New bark on a River Red Gum

[Matt S]

Blerg, I'm feeling under the weather today but at least reading ausbonsai is making me feel better.

The other day I noticed something interesting with one of my River Red Gums. The thick rough bark on the trunk is starting to peel away to reveal the more mature smooth bark underneath. It started about 2 thirds the way up and is now working it's way down. It was grown from seed about 13 years ago so it's taken a while, and I have a few younger gums so it'll be interesting to see if they follow the same timeline.

red gum june19.jpg

red gum bark 2 june19.jpg

This tree is one of my earlier Eucalyptus so unfortunately it was styled into a not very gum-treeish shape, but it's been a reliable performer and it proved to me the suitability of the species in that I've been able to reduce the leaf size and style the branches into interesting shapes. Now that the mature bark is coming through it's starting to look more like the old trees that inspired me in the first place.

Matt.

[Jake fowler]

The leaves are very small Matt! How often do you defoliate this tree?

[MJL]

Hey Matt, I hope you start to feel better soon. Thanks for posting this tree and I get what you mean when you say that it isn’t really styled as river gum. That said, you can clearly see how you’ve successfully applied a classic bonsai techniques/approach. Maybe you might be able to address your style concern upon re-potting one day. Hang with me ... but if the tree was tilted further left and then planted higher on one side of an oval pot - you may be able to create the impression that this gum is leaning over a dry river bed ... the lack of lower branching explained by the flooding that happens when the river bloats.

IMG_0845.jpg

Just an idea - maybe a rubbish one. Good tree. Cheers.


Bonsai teaches me patience.
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[boom64]

Great work Matt ,leaf size is amazing and now peeling bark. Looks like 13 years of dedication is paying off, now what is the plan for the next 13 years..... Cheers John.

[Matt S]

Jake - I find I can defoliate every year or two, but usually I just aggressively pinch out the new growth and eventually the leaves reduce. If a shoot grows too long before the first pair of leaves (i.e. internodes too long) I just cut it out and wait for a replacement. The leaves last for a few years before they drop off so occasionally I defoliate the whole tree just to refresh the leaves or if I want to show it off.

MJL - Always happy to hear new ideas and yours has merit. I'm thinking of taking off the first branch (which is a rear branch) because now that the height of the tree has increased the first branch is starting halfway up the trunk and two thirds up would be better. River Red Gums love growing by rivers so having one leaning out over water or a dry creek bed would suit the species well. I've always loved the ones growing on the banks of the Murray with the roots exposed but that's a project for another tree!

now what is the plan for the next 13 years...

Yeah, it never stops. Like I stated above I'll probably take off the first branch, change the potting angle and introduce more dead branches. Like any other species, continually replacing the ends of branches with new leaders to improve taper, increase ramification, never resting.

Matt.

[Matt S]

I defoliated this tree today as the old foliage was looking tired and uneven. The weather is going to remain warm and mild for the next few weeks so I should be rewarded with plenty of new growth.

eucalyptus Feb20.jpg

For the last year or so I've stopped removing the occasional small branches that have died back and left them in place, then painted them with a mixture of lime sulphur and black water based paint. Mature Red Gums in the wild have plenty of dead wood mingled in amongst the foliage.

I like working on this tree after years of frustration, the growth is more slow and steady and the branches are getting some nice movement.

Matt.

[melbrackstone]

I really like this tree Matt!

[Boics]

Here Here! Nice Ausbonsai!