pemphis acidula

Hi IBC.
cleaned and wired my several pemphis acidula today. took some photo as well. I want to share it with you. right side black line for ht reference 60cm from pot bottom.

pemphis 1.



pemphis 2.



Pemphis 3




pemphis 4. (very healthy after a month in the new pot)



I hope you like them. whats the best tree? comments are always healthy.

regards,
jun

Jun you always come with surprises and interesting trees.
all of them are adorable.
just one question did you made dead wood or its natural ?
i like your own way of working.

Jun, as usual well done - ho hum so what's new - chuckle.

A question, how old do you estimate your trees to be ?

A second question what does a typical Pemphis look like ? how tall ?

My seedling from Budi is growing strongly now and I want to see what to expect - helllllppppp ?
Khaimraj

Khaimraj,
thanks.
picture below of a typical pemphis in the wild habitat. photo (acknowledge) from PBSI "philippine bonsai" book, page 149 author Mike Morden. copyright 2006.

for your ht reference... two men under the shade of a pemphis and not the biggest one.


the trees i guess are around 70 to a hundred year old.

I rarely see pemphis grown from seedling...that would be exiting to see... after 100 years,,hahaha (just kidding Khaimraj). I grown several dozen from branches. they are easier to train from seedling, but you got to do lot of research for that one.
the last tree... Im just continuing the design. other artists made the initial design and I commend them for the magnificent work.

regards,
jun

Pak,

thanks.

the deadwood on pemphis are superb when it comes naturally with the tree because of the harsh conditions these trees were and most of the time they were preserve naturally by the salty sea breeze... If i got a pemphis with natural shari I tried my best to copy the natural looks on some part of the tree.

regards,
jun

Thanks a million Jun,

I found this -

http://www.eol.org/pages/482515

Sadly I also found this -

http://pinoytrees.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

We have the same problem with obviously other tree types.

Anyhow the idea behind the seeds sent by Budi, was to plant the Phemphis on our Eastern coast, where they will be naturally windbeaten and when ready a few will be harvested. I have the use of 600 acres of private land, so the trees will be protected.
I hope that this will alleviate the interest in Buttonwood, which has way larger leaves and the pemphis being more refined will satisfy the collector's urge better.

The pemphis I have, if it continues to grow well will be used for cuttings, and observation for speed of growth [ trunk wise ]
It will however take between 25 to 50 years for the wood to harden enough to be weather durable, but that is for my grandchildren [ in Bonsai ] to handle.
Thanks again.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj,
you are welcome...if you want to see my stand on the bantigue/ pemphis acidula. you can see it in the other post in the question section... I think I made lot of people angry at me from that post (locally specially)... but who cares this is a free world.

FYI, just a week ago three of my tropical plant suppliers were jailed in one of the island town here in luzon (they are still behind bars) because they were caught with more than a hundred pieces of collected pemphis. this is a very good sign for mother nature.
Im also doing my own personal study/research on propagating the specie...and I have some success cultivating branches from discarded branches, thrown away by other enthusiast.

regards,
jun

Top trees Jun. These really float my boat with all the movement, contorted branches and deadwood. Excellent.

Wow! stunning trees

I wanna have something that looks like #2

The materials i bought from him 3 weeks ago already have new shoots! only took 2 weeks to grow
Hopefully it wont end up like >> "the other style" lol

Sir Jun i heard about it too, Mang Mel told me about what happened because i sent him a message asking when are the new materials coming....
Sad...

GOOD JOB JUN....My vote is 1 and 3,,,they all look really good..thanks for posting..take care john

They look great!! Keep it up!!

beautiful jun. it amazes me how you can grow pemphis so easily from rootless cut stumps and branch cuttings. here, we struggle just to keep them alive and reasonably healthy - to the point where one wonders if it is worth it !!

best wishes, sam

Thanks a lot Will. I love the roller coaster twist of these trees too. makes me dizzy following the movement from top to bottom.

regards,
jun



Hirow,

the #2 tree is one of the most rare twist that I know of with this specie. If you would notice the growth pattern of the tree, I shoots up then twisted to bend down again to become a natural cascade. it is very rare to be like this.

If your material is murraya, it will grow very fast this season. just let it grow wild. before you select the branches.

regards,
jun

John,
thanks.

regards,
jun


Pola,
thanks.

regards,
jun


Sam,
thanks.

hawaii is also tropical. it should grow there well.
I you managed to get your hands on a pemphis, try to plant it first in fine/filtered river sand.

regards,
jun

Jun typed - less the f -

"If you managed to get your hands on a pemphis, try to plant it first in fine/filtered river sand."
___________________________________________

Yes, and does it live on decomposing sand or does it need fertilizer ?
Asks Khaimraj

Khamraj,

thanks for that.

the river sand should be washed thoroughly to removed possible contaminants. no fertilizer for the first 4 to six months or when the tree got a healthy foliage structure. after fertilizer, 3 times a week spray of sea water is highly recommended as foliar feeds. fish emulsion is also recommended.

regards,
jun

Much thanks Jun.
Khaimraj

The second tree is very beautiful and it surely depicts a story.
We dont have pemphis here but do the need salty water to strive???

thinking our climate is very much like se asia's, I initially thought growing pemphis would be a snap. WRONG !!! I've tried everything, and I mean EVERYTHING . near as I can figure, the daily humidity is too low here - even with water trays under the pots. at one time I had maybe 20 pemphis, some quite nice. I'm down to 6-7.

gm.it,

the second tree is one of my favorite too,,,rare.

i think pemphis will thrive well in your country. If you could get at least one I am sure you gonna love it...the number of days of collecting this specie for bonsai purposes are numbered, and thats good for nature.

we observed that trees sprayed regularly with sea water got a much healthier leaves, more thicker, like that of a jade leaves. and branch die back are rare. but still, the tree can survive without it.

i hope you wont mind me asking, whats your name? even nickname will do. its like im talking to the GM as in the general manager, everytime i addressed you as g.m.it. but if you want to keep your secret identity secret still, i wont insist.

regards,
jun

My name is Gourab Majumdar.
gm.it.seacom has a significance.
Actually gm stands for my initials,I.T. is for information technology(the subject i study in the final year as a engineering student) and Seacom is the name of my college.
there is no secret...

Sam,
have you tried fish emulsion and sea water spray?

regards,
jun

Nice to know you are a real person and not an email address...just kidding my friend Gourab.
Have a nice day Mr. Majumdar.


regards,

jun

Waouh !
Very beautiful, i especially like the 2nd one.
I think that it doesn't grow very well in France, it's a shame...

Pemphis Acidula,

Pemphis is definitely a delicate plant. In terms of potting medium, they do not tolerate organic components. A mixture of sifted river sand or clean lava rock mixed with crushed oyster shell is and excellent alternative. On newly collected or imported material, the first three to four months are critical. PRotection from the sun is pivotal, as leaf buds might burn easily from exposure to sun and wind. Place the trees in a semi shade location and place a clear plastic bag over them. Leaf buds will swell quickly. Do not remove the bag at once. It is preferable to punch a few holes first to let the tree get used to the outside environment. If there is rain coming your way, this will be the best time to remove the bag completely. By the way, during this interval, no sea water is needed.

Once established and when the tree is healthy, sea water can be added once a week. Diluted fish emulsion can be given to the trees on a daily basis for additional health. Crushed crab or lobster shell will elimintate any nematode problems. Pemphis have weak-fragile roots and are prone to nematode infestations. This might manifest itself by sudden leaf drop and branch die-back. Also, insuficient salt content in the tree body might also contribute to leaf drop.

In terms of transplanting a pemphis bonsai, there is also a procedure. Like I said, even thick pemphis roots are very fragile. If not handled properly, they snap easily. To repot the tree, gently remove the gross amount of soil using pressurized water or an air compressor. Safely remove the tree from the current pot and place it in the new container. Using the aforementioned potting medium, fill in the pockets with the aid of pressure water. Once in a pot, water generously until only clean water runs out of the drainage holes. At this point, place the tree in semi-shade and gradually expose it to the sun.

Below, freshly potted pemphis after two weeks. The white particles in the soil are crushed oyster shell