Glochidion Forest

[MattA]

This is another of my bush digs, a clump of Glochidion ferdinandii or cheese tree. One of three they have all shown incredible tolerance to digging, root pruning, hard pruning into old wood and they just come back even stronger. Repotting is no issue just slaughter them and they come back twice is thick. The growth habit is somewhat difficult to work with as a bonsai but time will tell how pot culture alters its growth.

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I would like some ideas from the forum about suitable pots for this group. Currently in a 35cm pot. standing 75cm tall 60cm wide & 30cm deep. Thanks matt

[Kunzea]

Hi Matta
This is the first record I've seen for Glochidion as bonsai; but that doesn't mean others haven't tried it. Maybe someone on this forum will come up with info.

the immature leaves are said to be about 20 cm long while the mature ones are around 5-9cm long. Good luck with reducing them!

K

[MattA]

It was someone here who gave me the ID for it. If someone else is growing them i would be interested to know there experiences with them.

On the trees growing wild in the bush the leaves are usually around the 5cm mark with those on the ends of the shoots being a bit larger and on the odd tree a bit smaller overall. The first flush of growth on this since collecting has been much the same about 5cm. I do have another one that i have had longer & its leaves are showing some reduction. Time will tell.

Matt

[Edward Scissorhand]

This is another of my bush digs, a clump of Glochidion ferdinandii or cheese tree. One of three they have all shown incredible tolerance to digging, root pruning, hard pruning into old wood and they just come back even stronger. Repotting is no issue just slaughter them and they come back twice is thick. The growth habit is somewhat difficult to work with as a bonsai but time will tell how pot culture alters its growth.

forestfront.JPG

forestleft.JPG

forestback.JPG

forestright.JPG

I would like some ideas from the forum about suitable pots for this group. Currently in a 35cm pot. standing 75cm tall 60cm wide & 30cm deep. Thanks matt

Hi Matt, so I see youre exprimeting with another aussie native tree"cheese tree". Great to see! Ive got them as well, a few years back I went to an Aussie native nusrsery that eventually closed down. I went and bought a number of them wierd rainforest tubestock trees and bush tucker tubestock trees. Unfortunately I lost the tags for alot of them and I dont know which is which or what is what. I still remember a few of the names like "black booyong", "snow wood", "microstrobus fitzgeraldii" and "tuckeroo". What wierd native trees do you have at the moment? Are you looking for anything in particular?

[MattA]

Eddie I am always on the look out for new things to try, i spend a bit of time wandering the bush with my dogs. If I like the growth pattern or leaves of something i will dig it & try. There are still a few bits & pieces I have that i dont have definite names for, others I know species but not much else.

There is always something more i want as far as species go. Have to get my m8s trade access to a big wholesaler again, last time they had a beautiful BIG Callitris rhomboidea amongst other things. I am a plant nut in general and alot of focus over last few years has been on getting the garden into form.

No luck finding you a kauri yet but I have 2 more contacts i havent tried yet. You just never know, someone must have some or know where to get them. They are used as street trees in a few places up here & as indoor hire plants. Hoping to make it down to sydney for the Rare plant fair are you going?

Matt

Edit spelling

[MattA]

Yet another native candidate that ended up in akadama. Repotted in early august and as expected it sat & did nothing above ground until mid october. This is normal for all the Glochidion I have collected & repotted. Whenever there is root disturbance the top does nothing until the root system has gotten slightly cramped again. In the last four weeks it has exploded into life, however the roots are nowhere to be seen in any of the drainage holes in the pot... hhmmm maybe there is even more to this aka stuff than just the great growth I have seen with everything in it, I might be able to go more than 6mths between repotting

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I will get round to trimming it back sometime before xmas & will defoliate at the same time.

Matt

[Damian Bee]

Hi Matt,

Is Glochidion a native or an exotic? What is its habitat like?

[MattA]

A member of the Euphorbiaceae family, Glochidion covers about 300 species, ferdinandii is indigenous to Australia and found along the east coast, from rainforest to wet schlerophyl. A small to med sized tree up to about 8mtrs, but can make 30mtrs in ideal conditions. It bears tiny green flowers male 0.7cm female 0.5cm and produce fruit that is shaped like a cheese (hence common name of cheese tree) & divides into sections to reveal seed that are food for many native birds. Seed germinates readily in recently disturbed ground and are very fast growing with adequate water. I have a large one behind my fenceline & cut some major roots when doing garden work, they have since sprouted new growth hence root cuttings would most likely strike, tho i have not tried them. It transplants ok anytime of year tho spring is best, with large specimens taking quite easily, even with very little root.

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I have been growing them for about 4yrs now, they have an interesting habit. It shoots from the trunk or main branch & can produce a growth or fruiting branch. Growth shoots extend & put out flowering branchs which are sacrificed once they have done there job. At the base of each flowering branch is a small bud above & a dormant one below.

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After my recent conversation with Ray Nesci about natives as bonsai, including leaf size and seeing some of his natives eg a water gum with leaves under 1" long. If anyone is lucky enough to have one of his calenders for next year there is a stunning black wattle (Callicoma serratifolia) with tiny leaves compared to the normal massive ones of a wild tree. Given I am already seeing some reduction in shoot length & leaf size. I think this species shows some real potential as a bonsai. I am on a constant look out for something with a bit more interest in the trunk now I know what can be done with them.

Matt

[Damian Bee]

Thanks Matt.

[MattA]

I pruned this down hard last feb & removed a couple of trunks. Its grown well in aka but was in serious need of a repot so i did it yesterday while potting a load of other trees viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10634. It was pruned back hard about 2wks ago & buds are pushing all over the place.

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Matt

[Roger]

Hi Matt
These Glochidians are doing very well. thanks for updating us.

The stems are thin, rather than thick. I don't have problem with that, but I'm wondering what you have in mind? With intense pruning as you are doing, I'd expect that there will be very little growth in stem diameter. Is that OK with you?

Roger

[boom64]

Hi Matt,
Thanks for a very interesting post. I have one of these trees in my front yard.I often do my bonsai work underneath it. At present the parrots are having a great time with the fruit. I often wondered if they would make good bonsai, I shall be out and try an air layer very soon. Also several small trees growing in the bush behind me.Here we go again
Cheers John.

[MattA]

Apologies for the late reply I didn't see the posts.

John,
I would guess they will layer well, they sucker like crazy if you damage the roots & I have had success with collecting a large stump (about20cm dia) that had almost no root, fine or otherwise, it not only survived but thrived.

Roger,
The trunk diameter doesn't really bother me tho I am now starting to wish I hadn't removed all the extra trunks last year. As it currently stands I am not really sure what I had in mind or where to take it next.

The 2 trunks rising from the end of the raft don't look right, also the lack of gap between 1st & 3rd trunks in the main grouping bothers me. I am now split between removing the 2 end trunks & making it a triple or finding some way to change the angle the 2 come from the main group to allow its rotation a little to the left, opening up space between 1st & 3rd.

If I make it over as a triple trunk I would also shorten the height which would make the thinness of trunk a little less obvious... For now it needs to get some growth happening & I can reassess next time its due for a butcher.

Matt

[Damian Bee]

Hi Matt. What is that gravel you have on top there?

[MattA]

Hi Matt. What is that gravel you have on top there?

Not gravel mate, large(20mm+) Akadama chunks that are part of the mix.