AusBonsai

Hi everyone

A little over a year ago i dug this guy out of my mothers gutters. Even though im completely inexperienced i thought id give it a go as a bonsai. 14 months later and i still have no idea what im doing and a lot of the information im finding varies depending on where you look.
If someone could help me identify the species? Found in melbourne. And any advice on shaping and styles would be greatly appreciated.
I havent wired any parts as it grows super quick and the thought of scaring it worrys me so ive just been chopping and growing. About 6 weeks ago i trimmed its roots as they were so thick when i watered it took forever to drain through. Ive kept it in a small pot from the very beginning to stunt its growth but not sure of this is the correct way to do thing's?
Any and all information and advice as to how to move forward with this guy would be amazing.

Thanks.

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G'Day Megsy,

That's a nice looking tree you have there. I've only been giving gums as bonsai a crack in the last 12 months but i found reading this post very helpful. EG - when to repot, growing methods etc etc. Only advice i have would be to fix the roots warping around the trunk, I'd remove that as later on down the track it'll look odd i think.

https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/view ... 78&t=28106

Good luck and keep us updated on the progress

Hi megsy, agreed with Keels, that's a nice little tree you have there. For a complete stab in the dark I'd say eucalyptus camaldulensis (river red gum) based on the leaves. If you can find flowers or gum nuts on the parent tree (probably overhanging your mum's house!) that would give a better ID. In my limited experience red gums are tough and grow quickly. Do any repotting in summer and keep the water up. There are a few people on here growing red gums so a search should bring up some threads.

It can be really difficult to ID young eucs as many have juvenile leaves that don't look anything like the adult foliage but I agree with Greg 27. It does look a lot like River red gum. They are also one of the ones that tend to sprout up everywhere.

The conflicting info does not surprise me. We are really just beginning to find out about eucs as bonsai so there are plenty of people willing to generalize from very limited experience. You can also be a pioneer with these as bonsai. You may need to do more searching to see if you can find some trends among all the ideas.
My eucs have been quite frustrating. Dieback of some branches after pruning is a regular occurrence though I have not yet managed to kill a tree. Mine seem to need regular restyling and regrowing as a section dies and another takes over.
Repotting in the warmer months seems to work well.
Controlling growth and size by pruning is probably a much better strategy than dwarfing by confinement and starvation.

Make sure you keep some records and let us know how it responds to different things you try.

Hi Megsy,

Cool little tree - I love working with trees that just pop up; I kid myself into thinking they are tough and have an innate sense of survival.... the only thing I’d add to above - assuming it is River red gum - don’t be afraid of water - they’ll drink and drink and drink ... I sit my pots of gums in water half way up the pot. And hey these tree like water courses (and gutters). I apologise in advance if my advice kills your plant!!I’m no expert - just what is working for me.


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Thanks everyone for the info. Unfortunately there arent any gums overhanging the house but river reds are definitely in the surrounding areas so high possibility. Ill work as if thats what it is until some sort of defining features come out over the years. Ill put him into a bigger pot and give an update later down the track. Thanks again!

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