Leptospermum Burgundy Queen ( NZ Manuka )

[Pixar]

I have been eyeing up a Manuka (Leptospermum Burgundy Queen ) I taken a few cutting from the plant to see if they will take .
The plant about 1.5 metre tall and still growing . The trunk about the size of a broom stick .
My question is if I cut the top off and take out the stump out ( will it re-grow new flowers etc... )
The Manuka stump is hardwood etc...

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

As long as you do Leptospermum at the right time.
The Manuka is a little more sensitive but its still very do-able.Again, timing is the key.

Hit it JUST as the buds caps are turning a lighter colour (bud activating)...REMOVE any flowers prior to doing this and cut off at least two thirds of the foliage mass.
Cutting right back to the stump or bare trunk is fine too (probably more favourable).

In Australia, most leptospermum species have budded by now so waiting until the next flush of growth is the best option (not sure how its going in NZ).
Heavier roots can be cut, as long as you try to keep as much feeder root as possible.
Dont do anything else to the tree until next season...leave it be for now and keep it sheltered (maybe 2 hours of morning sun) and well watered until you see bud activity (DONT let it dry out at this stage or that's it...dead Manuka!).
If you can supply a humid environment, this will also help greatly.
It will definately flower again but unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next season. It may flower sporadically around Autumn but only if the tree has developed enough roots to support this.
Use a WELL draining mix as you'll need to water it quite often for the first few weeks (USE RAIN WATER IF POSSIBLE).

 

[Pixar]

Hit it JUST as the buds caps are turning a lighter colour (bud activating)...REMOVE any flowers prior to doing this and cut off at least two thirds of the foliage mass.
Cutting right back to the stump or bare trunk is fine too (probably more favourable).

Can you explain this again so I get it straight
never done this before

 

[Shibui]

Every Leptospermum species I have worked with respond differently. I've only found a couple of species so far that will bud from bare wood and L. scoparium is NOT one of those so I would not advise chop the trunk below green leaves.
Unfortunately L. scoparium is also one of the species that has a reputation for disliking root pruning on this side of the ditch so I would also advise take care when repotting too.

In general we get much better response when natives are root pruned in warmer weather rather than the traditional winter-early spring repotting used for exotics. I've had much better survival rates when repotting during growth spurts here - late spring and early summer and that includes some very severe root pruning on many species.

Not sure what this means?

My question is if I cut the top off and take out the stump out ( will it re-grow new flowers etc... )

 

[Pixar]

If I cut down to the hardwood section of the tree will re-sprouting occur ?

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

No worries at all Pixar,
The buds will start to activate as a Leptospermum goes into a new flush of growth.
Early Spring is the best time. If you miss the initial Spring growth, dont worry, there will be a second flush of growth before Summer arrives.
Autumn is also good as Lepto's go into another strong growth burst as the weather starts to cool after Summer.
The cap (the harder, outter protective layer of the bud) will start to open and the new growth will start to push forth.
This is the time to do any root pruning/top reduction etc...JUST as you see the buds changing colour (or getting lighter in appearance as the new growth just starts to push forth).
Dont wait until the new growth starts to extend as this is too late. Always root prune etc JUST as the buds start changing colour (bud caps just starting to open)...its noticable but you've got to keep an eye on the tree to catch it.

 

[Shibui]

Technically any section that has changed from green bark to brown bark is hardwood.
Some hardwood still has live branches or shoots with green leaves attached. Chopping there is OK as the shoots with green leaves will keep growing. If you cut so there is no leaves at all left the tree is likely to die in my experience but the NZ form of L. scoparium may react differently. I have heard that many NZ farmers spent many years and lots of money to get rid of Manuka. That may be because it seeds prolifically or because it grows back from the stumps. If the latter is correct you can chop anywhere and expect good new shoots.

Maybe some pictures would help us all see the same thing?

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Every Leptospermum species I have worked with respond differently. I've only found a couple of species so far that will bud from bare wood and L. scoparium is NOT one of those so I would not advise chop the trunk below green leaves.
Unfortunately L. scoparium is also one of the species that has a reputation for disliking root pruning on this side of the ditch so I would also advise take care when repotting too.

In general we get much better response when natives are root pruned in warmer weather rather than the traditional winter-early spring repotting used for exotics. I've had much better survival rates when repotting during growth spurts here - late spring and early summer and that includes some very severe root pruning on many species.

Not sure what this means?

Hi Neil,
Interesting....
scoparium will bud from bare wood if you apply a heavy watering regime for the first several weeks. Ive also found that keeping the humidity up at this time is also quite beneficial.
It involves keen observation because if the soil dries back too much...that's it, end of story.
Ive treated many lepto species like this and have had great success.
If the soil is allowed to dry too much the tree will be severely weakened and budding from bare wood will definately not happen (this scenario only needs to happen once). I have found this to be particularly so with L . scoparium.
Ive never had a problem with scoparium budding from bare wood?

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Just to add to the above....
Water Ph is very important too.
That's why rain water works so well at this stage. Its pretty much Ph neutral and the added H2o2 does wonders for healing cut roots.

After root pruning etc, many Leptospermum species seem to appreciate water in the Ph range 6.5 to 6.8 (dont go over 7.0).
There are variations in Ph values depending on species but a lightly acidic to neutral Ph works best as an overall base line.
Tap water is full of chemicals that will slow down and hinder the healing process. There are products you can buy from any aquarium that will neutralize a lot of the nasties in tap water (ive noted no ill effects on the plants when ive used it).
It doesnt harm aquatic plants...if it did, they wouldnt use it!

Ive used straight tap water without treatment and the results were quite dissapointing due to the higher alkalinity and all the added chemicals.
I used to live in Tweed Heads and the tap water there was 8.2 - VERY alkaline.Great if you want to keep an aquarium full of Ciclids but absolutely horrendous for plants.
So...
USE RAIN WATER IF POSSIBLE
otherwise:-
Test your tap water and adjust Ph as necessary.
Use the aquarium product that removes nasties from tap water (Ive forgotten what its called).
For higher success rates, also try to start with a soil thats Ph neutral...its not imperative but it does make a difference (you will need a soil testing kit etc).

Basically, you dont want an alkaline environment whilst trying to heal a Leptospermum's root system...keep it lightly acidic to neutral (a little acidic is prefered).

Doing the above sounds like a lot of mucking around, and it is...but it works!

 

[Pixar]

Doing the above sounds like a lot of mucking around, and it is...but it works!

Are you into Bee's as well ?

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

No,Ive never gotten into bees Pixar.
My daughter is allergic to bee stings (needs Epi pen) so we try to avoid creating an environment that attracts them.
I was wondering why you asked that? (if you dont mind me asking : )
Cheers

 

[Pixar]

Just thinking Manuka thing Bees and honey etc ….
you certainly know your Leptospermum species
maybe you should get into bees as welll

 

[Pixar]

I was walking to the post office today and came across a huge bee swarm . The swarm was about 20 metres square . I actually was a bit scared and hid myself next to a parked van . Good to see nature working

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Just thinking Manuka thing Bees and honey etc ….
you certainly know your Leptospermum species
maybe you should get into bees as welll

I thought it had something to do with that but wasnt sure : )
Dont get me wrong, i still have loses but ive been able to minimize those quite a bit.I would say, on average, im getting approx' an 80-85% success rate.
Again, it can be a drawn out process which can cause one to become a bit complacent when it comes to observation so it can be easy to miss some of the more important signs...diligence is key and the pay-off is success.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

I was walking to the post office today and came across a huge bee swarm . The swarm was about 20 metres square . I actually was a bit scared and hid myself next to a parked van . Good to see nature working

Damn, thats a decent sized swarm...i think i would have done the same.
Youre right, its a good sign that natures doing her stuff.

 

[Shibui]

Are you into Bee's as well ?

He may not be into bees but I've had a few hives since I was a kid. Not that that has anything to do with manuka. I'm not even sure we're allowed to refer to our L. scoparium on this side of the ditch as 'manuka'

 

[Pixar]

dug this up today

 

[Pixar]

Could I have some cutting advise please

 

[Shibui]

Could I have some cutting advise please

What would you like to cut?

 

[Pixar]

Maybe I should wait until the right side recovers ( it was under another Manuka tree )