Blackwood - perhaps my guitar gently weeps.

[MJL]

Here's a little group I haven't posted before but I am staggered at their durability and how they bounce back after a significant cutback.

These are Australian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon). I am not sure about the trees longer term viability as bonsai because I am not sure the leaves will reduce. I nearly entered them in the Natural comp but decided on other group.

Here is where they were when the natural competition started (below)

IMG_5763.jpeg

after a little while, I did this to them (below)

IMG_7686 (1).jpeg

Then I did this to them (about a month or so back)

IMG_8132.jpeg

Are here they are today after I added one more that I had kept as a single. I basically dug a whole with my finger and added one to the front left - when I did the trim noted above.

IMG_8519 (1).jpeg

IMG_8519.jpeg

My guitar is probably weeping because it is an Australian-made Maton acoustic guitar..... made of Blackwood!

[MJL]

I probably need to get out more - well... no sh!t Sherlock- I am in Melbourne but ... I mean get out more ... in bonsai context.
Why? Well... I think many may think this group is a waste of time but I am finding this is a really fun little group. Fast growing, thickening up, bloody resilient to my mis-treatment.... but absolutely no leaf reduction ... so pretty pox in terms of a Shohin-group ... I don’t care though. Indeed, I reckon one day that I’ll put this in a club show bench a few weeks after hard cutback with juvenile foliage! Cheating ... probably
I cut it back again this morning ...




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[Keep Calm and Ramify]

This looks interesting - two types of leaf? The juvenile the flatter. Wanna take a close up pick of the leaf? (it will give you something to do!! )

[MJL]

Hi KC&R,
Juvenile first. Then mature.




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[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Thanks mate - I not familiar with this plant and I do like a good Acacia. Keep up the progressions.

[Matt S]

I grew a large forest of these once. They thicken and bark up quickly on the trunk which was the main feature, and I was able to reduce the leaves by constantly trimming the new growth, but you have to keep on top of it and there were always a lot of shoots coming from the base of branches. Cutting back hard caused the foliage to revert to juvenile but it was really just patience to get the foliage under control. Usual thing - the more fine branches the more leaves there are spread over the same area and therefore the tree responds by producing smaller leaves. Just keep on doing what you're doing already - building some movement in the trunks and main branches and worry about the foliage later. The trunks look good so far!

Matt.

[terryb]

Agree with Matt S, the bark is really nice. I had one which escaped into the ground and it thickens and barks up quickly. I actually lost it when I separated and root pruned it, however, I had taken two layers off it as a precaution. Layers are now shooting profusely and I'll add some pics to my layers thread once I repot them (or maybe before if I get some time).

[Raging Bull]

Hi Mark,
I don't know about your acacia, but many Aussie acacias, i.e. wattles, are not very long-lived. The average, if there is such a thing, is only a few decades. They'll probably outlive you & me, but on the bonsai timescale it's not very long.
Cheers, Frank.

[Sno]

Acacia melanoxlyon , aca Blackwood live for about 100 years . Looking good Mark , if you have them , your grandkids are going to love this .
I’ve got one which are started from a 2 m tree , they don’t heal from a big trunk chop so it will need some carving . I think mine has caught a virus because the leaves have a deformity .

[terryb]

I think mine has caught a virus because the leaves have a deformity .

Hey Sno,

Like this?

20201021_174504.jpg

[Sno]

[quote=Sno post_id=284032 time=<a href="tel:1603187927">1603187927</a> user_id=2411]
I think mine has caught a virus because the leaves have a deformity .

Hey Sno,

Like this?

20201021_174504.jpg

[/quote]

Yes very similar .

[MJL]

No virus here - touch wood!

Nothing really to say other than this is fun to keep cutting back. I keep this is an inch of water.






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