Grevillea Robusta query

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

Hi all

I am growing on this GR which i pulled out of my son's preschool guttering during a clean up day.

As you can see i have a first branch but the main trunk is long and seems to have no budding to cut to.

Can i have some advice as to where to cut next? How well do they backbud and when is a good time to do so?

Cheers

Stew

20121001_152728.jpg

[Bougy Fan]

G'Day Stew I have been playing around with a few Silky Oak - even after being told they don't make good bonsai I would cut off the branch you have wired and grow the upright as a new leadewr to increase taper. They are like a swampy - will bud back on the trunk well after a big chop but not always where you want it I do find the leaves reduce well but don't get tiny

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

Thanks bougy

I appreciate your thoughts I was hoping that a few more members might flick me their ideas as well. I'd think that at least a few others out there may have further experiences with the Silky Oak. there is actually a small back branch near where the first branch goes left... i wonder if that should come off too?

I'll repost when i decide what to do.

Cheers

Stew

[GavinG]

Search function is your friend.... MattA has posted stuff on G. robusta, and others.

Gavin

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

Cheers Gavin

I looked at the wiki but not the search box

Will do now!

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

[Edward Scissorhand]

Hi Stewart, how big do you want your tree to be? If you want a medium sized bonsai, I would just leave it the way it is and let it bulk up. All you have to do is just wire and guide your branches the way you want them to look. Grevillea Robusta is one tough tree and they will definitely backbud on hard wood. It might take a while, but I would wait for the right thickness before cutting back. Grevillea Robusta grows naturally upright but your tree lends itself to several design options like twitrunk, semicascade, cascade etc. Its still young now, so I suggest waiting and just guide your branches to the design you feel comfortable with. Grevillea Robusta will eventually have amazing rough bark, but it can take more than 20 years for that to happen. Anyway good luck and have fun with growing Cheers Edward.

[kcpoole]

I Had one but it carked it for an unknow reason
As mentioned, they backbud well, and are quite fast. The leaves reduce but not by a lot. I treated quite similar to my Jacaranadah, in that I just cut off all the leaves when they got too big. they were replaced soon enough.

I would Cut back the taller stem hard and then let a new shoot grow mad as the new apex.
Have a informal upright tree in the end.
Alterantively let it grow mad and see what happens after a year or 2 and if you are inspired by any natural growth you get

ken