How about changing the planting angle , slanting it to the left over a rock (up to the double trunk) and shorten the reach of the canopy? You'd basically have a horizontal branch structure and a slanted trunk over rock.

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Attila

That may be a good idea, making it a more dynamic design and lending itself better to horizontal layers.

weeijk

Hi

I've totally redirected the tree and planted in in 100% akadama.
I'm trying to style it into the well known Savanne trees you often see in nature programms on Africa and on the photo on this site.

http://www.svt.ntnu.no/afrika/modul_b.asp

I hope my efforts are paying off, or does anyone has totally other suggestions?

regards Wessel

Attached Images

carissa006 1-7-2005.jpg (67.6 KB, 102 views)

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Aaron_K

Hi Wessel,

You have a nice little broom developing there. Personally I would try introducing a little movement into the trunks, especially the right one as it looks a bit static. On the whole I think I prefer the restyle.

All the best,

Aaron

Bart Thomas(deceased)

Wessel:

Be very careful with those bends. That wood is brittle!