Nice plant Josh. I got a Finger Lime but not Australian last year. It says Microcitrus papuana - guess it is from Papua New Guinea and I think I paid 5.99 too - lol. It is supposedly a dwarf. Grows pretty vigorously in a bushy form. Has not flowered yet though. Extremely thorny. So I expect yours will be too. My target is to make my plant a small bonsai.

Wow! ya'll lucked out!

Thanks!

Ya, I like these bonsai starters at a good price. Years ago I got a 'Skylark Dwarf' olive, but the Winter killed it.

I'll try and keep this one compact.

Josh

I always like to start small, because I can't seem to get them to stay small! Lol!

Trying to make a rosemary and thyme bonsai.

Rosemary might not be too hard. I am currently starting some rosemary cuttings to make into topiaries, At least, I hope to turn them into topiaries. Lol! Also trying with some greek myrtle.

Good luck! My aunt has a huge rosemary bush. They grow vigorously!

Nice to know I'm not the only one who cant adhere to the "No more plants" rule!

It looks like I am the only one on this forum that has stuck to the no more plants decision

Steve

I have found finger lime tricky to bonsai due to its dislike of fertilisers; this is the last one I have.

The remainder are all in the ground now. A couple here:

SW, I hadn't heard that about this species not responding well to fertilizers. I plan on using Foliage Pro and Osmocote.

Can you tell me more?

Josh

Josh, I use FP just like any other tropicals. Mine loves to grow all year round and I never noticed it not liking fertilizers. I have to prune it several times otherwise it likes to send out shoots in all directions. But then I have a different variety - not exactly Australian finger lime but related.

Re-potted this evening, and it turns out I have two rooted cuttings, so I slightly separated them in the container, and I'll split them next season. Liberal application of Osmocote before I watered them in.

I have found that annual dieback is more severe when I fertilise with commercial fertilisers, even when I stick to a weak solution. I now use worm tea and potassium only for the potted ones and this has been the first year that I haven’t had any dieback on any. It’s just slow growing, esp. the bonsai.

This is just my own experience of course, but it’s typical for finger lime orchards to suggest light fertilisation or at least definitely a low-phosphorus NPK, as with all Australian plants. Hybrids and New Guinea species would be okay, I guess, since they’re used to phosphorus-rich soils.

Anyway, would love to see the progess!

I'll be using Foliage Pro 9-3-6, so the P will be lower.

Josh