AusBonsai

This little tree has produced some cones, which I am keen to propagate from as this Callitris seems to do well in my environment. A bit of research tells me the cones can stay on the tree for up to 2 years (!) before ripening so this has limited my ability to prune properly. The first branch (which carries the most cones) is already too thick so I have trimmed back the foliage here and elsewhere to encourage growth where I want it, but it will be a compromise to keep the cones, and the tree is unlikely to look great by October.

That's fantastic Sonya! It's looking good too! Hope you can get some seed.

melbrackstone wrote: ↑April 30th, 2021, 4:32 pm That's fantastic Sonya! It's looking good too! Hope you can get some seed.

If I do, and they germinate, you are welcome to a couple of seedlings. I have a couple of baby Casuarina equisetifolia with your name on them

If I do, and they germinate, you are welcome to a couple of seedlings. I have a couple of baby Casuarina equisetifolia with your name on them

Lovely!! Thank you!

I have not pruned or shaped this tree since I decided to propagate the seeds, so it has grown rank with branches thickening in the wrong places. Last Autumn, it developed male cones with lots of pollen released every time I tapped the foliage. I have tried to show the male cones near the female ones:
My reading told me that the female cones take 2 years to develop on the tree. Maybe they are infertile until the tree produces pollen like this one did. They look close to ready, so if I can harvest the seeds this Spring, I may have some time to develop the tree before the new due date.

Just an update on this tree in case anyone else is looking to propagate Callitris. I took the plunge and removed the cones on the weekend. None of them had opened up, but they looked close, and I really wanted to get stuck in and do a hard prune.
I put the cones into a paper bag in the sun and rain, and they have decided to pop open for me. I will sow the seeds in the next few days & we will see what happens.

Although healthy, this pine has not become presentable. After harvesting and propagating the seeds, I hard chopped the biggest branch, which had become thicker than the trunk, and I am letting the apex grow to attempt to balance these branches. No styling done.


The seeds took 6-10 weeks to germinate, then we had the rain bomb and floods so I lost a lot to damping off, but there are a few growing slowly.
Possibly the only plant in the Natural competition to become a parent?

That's really bulked up well, the tree clearly loves what you're doing with it! Well done! And babies as well!

melbrackstone wrote: ↑April 28th, 2022, 2:25 pm That's really bulked up well, the tree clearly loves what you're doing with it! Well done! And babies as well!

Yes, the tree loves the conditions here, hence why I was keen to propagate it. A couple of the seedlings have your name on them.

Babies is very cool! The parent looks to have developed pretty nicely as well.