Eucalyptus spathulata

[lackhand]

I don't find anything from searching here (or anywhere on the web), so I thought I would ask if anybody has done anything with Eucalyptus spathulata (swamp mallee or narrow-leaved gimlet). Found one at a nursery that has a pretty decent trunk, but before I buy it, it would be nice to have a bit more info. Looks like a great species for bonsai near as I can tell - the leaves aren't too big and it looks like it's back budding pretty well. Any experience or even thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

[lackhand]

Well I bought the tree. I talked them down half price, so at $10 I couldn't say no and home it came. Needs a layer or two, and then a chop. Didn't get a good measure on the base and nothing handy for scale, but my guess is about 3 cm.

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I'll keep good notes on how things go since it doesn't seem like anybody else has tried one of these yet.

[GavinG]

It's not a species I know anything about, but hey, there are 800 or so to choose from - pick one with small leaves, search "FlyBri" as an author, and keep us posted. As a rough guide, cut back hard, possibly bare-root in the heat of summer ( water 2-4 times daily afterwards - most important) to sort the roots out, and work out shaping by trial and error - you certainly won't get "Japanese pine style" out of a Eucalypt, but they have their own beauty. It seems that it is strongly upward-growing in the wild, so it may not be happy with horizontal branches - most Eucs aren't. Grow long and fast, cut hard, the usual.

Best of luck,

Gavin

[lackhand]

Cut down the top of the pot yesterday to get a better look at the base of this. I'll set a layer up top today, maybe two. I like the subtle movement in the trunk on this one and I'm thinking keeping it a little taller to show that off will be the go. I'll have a bit to look at it though while the layer sets before I have to decide exactly where to chop.

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[Boics]

Looks good Karl.
I too like that trunk.

[lackhand]

I put an air layer on this tree, but it seems slow. Checked after six weeks and I just had little stubs. The tree is actively growing both above and below the layer, so I just re-set the layer and I'll wait a bit longer. I've had a few other projects where I got impatient and just chopped the tree, but the top is good enough I really want to keep it.

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[Boics]

Hi Karl.

Check out some of Flybri posts on layering eucalyptus trees. Might be some handy hints there for you. Admittedly that seems like little action for 6 weeks.
Perhaps the tree is not very active up top?

[Rory]

I tried my hand at this and couldn't get the 2 seedlings to survive a root prune, so I gave up. I might try again, I really liked the stock too, and I love the thick base of that curve you have on the trunk.

[Jason]

I think that some Eucs are just really REALLY slow to take root...

This is FlyBri's thread that BBman is reffering to, have it saved away lol: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=553

[lackhand]

I didn't see any bridging, but the little proto-roots look familiar. Hopefully I don't have to wait that long, but both top and bottom of this tree are worth it, so I guess I'll wait if that's what it takes. Glad I have enough other stock to play with now that I can hopefully avoid the itchy fingers problem.

Thanks for sharing that post, I've read it before but it's been a while. Very informative, and helps to put this into a bit of perspective.

[Ray M]

I put an air layer on this tree, but it seems slow. Checked after six weeks and I just had little stubs. The tree is actively growing both above and below the layer, so I just re-set the layer and I'll wait a bit longer. I've had a few other projects where I got impatient and just chopped the tree, but the top is good enough I really want to keep it.

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Hi Karl,
When layering Eucalyptus trees you will have to be very patient. They will take a long time. What has occurred on your layer is callusing. Hopefully the following may help you to get a successful layer.
Equipment needed

• Seasol
  Sphagnum moss
  Wire. The diameter of the wire should be equal to the depth of the cut. If the depth of the cut, from the bark to the hardwood is 1.5mm, the wire should be 1.5mm diameter.
  Hormone. I use two hormones. In Australia I use Clonex Purple and Yates Plant Cutting Powder.
  Muck. To make the muck I use ground clay and cow manure, mixed 50/50. Make sure the cow manure in mature and not fresh manure. If it's fresh it could burn the roots.
  Alfoil
  Wire tie

Procedure

• Prepare the Sphagnum moss by placing in a bucket of Seasol. I use the 25ml per 9 litre mix. It needs to soak for at least half an hour.
  Ring bark the tree. The rule of thumb is 1.5 times the diameter of the trunk. For your tree I would make a new cut around the top cut. You only need to go up about 1-2mm. The aim is to expose some new cambium.
  Mix the two hormones together at the ratio of 50/50. Paint some around the top cut.
  Wrap some wire around the trunk hard up against the top cut. Make sure the wire is twisted quite tight.
  Paint some more hormone around the wire and cut.
  Place a collar of muck around the top cut encapsulating the wire and cut. Have a look at my thread on, Creating a Twin Trunk from a Non Twin Trunk, Muck
  Wrap the plastic around the layer, attaching in at the bottom. Make sure you create a pocket for the sphagnum moss to fit into.
  Place the sphagnum moss in the plastic pocket.
  Wrap the plastic around the moss making sure you overlap the plastic. Secure the top of the plastic.
  Bind around the plastic, pulling the layer tight against the tree. Have a look at my thread on, Creating a Twin Trunk from a Non Twin Trunk, Binding
  Wrap the layer in Alfoil.

As I mentioned this may take quite some time for the layer to take. Because this can be a long process you need to check if the layer is drying out. If there is condensation under the plastic the layer should be moist enough. At any point you can't see condensation and the sphagnum is looking a white colour, you need to add more moisture. I do this by injecting a Seasol mix into the layer. With a syringe pierce the plastic and inject the fluid. Do this at the top of the layer to make sure it soaks down through the layer.

I hope this may be helpful.

Regards Ray

[lackhand]

Thanks heaps for the advice Ray. I'll have another look at what's going on and apply your method. Having seen pictures of your results, I'm excited to put it to work.

[Ray M]

Thanks heaps for the advice Ray. I'll have another look at what's going on and apply your method. Having seen pictures of your results, I'm excited to put it to work.

Hi Karl,
Just a word of caution. I need to emphasize again that Eucalyptus are very difficult and they will most probably take much longer than other species. Once you get the new layer going please be very patient. When you are checking for roots, don't disturb the layer. Just remove the Alfoil and have a look if roots are appearing. Don't remove the plastic until you are confident that you have sufficient roots for the layered tree to take.

Regards Ray

[Jarad]

Any luck with the air layer Karl?

[lackhand]

Any luck with the air layer Karl?

Sadly, this one carked it. The layer did start to grow some roots, but about the time I separated it, I got hit with a nasty spider mite infestation that seemed to hit the Aussie natives hardest. I lost a few of my most promising trees, this being one of them (both top and bottom). I'm looking for another good one to work on though as I still think the species would be great for bonsai.