AusBonsai

Andrew E wrote:
Just wanted to know of any results that you may have had with the Wollemi tests Grant?
I recieved one as a xmas pressie when they first came out - $55 for an 8" pot. Its now taller than me - 2+ metres and the trunk has thickened nicely and has started to bubble
Was thinking of bonsaiing it into a bigger sized tree, but was interested if anything came of those tests?!!

Thanks
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Our 2 specimens of Wollemi nuresery stock were being held at a sepatate site and accidentally got planted (we think) at the Arboretum and are now probably meters high; but with two or three trunks where I caused it to bud and some very nice compact branches where I pinched out the tips.. There are almost 1,000 in the ground so it might be hard to in reality tell which were ours.

We are getting hold of a couple of new specimens; one old and one young so we are starting again.

Grant

I think I commented early on in the thread, but can't remember I have been wanting to get a hold of a few Wollemi pines for a loooooong time, but can never find them

Nathan you will struggle to find the Wollemi pine nowadays because they were a commercial lemon so 10's of thousands of trees were destroyed. Maybe they should have sold them at $14.99 instead of $55 each for a cutting A lot of interest was generated with the so called 'dinasour tree' but like so many good things greed stuffs things up I know that I refused to pay $55 for what I knew was a cutting. Having said that Flower Power at Enfield had a couple a few weeks ago.
Happy hunting!

EdwardH wrote:Nathan you will struggle to find the Wollemi pine nowadays because they were a commercial lemon so 10's of thousands of trees were destroyed. Maybe they should have sold them at $14.99 instead of $55 each for a cutting A lot of interest was generated with the so called 'dinasour tree' but like so many good things greed stuffs things up I know that I refused to pay $55 for what I knew was a cutting. Having said that Flower Power at Enfield had a couple a few weeks ago.
Happy hunting!

I don't believe it was greed. The money that they desired to make (and did make a great deal of) was used for conservation. They just produced too many IMO.

Nathan, you can purchase them from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. Larger ones too. Probably doesn't help you being in Brisbane though. May I suggest a lesser known native conifer more appropriate for your climate; the Mount Spurgeon Brown Pine - Prumnopitys ladei? Other than bark, everything about it is more suited for bonsai than the Wollemi Pine.

Joel

for everyone out there who wants one just remember ebay is your friend i found 2 plants for sale
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Home-Garden- ... 86.c0.m282

You can buy them directly from the official website, which also has a list of stockists you can check. Probably one of the best ways to ensure the money goes to the conservationists.

http://www.wollemipine.com/stockist.php

Thanks for your reply Grant.

Has anyone seen Thor Beowulf's Wollemi bonsai lately? After nearly 6 years it should be looking ok by now.

Cheers

Andrew

Hi all, firstly I have not attempted to bonsai my Wollemi.
What I know is this, they can handle most climates, ideally between minus 5 through to 45 degrees Celsius, but have survived minus 15, can handle indoors extremely well, is comfortable in a pot, is quite hardy, classed as bisexual, like all trees it needs water but not excessive amounts of watering, only when the soil becomes dry, I think a tree that can survive dinosaurs, ice ages, continental movement, drought, fire and giant rocks that killed big lizards and blocked the sun. If you can't keep one alive then wow.
As for dropping branches well every tree will at some point drop a branch in the wild, the question I ask is if the tree is in a pot with limited growth abilities will it drop established branches?
My OPINION NOT FACT is no, viewing some older samples in botanic gardens I noticed no lower branches but a very healthy crown, as the tree is a large tree 20-40 metres it focuses on growing tall, this I believe causes it to drop lower branches to increase its rate of growth to reach the ceiling of the forest.
If the tree is potted with limited growth and a minimal amount of foliage I find it hard to believe it will drop branches, I guess you almost need to starve it of growth to find the balance without killing it but be prepared to lose a branch or two along the way. Then again I could be wrong? I might drop branches no matter what? I think we are all lucky to be able to attempt and maybe succeed in mastering growing a species from pre the Jurassic period.
If not, a cool tree to have in the ground or in a deep pot to help preserve the tree.
I personally believe the art of bonsai is finding a way to make it a bonsai, not just growing the same trees as everyone else.
Long live the Wollemi pine.