Myrtus communis for indoor tree?

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AlBooBoo

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Hey :)

Does anyone have any experience with Myrtle for bonsai ?

I have one at my job that looks kinda cool for a nursery plant..

But is it a difficult tree for a beginner ?
 
I don't have any experience with them but will say that I don't think a myrtle would be too happy indoors.
 
hmm..

its listed as an indoor tree in my bonsai book..

what is the reason you think it will not do well as indoor tree?

dormancy period during winter ?
 
They actually do very well as indoor trees according to some sources I know. However; do not let this tree dry out to the point the foliage wilts----that's instant kindling.
 
I know the watering thing hehe :D
I am responsible of watering these trees and a lots more when im at work hehe :)

But then maybe i will try it out :)

Will propably post a photo when its mine and ask for some ideas in a day or few..

Thx a lot :)
 
I have one and they take a lot of abuse. They back bud very well and can take chops without missing a beat. Landscape crape myrtles here routinely have all of there branches chopped back in the winter to keep them the right size. They grow like crazy and you have to clip back often. If you want them to bloom you should not clip back until they do during the season.
 
Sounds great :D

Will post back on this tread with some pictures and more questions when its mine :)

Do you think it does better under artificial lights or in a window ?
 
I think it would do better outside. I'm not sure you can grow these indoors.
 
I think i will give it a try... its listed as indoor plant in my book but it says "keep temperatures low during winter about 5-7c"

So i could try to put in the cellar i quess..

Will look more into it for sure and hope for more inputs here :)

Or else... like your signature says:


"Killing trees is the tuition you pay for learning bonsai" :D
 
I would go with how the nursery you are getting it from stores the tree in the winter. Mine is deciduous as are the cultivars sold here. They need winter dormancy. You being in Norway I do not know what you might have.
 
jkd2572 said:
I have one and they take a lot of abuse. They back bud very well and can take chops without missing a beat. Landscape crape myrtles here routinely have all of there branches chopped back in the winter to keep them the right size. They grow like crazy and you have to clip back often. If you want them to bloom you should not clip back until they do during the season.
Click to expand...

I don't think these are the same as crape myrtle. ;)
 
Totaly different species.

Common mrytle is evergreen, crapes are diciduous.
 
Hi

Do yourself a favour and read up on the Common Myrtle, it's a plant with historic and religious significance........and bloody hard to kill! ;)

Mine was an impulse buy, air-layered bits off it and generally messed around with it - so forgiving I tend to think it could survive where no tree should......indoors... :rolleyes:

Cheers
Gerhard
 
Found this :)

Indoor cultivation

Common myrtle (M. communis) is best grown indoors during winter months and placed outside for the summer. Use indoor potting soil and a pot with good drainage to avoid water-logging the roots. However, do not allow the plant to dry out and keep moist and regularly fed with liquid feed. Trim in autumn, winter and spring to keep the plant looking its best, but reduce trimming in summer to ensure a long flowering season. The plant should be re-potted in alternate years in spring.


Going out to buy it now.. will post photo later on :)
 
Ok folks..

So here it is...

I choose this plant because of the way the trunk moves.
its fairly tall plant so i kinda want to chop it down some.

IMG_1994.jpg
IMG_1995.jpg
IMG_1996.jpg

I also want to try and style this plant a bit but what would you recommend to be the first step?

can i repot, cut and wire a bit at same time ?

I also want a new lower branch with some grafting maybe..

Any thought of any kind ? :)
 
Hi Albooboo

First off, that is a nice little kink in the trunk, would've been my choice as well.

There is however a huge problem of size.....or rather the lack of it ;)
A better artist than me might be able to find a tree in there, but from what I've experienced the angular growth pattern would make that difficult

I've found that smaller cuts close over relatively quickly, so most likely the best course of action would be to plant it in the ground or a larger container to allow it to fatten up.......build a trunk you can use and then chop back and start the design.

I don't know about grafting, but the way they back-bud it really shouldn't be necessary.

I air-layered the top off mine, I don't have the layer anymore but it's still alive even after a hectic ant/scale attack that the owner didn't notice, so they are tough....

Regarding what you can get away with now, I've had this plant for a while but never had a plan with it. We had a pathetic excuse of a winter, even for the desert, and a few weeks ago I got itchy fingers and start poking around in the topsoil to see what the root situation is, had a slight mishap :p and ended up bare-rooting, root pruning and potting the tree.
.....Doesn't look like it even missed a beat. :cool:

They are extremely tough, but please keep the difference in climate in mind.

I have to say, I was about to give up on ever getting mine into shape, but after reading up on this species I'm determined to bonsai it, even if it's not the best tree.

Cheers
Gerhard
 
But i would rather not have a very large tree anyways..

More like a little shohin kind.. so for that i think the trunk is allready "ok" for my preference..

Do you think i could chop most of the top.. leaving a few branches and wire them on same time i repot it into bonsai soil ?
 
AlBooBoo said:
But i would rather not have a very large tree anyways..

More like a little shohin kind.. so for that i think the trunk is allready "ok" for my preference..

Do you think i could chop most of the top.. leaving a few branches and wire them on same time i repot it into bonsai soil ?
Click to expand...

First let me say I have never worked with a common myrtle. Just some thoughts though, It does have a great trunk. The plants that have the little suckers coming up from the roots like yours have, I have found that its easy to turn those suckers into branch grafts. Its a great little trunk, I would initially chop it just above where it first branches off then work on grafting that sucker from the roots onto a lower area for a branch IF needed. If they respond to a chop like a Crape Myrtle (I know its been established by Smoke its a different species, and if anyone should know he is a good source of info...) it may not need a branch graft at all.

ed
 
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I see lots of these at Walmart, Home depot, and Lowes as topiaries...usually 3 or 5 layers of "pom pom" balls of foliage skewered with a straight trunk. I was tempted to buy one to experiment because the leaves & branching look nice.

Maybe I'll start looking closely for one with a better base & trunk now. :)
 
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