Nothofagus cunninghamii MkII

[Damian Bee]

I bought this one about two years ago in a 200mm pot, since then the trunk has tripled and the branches are starting to take on some weight. After lifting the box I noticed white roots popping out of the bottom. As I am going to be short on time later this year I took it out and placed it into some fresh soil as I don't want it to lose vigour during summer. I am not sure if I should have done a repot at this time of the year but then again, there is a lot more that I need to know about these guys Anyone with experience with Nothofagus is welcome to slap me on the wrist or whatever the opposite to that is?

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As it sat this afternoon.

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New roots, this is a surface root that was sitting out of the soil with the end under some mulch.

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Trunk side A.

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Trunk side B. I do like the dead wood there at the base, much like one I have seen in its natural environment.

I know there are not any pics of after, ( no it is not because it died on the table) I forgot to take them and when I remembered it was a little too dark.
I will post some shortly.

If anyone has seen one of these in its natural environment, they look awesome with the trunk all twisted and covered in a dozen different moss species, I have seen only a few as Bonsai. Some say that they are difficult but I believe that they offer a lot for Bonsai cultivation. New growth is fast and easy to bend with short internodes and a small leaf that offers plenty of seasonal color.

The aim is to get it to represent something you might come across on a walk through the mountains.

[Craig]

Looks to have some possibilities with small leaves and a nice trunk Damian, keep us posted mate

[craigw60]

Hi Damian, I have a nothofagus group here which I have owned for around 27 years. It lived at my home in footscray for many years in an east facing position and grew pretty well there but has really loved life in Olinda. I have a mixed reaction to nothofagus as bonsai they are really easy to keep alive but do present some problems, I have found it really difficult to achieve good ramification, the twigs have heaps of buds but when pinched or cut back only one ever seems to grow so I have never able to get a dense canopy of twigs, they also seem to shed branches from time to time. For me potting time is early summer as with all my other native trees. I think you need to aim for a very relaxed style with these trees
They are quite common as garden trees in the hills and there are even some small pockets of wild ones in the fern gullies. The most amazing examples i have seen are the nothofagus fusca or red beech forests in the Fiordland national park in NZ. There are some beautiful stands of cunninghamii up behind Poweltown near the ada tree.
Craigw

[Damian Bee]

Mmmmmm, I wish there was a land bridge to NZ, they have some particularly nice trees there, I went on a couple of walks with a mate there. The Beech's are awesome, not to mention the Podocarps
I did speak to you on a visit to your nursery about them many years back. I have no trouble with multiple shoots, perhaps let the leaders grow out and then trim back? I let mine go for a year and then trim or cut back but they are in early days ( I will need some tips on how to remove the training wheel scars ).
To me, Nothofagus is perfect as it really does not need wire.
In regards to them being planted in mountain gardens, I have even seen a healthy one in Camberwell, 20m in height and dearly loved by the house owner.
We will see how the winter trim and root prune goes later this year