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She-Oak, Australian Pine
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Post by melbrackstone »

Robert Steven just posted this on his facebook page if anyone is interested. https://www.facebook.com/blackscissors/ ... 59/?type=3

Casuarina Bonsai
Casuarina is a genus of shrubs and trees in the Family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia and islands of the Pacific, and widely spread to Hawaii, Florida, India, Indonesia, Africa, Egypt, some part of China and Japan, Caribbean islands etc. Commonly known as Sheoak or Australian pine because the branches and scale-like “needle” leaves bear a superficial resemblance to the pines, looks like wispy conifer. Casuarina is growing in subtropical and tropical, both at the seashore in dry, salty, calcareous soils and up in the mountains in high rainfall area on volcanic soils. Considered as invasive species in many countries but some are introduced and planted as windbreaks in the windswept area.
There are three species of Casuarina e.g. Casuarina equisetifolia (Beach Sheoak), C. cunninghamiana (River Sheoak) and C. glauca (Swamp Sheoak). They are difficult to tell the differences obviously, despite the growing area, the differences are mainly on the leaf character and the shape of the cone-like fruit. Sometimes the same species have different bark textures; some grow like shrubs in the bush land or trees up to over 30 meters tall.
Casuarina is highly tolerant to many adverse conditions and climate (ranging from 10 to 40 degree Celcius); dry or wet soil, alkaline or acidic (ranging from pH 4.5 – 9.5), clay, sandy or limestone, heat or high winds, but should be well-drained and full sun, yet grows best in slightly acid sandy soils with high humidity. It can be easily propagated by seed, stem cutting and air-layering.
Casuarina as bonsai
Casuarina was first introduced as bonsai in 1985 by the bonsai community in Madura island of Indonesia where Casuarina equisetifolia mostly grows along the coastline of this island. Due to its best quality of fuel wood, the local people had been cutting the branches as firewood for cooking. This continuous cutting process had formed the cut-and-grow branches structure of dwarf trees, which later attracted the bonsai enthusiasts to collect and use as bonsai materials.
As time flows, the unique pruning technique of the foliage was invented which resemble the pines character as old Casuarina look like in some area. Eventually, Casuarina bonsai become the icon of Indonesian bonsai, which has stood out prestigious performance for many international contest awards; and nowadays, many countries are following to train Casuarina the way as Indonesia does.
Propagation
Casuarina can be easily propagated by seed, stem cutting and air-layering. The success rate of stem cutting and air-layering is quite high, but it can be very sensitive when dug from the nature and moved to pot due to the severe disturbance on the roots system.
Casuarina equisetifolia is growing along the sandy coastline with strong wind and full sun, the same preferences as bonsai as well. Shady condition will cause slow growing; the leaves grow weak, weepy and unhealthy. The best soil used is volcanic soil with larger granules at the bottom layer. Volcanic soil will provide perfect drainage; the porous structure will keep constant wetness and the root hairs system can grow properly to obtain healthy foliation.
When it is dug from the nature, cut out the major leaves with short remain. It is advisable to soak in rooting hormones solution to enhance the new rooting. It is also advisable to collect the soil from its habitat to mix with the potting soil for the first time in the training pot. After potting, do not put in the sunny place, keep in the shady place until new shoots coming out before moving to the open area. During this period, do not water too much, but should keep the moisture by spraying to the whole body.
Programming and Training Technique
Casuarina can root on the surface, also can form taproots that grow down to the water table; so as bonsai, it is easy to improve the nebari (footage) by letting the surface roots growing down to ground through pipes. When the watering on the pot is decreased, these taproots will grow very fast to form a perfect footage.
Casuarina can also easily be grafted to grow new branches at designated places when necessary. Jin shari are not recommended because it rots easily.
The key to successfully train Casuarina into nice looking bonsai is the pruning technique to create the ” foliage-balls” (clusters) along with the compact twigs structure. Casuarina is relatively growing very fast, and the best way to form the ramification is by the “clip-and-grow” method.
In fact the leaves of Casuarina are rather inconspicuous, grow in whorls. Although they look like the needles of pines, but these “needles” are actually multi-jointed branchlets with nodes and can be pulled off. So each needle is potential to grow as branch or twig.
Before working on the foliage clusters, the branches and ramification structure should be obtained by proper “clip-and-grow” method. As each leaf is potential to grow as branch, the messy “needles” should be cleaned out in initial stage, keeping only selected “needles” to create future branches, sub-branches or twigs.
After the trunk and branches are set in place, forming the overall dimension and composition of the design, and the sub-branches and twigs are properly structured, then it is time to start working on the foliage clusters to create the canopy. Each cluster is formed at the tip of twig with bunch of needle-like leaves around by cleaning out and pinching to shorten in desired length.
After the finishing touch of cleaning the messy leaves around on individual cluster, the final compact result will be obtained. Do not use shears to cut the leaves, but by twisting and pinching by hand at the nodes to avoid the brownish tips.
Maintenance
Although it is well tolerant to infertile soil condition in its nature habitat, but in pot, fertilizing is recommended as it responds well in growing rate with phosphorus; nitrogen is not needed in the fertilizer because it produces its own nitrates due to its ability to fix nitrogen in a symbiotic association with the bacteria Frankia sp. As in its nature habitat, it grows well with saline groundwater and salt spray; so it is recommended to put salt around the soil periodically.
One should be very careful when do repotting. If possible, avoid any severe disturbance to the roots system and do not do any major cutting on the roots. The best time to repot is in early spring and never repot during the raining season when the sunlight is not sufficient and too much water may cause the roots rot. If not really necessary, it is better to change the soil periodically on around the pot rather than a complete repotting with new soil mixture.
Casuarina is intolerant to shady place; windy place is preferable; wet but well drainage is a must !
To maintain the delicate performance of foliage, refinement is needed from time to time by cleaning and pinching the over-growth leaves. This can be done all year long at any time to keep the compact foliage outlook; but never defoliated.
Disease and pests Casuarinas is relatively strong resist to disease and pest, no serious problem appears as bonsai; occasionally fungus attack which cause stem and leaf wilt, and eventual death. However, it is quite sensitive to the improper drainage or when the roots system is disturbed during the re-potting. The major biological cause of death is the mushroom roots rot that cause dying-back, but this can be decreased in wetter condition with perfect drainage.
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