Casuarina Torulosa

[jezz_39]

Thanks for tips fellas.

So the styling of the tree, no good??

[dansai]

It looks like the top of the tree is leaning heavily towards the front and the apex looks a bit confusing. The branch with 2 wires near the top looks too thick and long. The top section the trunk looks to be the same thickness, and the first branch goes straight out and is too thin. Sorry for being so hard on your tree, but it is only my view from one photo. The previous pictures you posted had one where the top looks like it was pulled over more, this may be a better option.

If it were my tree would take all the wire off the tree and let it straighten a bit and grow it strongly for the rest of this season, then cut back fairly hard all the branches and maybe even the trunk to create taper, wire some movement in the trunk if it was too straight, then grow again selecting new shoots on branches growing in a direction to create movement and cutting back again to build taper in the branches and create some ramification. Casuarina in the wild tend to have fairly upright trunks with twisted, bent gnarly branches.

Maybe post some more picture from a few different angles and from lower down so we are not looking slightly down on the tree and we may get a better idea of other options.

Good luck with it.

[Steven]

Looking good Jeremy. Looks like you have some upward pointing secondary branches. Watch them as they will be very dominant and you will loose the lower branches. Don't be afraid to cut back hard (even into old wood) as it will bounce back with heaps of branch choices. The dead wood on these is like a sponge and will rot very fast. Best not to encourage dead wood if you can avoid it.

Regards,
Steven

[jezz_39]

I have persisted with the styling of this Torulosa and 6 months later I think it presents a better image now.
Currently running a sacrifice on the first branch to strengthen it, later on it will have more movement wired into it. The apex has been my main challenge as it is relatively weak, trying to balance energy to get more shoots in the area and re-wire it all.

Admittedly Ive been lazy and grabbing handfuls of foliage and pucking to desired length come spring time I will sit down for a few hours thinning everything out and getting more definition in the branch work.

[jezz_39]

Unwired, branches chopped back to first node where possible, re-wired. Ready for the coming season, I am hoping to get it into a bonsai pot this spring in an effort to control growth.

[Boics]

Looking good Jezz.

That stub is mightily distracting though!

[GavinG]

That's a very interesting look when it's so sparse - works for me. It's hard to tell in 2D, but the trunk curves in the LHS photo look very well balanced to me - possible front? You'd have to reposition everything, of course. It's a good excuse to funk up the branches with curves just like the top of the trunk.

Please keep posting it as you go,

Gavin

[Rory]

On a casuarina, you need to get rid of that dead wood, otherwise you are laying a red carpet down for the bad guys.