AusBonsai

G'day,

I've got LOTS of these on the go so I'm not exactly sure which one is above. Judging by the pot I think it is the following one.

TheNumber13 wrote:any additional tips you may have learnt.

Don't leave the wire on too long as they fatten up very quickly!
Don't let them dry out as they die from lack of water rather easily!
Do seal large wounds as the wood rots pretty easily!
Do try them as Casuarina is an excellent species for bonsai!

Regards,
Steven

That's all brilliant, thanks a lot Steven. I love that little tree and where it's heading; I would be very happy if I can get some to a similar state in a couple of years.

Cheers for the tips. I spent last weekend getting my first casuarinas; I hadn't considered them before seeing some of the examples on here. Looking forward to seeing what I can make of them, so I'm glad the serious twisting seems to work.

Wow!

Thanks for sharing!

I did a little work on this one today and thought I'd update the progression. I noticed that I'd not posted some of the pictures so I'll do a recap...

This was originally one of about 20 tube stock that I was doing some testing on different grow mediums. This one was in straight akadama.
12 months later and a run away branch had thickened the trunk below it.
I wired some of the future branches into position and played around with future planting angles.
It was well and truly time for a repot cause the plastic pot was swelling at the sides.
In November last year it had put on considerable new shoots and I trimmed all but a couple at the back which I planned to use as sacrifice branches. The lower ones on the left will be used for later sacrifices.
Today I noted that the trunk was beginning to swell too much around the sacrifice and I was worried that it would get bad reverse taper.
I'll let the lower left hand branches grow up now and thicken the base for the next 6 months or so. I'll keep the top trimmed regularly to start building the canopy and will continue to refine the structure.

Regards,
Steven

A bit of a pluck and some wire...
The bottom left branch will be removed after it has fattened up the base.

Regards,
Steven

Very promising little tree - great results. This progression realy shows what is possible with the species, I'll have to go out and bend up, and feed up, a few of my little fellows. It will be interesting to see how my local Allocasuarina littoralis go with this treatment. How tall is the plant ing the last image?

Jan.

I had two of these bought as tubestock just sitting in my greenhouse. Then I saw this thread and decided to give it a go too! I managed to snap both of mine about 1/3 from the top but being that they would have gotten a trunk chop anyway and they still have many many years of growing I'm not too fussed.
Keep up with the updates so I know what I can look forward to!

sean.mitchell1 wrote:I had two of these bought as tubestock just sitting in my greenhouse. Then I saw this thread and decided to give it a go too! I managed to snap both of mine about 1/3 from the top but being that they would have gotten a trunk chop anyway and they still have many many years of growing I'm not too fussed.
Keep up with the updates so I know what I can look forward to!

Haha me too Sean these are not as bendable as they look! - tried twisting a 1cm Torulosa trunk yesterday, twist, bend, then crack , so now I've got a confirmed mini, and a couple of cuttings ( hope they take!) .
I'll have to get even smaller stock next time!

Good luck Sean, keep 'em coming Steven!

Since I saw your little casuarina from last competition, I have fallen in love with it. Went crazy and bought 4 month ago lots of 5-8mm thick seedlings. I bent them some of them...with lots of twists and turns., but I was scared to go at too extreme angles, dew to cracking few of them. One I made into a cascade...and within 2 month the wire bit in badly. It grew very fast. Now they are 2cm diameter...and growing at a great speed.
Three of them I am doing an experiment with. One I trunk chopped and want to grow it with lots of trunk chops at small intervals and some sacrifice branches, the other one I want to grow and trunk chop only when it is 5cm diameter, and do the normal chop and grow technique, the last one I left 25 cm tall, want to try thickening the trunk with sacrifice branches and controlling the growth, by reducing it more on top.
I want to see what the results will be.
One I entered in this competition...with no hopes after I saw yours. But it will be fun any way.
the cuttings from the one for the competition I planted and all of them are growing. Today I dug out one and took picture of the roots. Wanted to wire them, but they were just too brittle.
Went to my neighbors casuarina, which is on the road, to collect some seeds...but they looked green to me. Have no idea how the seeds look like... Can it be powder like?
I think seedlings will be easier to wire.
I am really enjoying all kind of projects with casuarina.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Rooted cutting: My experiment.

I'm really pleased to read that others are increasingly working with Casuarina. They really are very satisfying to work with!

Jan, this little one is about 150mm tall.

Regards,
Steven

G'day,

The sacrifice branch has worked and the reverse taper is now gone.
I removed the sacrifice, removed 80% of the roots and potted it into a little Erin pot. Probably not the right pot
The work was done about a week ago and it is already starting to push new growth. I'm going to start work on the secondary branching now which will be done by removing all of the foliage (branchletts) except where I want branches. These branchletts will be left to elongate and will then turn into branches. When they are at the right thickness I'll pinch or cut them back and apply some really fine wire.

Regards,
Steven

Great progress Steven, its looking really nice.
Look forward to seeing the pads develop over the coming year or so.
Regards
Steve

Steven wrote:G'day,

The sacrifice branch has worked and the reverse taper is now gone.

2013 December (a).JPG

I removed the sacrifice, removed 80% of the roots and potted it into a little Erin pot. Probably not the right pot

2014 March (a).JPG

2014 March (b).JPG

The work was done about a week ago and it is already starting to push new growth. I'm going to start work on the secondary branching now which will be done by removing all of the foliage (branchletts) except where I want branches. These branchletts will be left to elongate and will then turn into branches. When they are at the right thickness I'll pinch or cut them back and apply some really fine wire.

Regards,
Steven

Love it especially the way you are holding it in your hand.

Very nice Steven - well done!
I once read on here someone (I can't remember who) suggest that every Australian bonsaist should be growing She-oaks. And I tend to agree, they seem so well suited to bonsai cultivation. Yours is a good example.

G'day Steve,
Did this one come from seed or cutting? Sorry for bring lazy and not reading the whole post - been flat out like a lizard drinking at work !
We have several mature trees on the road and I've often thought about air layering them...
How do you keep the 'greenery ' so short? Just trimming?



Cheers
EZ
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