The Gumtree gumtree (eucalyptus victrix)

[greg27]

This is the "Gumtree gumtree" - a eucalyptus victrix that I got for free off of Gumtree back in October last year (ie. 2019 - I'm not used to 2020 yet!). The previous owner had some wire on the tree but I'm not really sure what they were trying to do with it; possibly they weren't either, hence the free tree for me.

Here it is in the original form (sorry for the terrible photo, I forgot to take my own before doing the chop):

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Here it is after my first chop, back to the lowest branch (breakfast of champions for scale):

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Here it is a few weeks after another chop, and just after a root prune and repot:

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And here it is as of today, with some guy wires added in a vain attempt to do something to the straight, taperless trunk - 2x red arrows showing where new buds have popped up (terrible lighting - that's not a yellow leaf!):

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Any advice on how best to make this guy look a bit interesting would be great. I was thinking of rubbing off the lower of the two new buds and growing the higher one as a branch, and keeping the two lowest branches as sacrifice to try to thicken up the base a bit. But maybe another chop would be better?

I don't think this is going to be a masterpiece any time soon, but any suggestions on improving things a bit would be greatly appreciated!

[Matt S]

Hi Greg,

You've made the right start by cutting hard and wiring the resulting shoots, and I particularly like your grow box! You'll need to keep up the water as Eucs are notoriously thirsty and even be stood in shallow water over summer.

My main advice would be to not shape it in a traditional bonsai triangle and try and make it look like the gum trees you see around you. Multiple thick branches without necessarily a clear leader, starting with an upward angle then heading off in all directions. You could use the lower shoots, if they're not included in the final design they'll at least help thicken the trunk.

I'd be wary of letting the base shoot get too strong as Eucs can often drop a branch or trunk if the growth is especially strong in another area. My current strategy is not to worry too much about thickening up the trunk but concentrate on getting even growth across all the branches and building the tree all over, branch by branch i.e. wiring and growing all the primary branches, let them thicken then prune all of them at the same time, then work on the secondary branches. It's a bit hard to explain but fixing problems later with sacrifice branches can be a problem (as stated before, the tree can drop whole sections).

Good luck. I like seeing people work on Gum trees!

Matt.

[greg27]

Thanks Matt, much appreciated as always!

I particularly like your grow box!

There's a place near me that regularly puts out pallets for people to grab for free - perfect for grow boxes, and whatever is left over gets used for kindling in winter!

Something natural-looking is definitely what I want to go for. I'll keep an eye on those lower branches and will focus on building up the ones that I want to keep.

I'm having fun getting into some natives at the moment, particularly gums - I love the colours in the leaves of the victrix. A trip up to the Belair nursery could be in order before work kicks off again.

[GavinG]

I agree about the boring bit, but guy wires probably won't do a lot. Maybe cut back to the first arrowed bud, grow it like a mad thing, and cut hard once a year - just one new angle each season can add up to something interesting in five or so years.

Best of luck, please keep posting it.

Gavin

[greg27]

I agree about the boring bit, but guy wires probably won't do a lot. Maybe cut back to the first arrowed bud, grow it like a mad thing, and cut hard once a year - just one new angle each season can add up to something interesting in five or so years.

Thanks Gavin, I think you're right about cutting it back hard again; there's way too much boring stick at the moment.

[EdwardH]

Hi Greg

I wouldn't worry too much about taper as most eucs, even the forest giants, have little taper. I would focus more on trunk movement and branch structure. Bending a trunk is easy until the wood has lignified. After that it is difficult as the trunks bend a bit and then snap so on your particular tree experiment on an upper part of the tree which will be removed in due course. This way you know what will work on your tree. Wire new growth for movement as required and don't be afraid to cut to a lower branch to regrow. This cut and grow method will give plenty of movement.

Good luck with your Gumtree gumtree.

Eddie

[KIRKY]

I’d cut it lower just above that first shoot. Put some wire on the shoot to set another direction and start your future tree from there. Lower movement always looks better. Remember to pinch growth on gums regularly.
Cheers
Kirky

[greg27]

Thanks all.

Chop!

It's important I do these things as soon as I make the decision, otherwise I overthink it. And yes, I do need to sharpen my secateurs

[greg27]

After the awesome rain we lad last night I grabbed the camera and pretended I know what I'm doing

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I ended up chopping this guy back a little further since my last post

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Slightly different angle...

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The beginnings of a not bad base...

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[MJL]

Your enthusiasm is fantastic Greg... I reckon it’s the little things on our little trees that count the most. Lovely photo of the water drop. This sport makes me want to get an SLR and a macro lens ... that said, my reading of the new camera on the top-of-the-range iPhone is pretty incredible ... so an upgrade of some kind may take place in 2020.


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[MJL]

Hey Greg, I don’t want to hijack your thread but I was taken by the similarity of our trees and approach. Here’s a tree (river gum) that I was gifted last year and promptly chopped the poor thing; it has responded wonderfully. I keep my pot in a inch of water and it just drinks and drinks. As you can see - similar trees, I think. I am not sure that I’ll keep the stubb above the wired branch ... and I quite like the weird nobly knee protruding from the soil.

I look forward to watching the progress of these little natives grow.




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[greg27]

Definitely some similarities there - love the base on that red gum! It's pretty cool watching how some of these natives go; I'm pretty keen to give some natives a go and have admittedly gone a bit nuts on the tubestock!

[jessepap]

Great looking trees!

how old are both respective gums?

[greg27]

how old are both respective gums?

No idea on mine unfortunately, I didn't even think to ask the previous owner for any details about it. Luckily it was still in its original nursery pot which had a barcode with the species name on it or I wouldn't even know that.

[greg27]

After removing the lower branch a little while back this guy didn't do anything for a bit, but is now on the move again.