LANTANA - REPOTTING VS FLOWERING QUESTION (bonsai 101 ?)

i scored an interestingly trunked lantana that was just in a nursery pot, and seeing as how the timing was right, i repotted it about a week ago into something better... which included root pruning

my question is:
it is now wanting to push a flush of flowers, but i am concerned that energy could be better used in making roots...

should i be deflowering it for that purpose ?

my novice instinct says yes
(and if so, then i guess my question is just flowering bonsai 101 )

a few pics:









(i am aware of the potential undesirability of the crossing aerial roots and was unable to uncross them at this repotting and so will have to live with it for now...)

Kevin,

just snip off the flower buds as they develop and use a slightly higher in Nitrogen fertiliser. [ I can use lawn fertiliser at
1/3 strength into moist soil .]

Wood is very soft even when the shrub is old, try not to make large cuts.Friend of the termites.

Good luck with your - pest - the yellow and orange type is native to down here and grows anywhere, but likes drier soil and
lots of sun.
Can get to almost 8' [ 244 cm ] high and wide.[ the yellow and orange native that is ]

Good growing to you.
Laters.
Khaimraj

thanks khai !
and glad to see you coming around with more regularity...

and this one is of the red/yellow/orange variety...

I have a large Lantana that I do not let flower, it helps develop ramification better. I just pinch the flower buds off as they start to form. I basically let my Lantana grow all winter long inside the house under lights. Then it gets chopped back in spring with summer haircuts also. My bought my Lantana from a Bonsai nursery in Fl. and the branches were very thin. Now they match the size of the trunk.

The thing you are going to have to watch for is White Flies. White flies love Lantanta. Every Lantana I have bought from a local nursery have them on it even though you do not see them. Once you bring the tree into the house they multiply and spread to other trees. The only way I was able to get rid them on a permanent basis was to use one of really strong systemic insecticides. The Bayer product with systemic insecticide was not strong enough to kill them. I usually treat them in the last week of Sept in Colo.

You may have to re-pot the tree more often then other trees. They respond really well to re-potting. I use the following fertilizer: FEED ME! MSU Fertilizer - RO/Rain/Tap Water - Granular 40 oz 2.5 lb. Screw Top Container with teaspoon. , FM-Big from rePotme Orchids. I actually use this on all of the tropical trees and have started using it for the outdoor trees as well. I am know using it as a foliage spray. Trees looking good to. This fertilizer was recommended by someone on this board sometime ago. There a very long thread on fertilizer and this seemed to be the best recommendation, if I remember correctly.

hey ! thanks mike !!!
i will especially keep an eye out for the whities !

Here is a photo of my Lantana I obtained in 2009. I usually let the everything grow long during the winter and cut the flower buds all winter. It gets chopped back in the spring. For some reason white flies do not like this Lantana at all!!   It never gets them even though there could other plants in the plant room with them. Who knows why?  She is very big for a Lantana with monster trunk. The branches widths are now matching the trunk size. I plan on not letting it grow out this winter, so far so good.

niiiice...

you "never" let it flower though ???

then why have a lantana ?

I was trying to get it to flower for the Bonsai show this Sept. but it was not in full bloom by then. So I did not show it. I chop the branches back every spring and it takes a while for it to flower again, once started it does not stop until I chop it again. So yes if I am not showing it I do not let it flower. Blooms on new wood. I have yet to figure out how to time it right to get both flowers and ramification at the same time!! Which is why I am not letting it grow out this winter under the lights. I am hoping to keep nice and compact with out chopping back in the spring. Or at least that is the plan for now. I have some smaller ones I do not let flower either. It has pinkish/purple flower to. Matches the pot really well. The tree came from Schley's in Florida. 22 years old, 7 years under my care. I like unusual trees to!!! Nobody in our club has one that I know of. I did show it one year when it was blooming, but I had no idea at the time what I was doing, way to leggy then. I might let it bloom long enough to take a photo of it before it gets leggy and go back to removing the blooms.

awright... i can dig it

Kevin - no advice about flowers etc. But those aerial roots should go? The trunk underneath has good taper and will thicken up. If you leave the roots they will slow the trunk underneath from thickening. The aerial roots will never look good in my view?

Maybe cut them off at a rate of 1 per season?

When I saw picture above the roots hit my eyes and I would remove them. Agree with Brendan

that was probably inevitable, but havent given that one much thought beyond getting it happy...