Eucalyptus Camaldulensis, river red gum, seeds planted 2021
Posted: April 18th, 2022, 6:02 pm
Just a thread for posting notes/updates/questions for some Eucalyptus Camaldulensis grown from seed.
Ten seedlings that I started last year, and after a year they range in size from about 20cm tall to about 150cm.
These initial notes I wrote in february. At this time they were all in just normal potting soil.
1.
This is in my wicking bed. It was by far the biggest one. It was crowded by chili plants all summer last year but over-took them during autumn. So it grew leggy but with a bushy top.
On a windy day during late-winter it was blowing around and I decided to give it a trunk chop, to just above the two lowest branches.
When the weather's warm enough I'll dig it up and put in a pot for another couple years.
2.
Probably the most healthy one. It's in a ~25cm pot. I was thinking just to chop above the lowest branch and leaving the roots alone until next year. But my Mrs really likes this one and wants me to leave it alone and just let it grow. So perhaps trunk chop next year.
3.
I had this long container on hand with a few different plants and cuttings in. Two of the seedlings went in here and this one grew quite big. It was in a windy spot without so many hours of sunlight.
Keen to trunk chop and repot soon to get everything into separate pots and better organise my space.
4.
The second one that went into the long container mentioned above. It didn't seem to grow much at all. The two thin trunks were growing vertically together against each other, and only recently I tried separating them a bit with a bit of wire (not bonsai wire just something I had on hand).
I almost decided to get rid of it, but I like the look of the surface roots and curious to see how it will grow when potted up and in better conditions.
5.
The pot for this one's about 30cm wide and 25 deep. Can't remember, but I might have in put an inverted smaller pot underneath.
It grew very bushy but not so tall, but I liked it.
During winter I noticed this white fuzz growing on a lot of leaves and doing some damage so removed all the affected leaves and branches which seemed to stop it propagating further, but only for a little while. It put out lots of shoots not long after but now it's not doing so well again.
The soil on the surface is moist and I haven't watered it in a while and the whole thing feels heavier than it should. I'm guessing it's somehow waterlogged, or it was simply overwatered and so now can't dry out properly. Tempted to do a proper repot soon.
6.
A result of thinning out some of the many initial seedlings. I had a big grow bag with soil sitting in a corner that previously had some flowers, so I threw it in there. It grew quite vigorously despite being a bit neglected.
Container size ~30cm wide and deep.
A few weeks ago I think I left it a bit underwatered. Perhaps with the fabric bag and the wind it dried out on me quicker than I expected.
Thinking just to trunk chop. Hesitating about when to repot. Perhaps next year.
7.
Part of a group of remaining seedlings that I just potted up together for convenience rather than separating. Mainly due to lack of space. This was the biggest one of those four but still quite small.
After scratching at the soil surface a little I was able to see a few radial root plus the taproot going down. I managed to get at the taproot without digging the whole thing up, and tore it up from underneath the plant, while leaving the rest relatively undisturbed.
Needed to tie it to a mini-stake because the roots aren't stable enough to hold it up.
Perhaps bad timing for root work, with temps around 5 - 15 C.
I brought it inside and on a heat mat for almost a week and now I'm taking it outside in the morning and bringing it in at night. For the first few days it sulked a bit when in the sun but now seems okay.
8, 9, 10 :
Remaining three that were previously sharing a pot with number 7 above. I dug them up and repotted into small pots, at the same time as the above, and same after-care treatment.
One of these already didn't make it and another I chopped back because it had the same white fuzz that No. 5 had.
Ten seedlings that I started last year, and after a year they range in size from about 20cm tall to about 150cm.
These initial notes I wrote in february. At this time they were all in just normal potting soil.
1.
This is in my wicking bed. It was by far the biggest one. It was crowded by chili plants all summer last year but over-took them during autumn. So it grew leggy but with a bushy top.
On a windy day during late-winter it was blowing around and I decided to give it a trunk chop, to just above the two lowest branches.
When the weather's warm enough I'll dig it up and put in a pot for another couple years.
2.
Probably the most healthy one. It's in a ~25cm pot. I was thinking just to chop above the lowest branch and leaving the roots alone until next year. But my Mrs really likes this one and wants me to leave it alone and just let it grow. So perhaps trunk chop next year.
3.
I had this long container on hand with a few different plants and cuttings in. Two of the seedlings went in here and this one grew quite big. It was in a windy spot without so many hours of sunlight.
Keen to trunk chop and repot soon to get everything into separate pots and better organise my space.
4.
The second one that went into the long container mentioned above. It didn't seem to grow much at all. The two thin trunks were growing vertically together against each other, and only recently I tried separating them a bit with a bit of wire (not bonsai wire just something I had on hand).
I almost decided to get rid of it, but I like the look of the surface roots and curious to see how it will grow when potted up and in better conditions.
5.
The pot for this one's about 30cm wide and 25 deep. Can't remember, but I might have in put an inverted smaller pot underneath.
It grew very bushy but not so tall, but I liked it.
During winter I noticed this white fuzz growing on a lot of leaves and doing some damage so removed all the affected leaves and branches which seemed to stop it propagating further, but only for a little while. It put out lots of shoots not long after but now it's not doing so well again.
The soil on the surface is moist and I haven't watered it in a while and the whole thing feels heavier than it should. I'm guessing it's somehow waterlogged, or it was simply overwatered and so now can't dry out properly. Tempted to do a proper repot soon.
6.
A result of thinning out some of the many initial seedlings. I had a big grow bag with soil sitting in a corner that previously had some flowers, so I threw it in there. It grew quite vigorously despite being a bit neglected.
Container size ~30cm wide and deep.
A few weeks ago I think I left it a bit underwatered. Perhaps with the fabric bag and the wind it dried out on me quicker than I expected.
Thinking just to trunk chop. Hesitating about when to repot. Perhaps next year.
7.
Part of a group of remaining seedlings that I just potted up together for convenience rather than separating. Mainly due to lack of space. This was the biggest one of those four but still quite small.
After scratching at the soil surface a little I was able to see a few radial root plus the taproot going down. I managed to get at the taproot without digging the whole thing up, and tore it up from underneath the plant, while leaving the rest relatively undisturbed.
Needed to tie it to a mini-stake because the roots aren't stable enough to hold it up.
Perhaps bad timing for root work, with temps around 5 - 15 C.
I brought it inside and on a heat mat for almost a week and now I'm taking it outside in the morning and bringing it in at night. For the first few days it sulked a bit when in the sun but now seems okay.
8, 9, 10 :
Remaining three that were previously sharing a pot with number 7 above. I dug them up and repotted into small pots, at the same time as the above, and same after-care treatment.
One of these already didn't make it and another I chopped back because it had the same white fuzz that No. 5 had.