Allocasuarina torulosa 37

She-Oak, Australian Pine
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Rory
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Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

Progression thread : Allocasuarina torulosa 37

I Purchased this Casuarina from Leong at Bonsai South
Cost $30

This thread had to be restarted since the upgrade here, as the pictures are now hosted externally rather than on this site.

This would be my favourite Casuarina that I'm growing. I'm attempting to develop it as a natural styled Casuarina.
It is hard to make out as its still in its strong development stage, but there are now 3 branches developing at the lower area.
There are many natural traits that a lot of growers dislike with Casuarina which ironically are what make this iconic species so immediately recognizable. Yet many growers remove or discourage this, such as crossed branching, bar-branching, multiple trunks that do not start at the very base, and their long beautiful arching branches with no taper. (This is perfectly understandable as we've always been discouraged from allowing this, but I adore these traits on Casuarinas). It isn't actually that easy to maintain sweeping branches with no taper as the branching will thicken fast if you allow the branch to strongly develop, so you have to occasionally reduce the number of branchlets, but keep enough to maintain good health.

I find it is best to cut-and-grow to develop the sweeping branch movements, as opposed to wiring, as wiring doesn't give it that iconic look.
And another iconic trait of these guys is that they generally don't have a uniformed branching style on the one tree.

These species make aesthetically beautiful trees. The weeping foliage and very thin needles make this the most visually stunning of all the Casuarina species in my opinion.

DO NOT let these dry out. I recommend adding about 30-35 % washed course river sand for better drainage to your mix.
Don't let the lower branches get heavily shaded.

This photo was taken 18 Mar 2015
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This photo was taken 17 Feb 2016
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This photo was taken 20 Sep 2017
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This photo was taken 01 May 2018
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This photo was taken 28 Feb 2019
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This photo was taken 15 Apr 2020
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Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
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Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Watto »

Good info, thanks
Check out my blog at http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/blog/Watto" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

A. Torulosa 37-01 18Mar2015.jpg
18Mar2015


A. torulosa 37-02 17Feb2016.jpg
17Feb2016


A. torulosa 37-03 20Sep2017.jpg
20Sep2017


A. torulosa 37-04 01May2018.jpg
01May2018


A. torulosa 37-05 28Feb2019.jpg
28Feb2019


A. torulosa 37-06 20Feb2020.jpg
20Feb2020


A. torulosa 37-07 03Mar2021.jpg
03Mar2021
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Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
Central Coast, NSW
Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

Gosh I love this Casy. Come back here in about 10 years and I'll be pretty happy with it at that point.
A. torulosa 37-08 10Jan2022.jpg
10 Jan 2022
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Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
Central Coast, NSW
Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Sno »

I’d be happy with it at this point let alone in ten years . Cool tree .
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by GavinG »

Yes, it's interesting what to do with Cas branches - not pine-style, but what else? They have a lovely soft fall in most trees, but very old trees get very complex angular branches.

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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

GavinG wrote: January 12th, 2022, 8:47 pm Yes, it's interesting what to do with Cas branches - not pine-style, but what else? They have a lovely soft fall in most trees, but very old trees get very complex angular branches.
Very wise comment. Its not easy to shape Casuarina branches, because if you fall into the trap of styling them like traditional Japanese pines, they end up looking non-Australian. Its always best to have photos of them to constantly reference when you style them.

Most people style Casuarina branches with a fair degree of uniform continuity all along the trunk, and it looks inappropriate to me. And the most common trap is to develop significant taper. Casuarina are anti-taper trees if you actually look at their branching properly. Often ragged, long, crossing over and eventually weeping as they age, but not with strong taper throughout the branches.

The really old casuarinas that grow out from the pack and out over a river bank are always fascinating to study ... with their crooked but slowly weeping look. But the really old solitary ones in the middle of a plane or field are amazing to look at their ragged growth.
Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
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Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by GavinG »

Any photos Rory? I don't think we have the information to do these well yet.

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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

This one is hard to photograph. Maybe as it spreads and develops its branches over time, it will have the foliage more on the outer areas.

I realize its not quite yet 01.01.2023, but its easier to post that its 2023, so looking back people can easily distinguish that its a year apart. Its only 1 day before the actual date.
A. torulosa 37-09 01Jan2023.jpg
01Jan2023
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Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
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Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

A. torulosa 37-10 03Nov2023.jpg.jpg
03Nov2023

Placed into a Pat Kennedy pot (Australia).
Beautiful tree, beautiful pot.
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Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
Central Coast, NSW
Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Promethius »

This thread drove me to find a torulosa for myself. Really cool tree. Thanks for sharing the progression, not just of this one but of all your natives.
Could I ask - is the copper foliage colouring an autumn phenomenon, or related to age / sun / feeding / other stuff?
Also - any repotting tips? I was as delicate as possible repotting, but still managed to lose much of the fissured bark at the base of mine.
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Rory »

Hi Promethius,

I appreciate the kind words.
It is a very hardy tree provided you don’t let it dry out and don’t constantly cut it back

The purple foliage is even more so during winter. As spring rolls around they usually start to get more green yes. Some of my torulosas are completely green, while others are still purplish.

Repotting these can be difficult because of the fragility of the deeply fissured bark. I usually start by taking it out and spraying it with the hose to try and remove all the easily removable old mix first. At some point you’ll have to get in there and use your fingers tho. This is when it gets tricky. You don’t want to hold the top fo the tree if the root system isn’t firm as this might badly damage the roots if the massive weight of the roots hanging down pulls too heavily on the base of the trunk.
As I get older, I find I’m less interested in maintaining taper with the bark, and don’t really care if I damage the bark at the base . This happens in the wild so just roll with it, so to speak.
But it can be a delicate balancing act to try and reduce the damage. My best tip is to place it on an upside down plastic pot so that the roots hang over the edge while you then try to work them. But this is actually easier to do on older material as opposed to younger material which tends to just fall over when you do that.

I have a lot more new threads to setup and progression threads to update, so stay tuned for a lot more casuarina updates among others. If you like the rough look of the bark, you could try Casuarina glauca. It develops a rough bark, nowhere near as fissured, but a lot stronger and a thick based glauca shows a lot of age to it, as opposed to torulosa which thickens quickly.
Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
Central Coast, NSW
Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus

Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Allocasuarina torulosa 37

Post by Promethius »

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I haven’t been able to find any more of these in Victoria, but hope to start a batch from seed and will bear those tips in mind. :beer:

Andy
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