AusBonsai

So picked up a nice little tree for FREEEEE today - is a pine, not sure which kind. Has a smooth bark though! Will ID soon though when I have more light!

It was about 1.6m tall at the tip of the highest thick branch, how old do you think it'll be? It has maybe 2 inch thick trunk, maybe a bit less. Currently have it sitting in some seasol for a bit of a drink as I really couldn't plant it successfully in the dark with all the damn wind were having haha.

Any tips to increase survival chance, as this one didn't come with a side of roots! (It had four long shoots with many finer shoots along them, but not an actual root ball). I've chopped it down quite a lot, still have a bit to chop but just too cold to do so tonight.

Hi Moganic any chance of putting up some photo's ?

soon as i can mate, the rain seems to smell when im about to leave work haha had to put it in the ground as quick as i could today! pics to follow hopefully this weekend

PICS!

Thats a casuarina of some kind I think Moganic

Squizz

Hi there, looks like a casuarina to me.
Cheers, Dario.
EDIT looks like Squizzy beat me to it.

Sweet! Just saw some bonsai's of this species... howwwwwwwww do I get mine to look less like a log with grass and more like a tree .. the foliage is SO BLOODY LONG!

Its not a Pine, but it might be an Australian Pine, which is a misnomer.
It is a Casuarina of some sort indeed.
Pines have long needles [ whole needles ], whereas Casuarina "needles" are made up of several segments.

If you pull at the tips of the Casuarina, it should "pop-out".

MoGanic wrote:Sweet! Just saw some bonsai's of this species... howwwwwwwww do I get mine to look less like a log with grass and more like a tree .. the foliage is SO BLOODY LONG!

With difficulty!

MoGanic wrote:Sweet! Just saw some bonsai's of this species... howwwwwwwww do I get mine to look less like a log with grass and more like a tree .. the foliage is SO BLOODY LONG!

Let it grow!
Leave the foilage to grow as it wants.
The foilage as you call it are actually small potential twigs / branches.
Some will harden as it grows and turn/harden into a branch.

I have several in training. Its too early to start to play with it.

If you are not familiar with it, I'd say you try to get another or 2 other similar trees/plants. Use one to play around : Pinch, prune, wire etc
And lets the other grow freely.

For the styling and growing, make a "casuarina" or "sheoak" search here, you will find lots of posts.
There are also some interesting progressions series here and there, just search for them.