AusBonsai

Per PF, I'm really enjoying this thread, and your determination in trying something hard.

I was told a long time ago to stick with species that grow well in my climate, and it's something I've stuck to more as I get older, but I still have a Japanese Maple or two in my back yard because it's fun and we all crave what we can't have.

Growing Australian natives outside of their preferred environment will add to our shared knowledge, so I look forward to future updates, regardless of the outcome.

Matt.

Cheers guys, I really appreciate the comments!
I think we all grow the fastest when we share information. I've personally learnt so much in a short amount of time from this little Casuarina and if someone else on this forum gets something out of my journey I'd be absolutely delighted. I'll keep the updates coming...

PeterH wrote: ↑November 9th, 2020, 3:42 pm Some cunninghamiana from a recent trip

Wow Peter. Your photography is as wonderful as your bonsai.

Thank you for sharing, as its good to show people that Casuarina make beautiful bonsai .... you just have to look for the glorious specimens like these in the wild.

Quick update:

My C.C. quickly grew into the grow lights and as a result got some yellowing/burnt foliage. I've taken the bulb out of the equation and I'll see how she responds.

I applied some sphagnum moss to the root base on one side for two reasons:
1. I heard a guy in India saying it was a good way of growing new base roots. This dude--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rriW_8OTcVg
2. With my watering method the top part of the substrate sometimes dried out a bit too much before all the water on the tray was gone. With some sphagnum I'm hoping it will stay a bit damper.

Really enjoying your updates Per, keep them coming.

How many hours of daylight do you get at this time of year?

I grow all of my trees outside, and I had one tree in particular that was in a mix with very coarse mix, similar to yours. As you've discovered, the top dries out too fast and the roots don't populate the entire pot with that much oxygen in the area, so putting sphagnum over it is a good option. Next time you repot use smaller particles, and you'll find the tree will appreciate it.

Cheers guys,
@greg27 We get about 6h 20min - feels dark most of the time According to this web-thing, you're having more than twice the sun hours!

@melbrackstone Thanks for the tip! I've had a feeling it's too coarse and you've confirmed it, so a bit finer next repot/season.

(+This CC is in a tall pot, so it drains even faster from the top layer...)

You can also get a better coverage with the Sphagnum if you cut it into smaller pieces. My preferred method is to rub dry sphagnum through a sieve, which breaks it up nicely. You can then sprinkle it evenly over the pot surface and moisten with a fine spray.

Update:
Ripley's doing ok, to fine, so far. I feel like she's self regulating her size/growth, according to the space and light available i:e growth has been slowing and some yellow needles show up here and there. The increase in needle mass has led to a more frequent watering cycle. I've stopped fertilizing for the time being (it was a hassle to deal with the run-off), and I think she should be OK until outdoors time + I really can't handle more growth atm. She's growing up into the ceiling and twisting around up there.. Trunk size has gone from pencil to thin sharpie.
(I'll use finer substrate and shred the moss next repot, thanks for the help on that guys!) Maybe I'll put the bulb (third artificial light) back on at a later stage.

I decided to take Ripley out from behind the desk to check status and to add some plastic to protect the floor from water damage.
Here she is: She's approximately 40 cm across the crown and 90 cm from the floor to top. I've been rotating the pot 90 degrees every watering to get even light and it has given her a sort of twisted look Is this common? Twisted parts. Her bottom roots are almost always in water but no harm so far. There are some fresh root tips visible. They dry up slightly between waterings. Bulging of the plastic indicates time for a bigger pot, or does it happen very fast when growing in 100% pumice?Back budding down low What is the above?

Future plans: I'm still growing her to bulk up. When we've gotten into summer here I plan on repotting to a wider but shorter pot, as big as possible, to allow for room to grow during next winter here. A trunk chop would be good to give her space, but I'm not sure if it's too soon. I plan for a final tree of about 40 cm max (rim to top) and not super squat. I'll try to go for a natural/in nature look eventually.

Questions & comments are always welcome. Cheers
Per

The twisting of the stems is something my Casuarina suffered too, it's called fasciation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation

The tree looks amazing, considering all you've had to do to keep it going!

The short wide pot sounds like a good idea, I'm sure the tree will appreciate it. Less coarse potting media will also help. Thanks for sharing, it's been a great learning experience for all of us!

Looking good! Since you have it under grow lights and the tree is actively growing even though it's winter, I'd slip it into a slightly larger pot now to give those roots a bit of room to move. I'd also hold off on the trunk chop for now to let that base fatten up a bit more.

Cheers guys, I really appreciate the wisdom At the moment I'm out of substrate but when I can get some I will slip pot to slightly bigger pot and choose a finer grade of pumice. I will hold off the trunk chop until mid-to-late summer when we have some passable sun around here..

(I have also chopped up some more sphagnum to cover the top layer.)

The "helpers" and wife were out of the house today and I got some new pumice = repotting time!
I use a fiberglass mesh tape for the drainage holes and think it works well, self-adhesive.Bought this drip protection tray for fridge+freezer to minimize mess indoors, it's smooth and flexible. I had to cut the pot open. Some of the lower roots had gone black as expected and I decided to cut them off. I couldn't get into/untangle the root ball completely and left it like this. Afterwards: The new pot is almost 3X the old and the pumice much finer. I only put spaghnum where I want more roots since I'm hoping the finer mix will remedy the top-drying-out-problem.Looking devilish I'll keep you posted
Btw it worked really well to encourage base/nebari root growth with spaghnum, there were roots growing vigorously through it!

Early summer update on "Ripley":

She hasn't bounced back since the repot. She lost a lot of branches as expected from the heavy root trim, but then she never really started growing again. The leaves turning red and drying out from the tips and inwards.
Since the sun factor was the same (13h artificial light) I figured it had something to do with the watering. I tried to get more water to pass through each watering, to thoroughly wet the entire pot, but no visible change. I started to think it was a nutrient issue?
Finally we hit summer and she was brought outside. She's had some liquid fert and thorough waterings and she's in good sun all day. I'm just crossing my fingers, trying to keep the watering balanced and hoping she comes back... She's been outside for nine days/nights now. I read about some other plant that a deficiency in nitrogen could cause the leaves to turn red with browning tips? Any thoughts on the situation are most welcome! I know I'm in a unique situation here, so I get it if there's not much advice to give. This is today after nine days outside. (I cut off the dead parts when I brought her outside)
Cheers,
Per