A Sneak Preview For My AusBonsai Friends: River Red Gum

[FlyBri]

Gday folks!

Some here may know that I'm affiliated with another - non-Oz - Bonsai site (please don't hold that against me). As a token of my appreciation of the work that Mr AusBonsai (among others) is doing here, please allow me to show the first photos of my favourite tree as it goes through the process of repotting. It is the River Red Gum that I have grown over the past 9-10 years(?) from a seedling, and it is moving from a great Pat Kennedy pot into one I commissioned from the US potter, Dale Cochoy. (As it was, I loved the original pot so much that I just had to request a custom job, without so much as half an idea what I'd put in it. Turns out that I reckon I can grow the River Red to match the pot. )

You can get the full story here, but the photos won't be nearly as big or detailed as they are here...

Enjoy!

Fly.

RR_Jan_09_01.jpg

RR_Jan_09_02.jpg

River_Red_Repot_Jan_09_Prev.jpg

PS: Apologies for the first and last pics: the lighting conditions were less than ideal during much of the repotting process.

[kcpoole]

Very nice fly

[FlyBri]

Very nice fly

Thanks Ken!

As I alluded to in my initial post, there's still much work to be done on this one. First and foremost is the need to grow the tree so that it better suits the size of the pot. In doing so, I hope to 'de-clutter' the trunk and initial branching which is currently partially obscured by foliage (mind you, I haven't trimmed it in a while ).

Thanks!

Fly.

[Jon Chown]

Fly, it will be interesting to follow the development of this one. There are two points that don't look right to me but without seeing it in real life, I may be wrong. First, it appears to me to need to be tilted towards the viewer about another 5 or 10 degrees and second, one of the top right branches seems to me to be too thick in relation to the lower ones.

Sorry for the negative statements Fly, I like what you have achieved so far.

Jon

[aaron_tas]

nice aussie fly

[FlyBri]

Gday fellas!

Sorry I don't have time now to address your comments, but I 'll pop up another photo which is slightly better than the ones in the initial post.

Enjoy!

RR_Jan_09_04.jpg

[Ash Barns]

Very tasty Fly. When can I expect delivery?

Ash

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Fly,

I have no experiences with this native species -- so I cannot comments...

But I do like the pot. It does not look like Asian, is there a chance that it is Australian Fly?
If it is Australian, where can I find it, pls?

Regards,

Viet.

[jpguest]

Very nice Fly... thanks for sharing.

[FlyBri]

...There are two points that don't look right to me but without seeing it in real life, I may be wrong. First, it appears to me to need to be tilted towards the viewer about another 5 or 10 degrees and second, one of the top right branches seems to me to be too thick in relation to the lower ones.

Sorry for the negative statements Fly, I like what you have achieved so far.

Gday Jon, and thanks for your thoughts!

When I've uploaded pics of this tree in the past, I received similar feedback regarding the apparent backwards tilt of the tree. Perhaps my photographic technique leaves something to be desired, as the top ~1/4 of the tree is actually flush with - or forward of - the base. I've attached pics of the left and right views of the tree (sorry for all the clutter).

RR_Jan_09_LH.jpg

RR_Jan_09_RH.jpg

You are indeed correct about that upper RH branch - I believe that I had planned at some stage that it was going to be the new leader. If I keep an eye on the growth of all branches, I can bring it into line within a year or two.

By the way, there's nothing at all negative about your comments. This is a young, developing tree, and I haven't been doing this very long, relatively speaking. Your comments are the seeds of a constructive critique. Thanks again!

***

Very tasty Fly. When can I expect delivery?)

Thanks Ash!

When you finally bother to drive up and visit, you can have a look at it! (It's always important to read the fine print...)

***

Hi Fly,

I have no experiences with this native species -- so I cannot comments...

But I do like the pot. It does not look like Asian, is there a chance that it is Australian Fly?
If it is Australian, where can I find it, pls?

Gday Daiviet!

Whether you have experience with this species or not, I would welcome comment. Ultimately it's just another tree, and if you can see a way to make it look more like a tree, I'd be glad to hear it.

The pot is a custom job from the US potter Dale Cochoy. Folks who frequent bonsaiTALK.com would be well aware of Dale and his work. I believe Dale cut me a real deal when he priced the pot, but he said it was worth it to finally get one of his pots into Oz. From memory, the pot ended up costing less than the freight cost!

Thanks again all!

Fly.

[Jon Chown]

Thanks for the other photos Fly, it sure does come back forward of center. I can also see where you were going with the RH branch as a leader, I quite like this trunk line as well and it might lower that LH root a little.

As I said, I will follow the progress with interest.

Jon

[anttal63]

as always fly it looks a beaut! not to mention dales pot

[Lynette]

Hi Fly,
Would you give some details of this species. I have one I have been growing for some time and all it wants to do is go for the sky. I am having a hard time getting any branches except high up. Can I cut it down and expect regrowth. You climate is different to mine. So that may play some part. I am wondering if I water it to much. I did an asssignment on this species at uni a few years ago, but it hasn't helped my grow it any better.
Lynette

[FlyBri]

Hi Fly,
Would you give some details of this species. I have one I have been growing for some time and all it wants to do is go for the sky. I am having a hard time getting any branches except high up. Can I cut it down and expect regrowth. You climate is different to mine. So that may play some part. I am wondering if I water it to much. I did an asssignment on this species at uni a few years ago, but it hasn't helped my grow it any better.
Lynette

Gday Lynette!

Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you, but it is a hectic time of year...

I'd love to supply some relevant details for the training of E. camaldulensis, but the species is so variable that the only info I can provide would only be truly relevant to this particular specimen. That said, the Koreshoffs have provided us with generic notes and guidelines for the training and maintenance of Eucalyptus Bonsai, the most pertinent of which in this case it that Eucs tend to be apically dominant. In order to create and maintain lower branching, it is essential to keep vigorous apical growth in check by means of pruning and/or wiring. In the case of the tree I've posted, I've been aware of the problems associated with apical dominance from the outset, and have always pruned/wired accordingly.

All of the River Reds that I own will readily backbud if the top is pruned, so it should be possible to first create your desired lower trunkline, allowing the tree to grow well past the required height, and then force lower branching by chopping well below your planned apex. Once the new buds form, allow the lower ones to grow unchecked (within reason: shoots with long internodes are not desirable, and neither is it wise in the long run to keep more than one shoot at any given point). Upper shoots should then be pinched back to the 1st or 2nd node. Mind you, this is all purely theoretical as I have not worked a River Red in this way before. [EDIT] I've thought about it, and the approach mentioned above will be more-or-less the way to go when (if?) I manage to remove the River Red layer in this thread. I'll let you know how it goes when the time comes. [/EDIT]

Finally, with a well-drained mix, I believe it is impossible to over-water E. camaldulensis: the more water the merrier, I reckon.

Any chance you can post a photo of your tree?

Thanks and good luck!

Fly.

[FlyBri]

Gday folks!

Please find some updated pics of my oldest River Red. It's looking a bit shaggy at the moment, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to (virtually) try on my new Pat Kennedy pot.

RR_Nov_09(1).jpg

RR_Nov_09(2).jpg

RR_Nov_09(3).jpg

RR_Nov_09(4).jpg

RR_Nov_09(V).jpg

Thanks.

Fly.

PS: If there is sufficient interest, I'll dig into the archives for all the pics I have of this tree's history.