AusBonsai

My 3rd comp entry here - Daintree Pine.
Nursery stock material - cost $14.99

Never had one - now I got one.

Just need to trick it in thinking that my extremely hot [treeless] NSW suburban backyard, is actually a far North Queensland tropical rainforest! - can't be that difficult...

update for this tree - addition of decomposing rotting trunk.
A small pine sapling forced to co-exist.
It's not a tanuki!
Eventually to mimic rainforest floor conditions as rotted trunk will hopefully be somewhat moss covered
Lots more to do, but that's for later updates.
Pot is by Janet Selby.
inspiration pics:

Hi KCR,

Just a little info for you regarding Gymnostoma. Firstly, you may already know, but in case you don't, or others reading your thread aren't, Gymnostoma is actually part of the Casuarina family and not related to Pines or any conifer. The "needles", like the Casuarina's, are actually stems. It's my understanding that much like Casuarina's when growing in rainforest areas, they are normally found in open areas of the Rainforest, either along creeks or even open, rocky and drier areas. I have grown them successfully on the Mid North Coast of NSW for a number of years. I have seen many planted as street trees in very open conditions where they would receive no care and have thrived there for a number of years so I think your hot sunny backyard should be fine. And finally, be mindful of branch/trunk junctions as they can be very weak when young. I have had branches up to about 5 mm come away from the trunk very easily.

Good luck with it.

Hmmm - I believe the bar was just raised in the competition.

Well played. More thinking pre-Jan 31.

Tic Tic..... time passes.


Bonsai teaches me patience.

cheers MJ & Dansai,
Dansai - for future reference, i'll take any info you can give so thank you.
It's good to know they will cope with the heat.

I’m sorry to be a party pooper. But this doesn’t sit well for a fair playing field for others.
Tanuki is not really fair in this competition which specifically is attempting to show what we can naturally grow.
It doesn’t keep to the spirit of growing the trunk within the 3 year timeframe.

A rock is one thing but using foreign dead wood to increase the trunk girth whether for look or age is an unfair advantage.
I have to say no, I am very sorry.

OK, but I was not intending on doing a Tanuki,
Rather at the end of the 3 years I was hoping for moss covered decomposing log with a pine sapling co-existing - such as you would see along the rainforest floor.
The log i'm showing here is already fungus infested & starting to decompose (read about it here)
viewtopic.php?f=132&t=24847&start=0&hilit=privet

The x3 pins shown are not going through the living pine to attach - rather clamping to help guide the branches for similar inclination (as if the two elements have been living together)
The trunk would then eventually be tipped more horizontal as time passes, with mosses & fungus growing within the main rotted internal cavity (as per the inspiration pic)
If I were to ever do a Tanuki (& I don't think I ever would) - I would not use a decomposing rotting privet trunk to start?

In any case, I will withdraw this entry & continue on with my naïve plan - hopefully someday I may have something that mimics a lush green "Natural" rainforest setting?
If successful, I'll post a pic here.

Hope this helps explains to all fellow comp entrants, that my creative intentions were only that, & I was not out to deceive or take advantage in any way

No of course not.
It will look really awesome probably in years to come, as the material is still great outside the comp.

Regards,
Rory