Allocasuarina defungens 1

[Rory]

Allocasuarina defungens 1

This was purchased from Glendale Native Plant Nursery in Newcastle for $16.95 as a 4inch tub stock.

So far, they respond just like a Torulosa. They have similiar bark as Torulosa, but the bark on these is much stronger and doesn't break off with a gentle touch like Torulosa. They produce very cute little cones and don't need to grow too much to do this. I've had both of my specimens producing cones.
They handle wet feet or a fast draining mix pretty well. I haven't had problems at all with this variety.
I've cut the roots and repotted them twice since I bought them.

This will be developed as a multi-trunk Casy.

A. defungens 1-01 05Mar2021.jpg

05Mar2021

A. defungens 1-02 10Jan2022.jpg

10Jan2022

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. defungens 1-03 01Jan2023.jpg

01Jan2023

[demps]

Great tree developing there Rory. It may be worth trying to collect seed if they’re viable, I’ve found this species hard to come by in nursery’s around my area. Super underrated bonsai material!

[Rory]

Great tree developing there Rory. It may be worth trying to collect seed if they’re viable, I’ve found this species hard to come by in nursery’s around my area. Super underrated bonsai material!

Thank you. Yeah they are the best overall Casuarina to work with, whether someone is new or advanced. They’re extremely forgiving. More so than if you let a Torulosa miss a watering.
Their short needles are the icing on the cake too.
Their root spread is fantastic too. Very hardy roots. The other specimen I bought was worked really, really hard as I wasn’t too fussed on keeping it at the time. It was left days without watering endless times, cut back 90% of roots, continually cut, trunk chopped and it simply powered on without a beat

I didn’t realize how hard they were to get when I tried to get more, and no-one sells them. Even the nursery I bought them from said it’s unlikely they’ll get more. They don’t weep like Torulosa, but you don’t have to reduce the needles, so it’s much better.

I’ll try to remember the next time they produce cones to try the seeds. I’ll post the other progression when I have a spare moment.

[Rory]

DEAD.

it just kept dying back. There was no presence of a borer at all, and no apparent explanation. It had never dried out either.
Very strange. But the top 20% died off from the main apex. Then the next branch died back about 3 months later.
And today I’ve check on it, and it’s dead as a door nail.
I will leave it in case it shoots from the base. But it doesn’t look good. No curl grubs, nothing. ~shrug~

It had suffered a massive branch falling on it a while back, which shred the top branch and a bit below it, but it recovered from that so I assumed it hadn’t done any other damage than just visual

Usually I can tell why a Casurina has died, but this is an exception.
I hope it’s not something to do with my area. The other specimen is in perfect health and powering on.