E.Caesia root pruning

[PamKiwi]

Hi There

I am relatively new to bonsai (only a year) and super new to natives. I purchased a E.Caesia (silver princess) from a local native nursery because it has amazing shape in its trunk. It is however on the large size (in the pot it stood approx. 150cm tall). I bought it home and cut off the top section of the tree, so it is now approx. 1m tall. I did this at the start of Sept 2017. It is now (mid-Nov 2017) sending off new growth and buds.

I just checked its pot (which is a large approx. 30cm plastic pot) and have noticed some larger roots starting to amass on the bottom. I have really fallen in love with this tree, and whilst I know I still need to cut it back more, I was planning on doing this over the course of the next couple of years (ie 20cm per year). I am concerned about how I go reducing the current root stock on the tree- without killing it!

What time of year should I do it?
How much of the root stock should I remove?
Should I just cut from the base- or do a full tease out of roots and prune from there?

I have attached some photos so you can see what I am talking about

Thanks in advance

Pam

[shibui]

We have found that the best time for root pruning most natives is during the warmer months so now is a good time. I have been root pruning banksias, callistemon, Leptospermum and Eucs over the last month and will do more before Christmas.

Each species has slightly different needs and I have not root pruned E. ceasia but other Eucs can be root pruned by more than half without upsetting them. How much you take off and how you do it will be dictated by what you find in that root ball. If there is only one long root coiled around you will need to consider what to do but I would still cut it, repot and usually try to remove thicker roots and any vertical ones and leave laterals and feeder roots. I would definitely do a full tease out and prune so I can see what is there.

Cutting back by 20 cm per year may not be the best strategy. Eucs usually just produce new shoots just below the cut so the following year you will need to cut all that new growth off and start again. Why not cut it to the final height the first year? That's just and bear in mind I have not actually worked with this species so best to go with your gut feelings here.

I think you will need to have a relatively tall trunk because E. caesia has such pendulous growth habit. Natural habit is also an open shrub with weeping branches and I believe we should pay at least some attention to the natural shapes of the trees we are trying to recreate in bonsai.
This is a lovely species so good luck with your efforts with it.

[PamKiwi]

Thanks shibui

I have repotted it- once i teased it out it seemed to have a few long roots circling the bottom, but the rest of the ball was relatively small. So i pruned off half the length of the longs one and repotted it.

If i cut it back to bare wood- are we sure it will bud/shoot again?

[shibui]

Only 2 things in this life are certain Pam. Whether or not any individual tree will shoot after pruning is not one of them. There are far too many variables - health, weather, your care, etc.

The best I can offer you is that most Eucs bud quite easily from bare wood after pruning.

I made quite a long drive a few years ago to see these growing wild in WA. They only grow on a couple of isolated granite outcrops in the far Eastern wheatbelt of WA so they are quite rare in the wild.

[baldtwitlion]

Hi pam
I have a few eucs and I adhere to Shibuis belief that we must pay attention to the natural habitat and growth of of our trees particularly natives
Whilst i have had the plants reshoot after cuting back branches i havnt cut trunks back in the hope of geting the plant to reshoot
Eucs in nature are quite prone to bushfires and under most circumstances reshoot
all the plants that i have produced shoots around the base at some stage
hopefully some of this is useful
the tree u have is quite interesting as it is


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PamKiwi]

Thank you guys- i am not wanting to reduce the trunk itself, justhe branch a bit. So i have cut it back a bit (and ive tried to put the ends into pots to see if they will strike), so now i eill have to wait and see.

[shibui]

The bad news is that Eucs are notoriously difficult to strike as cuttings. Nearly always grown from seed.

I have heard of some species being grown from cuttings but only under extremely special conditions. I don't hold out much hope for your cuttings od this tree but stranger things have happened