Leucaena Leucocephala (aka Mimosa, Haole koa) progression from Yamadori

Harvested from the wild (3/8/14) on the Big Island of Hawaii.



After a few months of unchecked vigorous growth. I just brought some of the larger branches down to create a more proportionate canopy. The tree is starting to take quite a nice shape.
(May, 2014)
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Reduced height, chosing which branches to develop
(July, 2014)
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Here is the latest shot after repotting to a shallower round pot and exposing some nebari by raising out of soil.
(December, 2014)


Leaves dropped from the stress of repotting along with heavy December wind & rain here on The Big Island. But  these plants are quite resiliant. As you can see below it is already budding all over the place -
(taken 12/29/14) (for scale, pot = 8" diameter, height = 17.5")


Final shape taking form
(taken 1/5/15)


Decided against a few of the lower branches
taken (1/22/15)


Removed large coral rock, chose a more upright position
(1/24/15


Final vision realized
(2/9/15)

The branch that move crossing the trunk (right to left) is bother my sight.. Nice material of course, i like the bark.

Fbizuneh,

nice work.

Have you tried fertiliser boosts and then defoliating?

I have been testing some growing ideas, one was to see what the limit on useful buds was when the plant responded to being defoliated.
I take a bamboo skewer and try to imagine the shape I will end up with, and so knock off all the extra buds over a week or 2. Depends on how strongly the tree responds.

Then with the growing shoots, stopping after the 1st or 2nd leaf, depends on the direction I want the design to go.

On my side the tree's natural cycle seems to be to get rid of leaves every month to 6 weeks.

I also have to repot twice a year, and grow in a higher organic mix, as the tree really drinks in full sun.

Please keep showing, it is interesting to watch your results.
Thank you.
Khaimraj

* A point of interest.
The composted leaves of this tree gives a rating of 1N 1P 1K
Almost cow manure.

Update from 5/7/15

Is it pink powder puff?

This deep pot will have to do for now. I'ld like to eventually get this into a shallower round oval pot with an 8" to 10" interior length. I do like this color though.

taken (7/27/15)

I do like this color though.

Really?

JimLewis wrote:

I do like this color though.

Really?

the actual color may be quite different from the over processed photo being shown

You like this better, Jim?

HI. I have followed your progression for this tree. I discovered that I have the species growing literally all around me. I collected a tiny seedling before I knew what it was. I wanted to ask you about collecting one. I have heard that they are pretty resilient. Could you describe the root mass you dug,whether there was a tap root problem(here I am always worried about collecting desert trees because they mostly have long taps to get water)? Thanks.

George

George,

I don't know what your skill level with Bonsai is, so a little patience with me, please.

This tree needs, an especially attractive trunk/shape, it must catch the eye immediately. It needs deeper than average pots, if you get the leaves up to very high density. Soil that is fairly organic, but freely draining.
It is not easy to train.

I am saying this because you are trying tamarinds. In fact this is why I am slowly building my topic, on Tamarinds for you to get to the one.
Giving you as much information as I can.

High leaf density works better with the look of Mango trees under midday sun.
It is more of sculptural technique.

http://www.thaisabai.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/mango-tree.jpg

Sadly, this is the best image I could find - note the dark zones, and then the medium and light zones under midday sun.

So if you collect a Leucaena l. be very choosey.
Laters
Khaimraj

Thank you Khaimraj.
I will be choosy. What do you think about wiring or bending a young one((thickness of a chopstick) right in the ground and then digging it up later. I have Mango trees near me, so I can see what you are saying about sun and shade styling.

George.

You like this better, Jim?

Marginally, yes, but I'm not sure why you changed from the round pot with rivets.

What bothers me the most (aside from the crossing branch) is the shaplessness of th base and lower trunk.  I'd like to see some basal flare and a hint of taper.

George,

on my side these are very fast growing trees. So what I do is select the ones I like and just chop down to an 1" [ 2.5 cm ] above the soil. Allow to grow to say 6' [ say 2 m ] but take off the suckers you don't need when they are 6" [ 15 cm ]. Grow again and cut again, repeat and repeat ........ until you get the shapes that you like.

My yard at Mayaro, was scraped by the developer and I used the Leucaenia, and the Muntingia c. to restart the soil, and bring back the wild life [ birds by the Muntingia ]. The Leucaenia, reseeds rapidly, so I have to cut them out weekly or so. Hence the abundance of choices where trunks are concerned.
I also cut a 4" [ 10 cm ] out the ground and just stuck it peat moss / perlite Canadian commercial soil mix. It grew [ in the bright light / shade.]
Hope this helps.
Laters.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj:

I will try that. Again, thanks.

Taken (10/29/15)
pot size = 10" x 7.5" x 3"