AusBonsai

I'm totally new to this forum and fairly new to the art of Bonsai, and I'm already obsessed. I brought this Casuarina recently and I'm unsure of a style to choose. I would like to shape it a bit and was thinking an informal upright style but the little branch from the base is throwing me off a bit.
Also is it normal to have the ball shape at the base, will roots spread out from this at a later stage, as I have seen on other examples.
I look forward to your comments

Karen

Hi Karen, welcome to bonsai
I don't know much about casuarina but I do have one very similar to yours.
Mine came from the bargain bin of a local nursery about this time last year.
Like yours the trunk resembled an onion when I got it home but less healthy looking however its now alive and well.
Anyhow being a native your best of not to do anything much until summer, just water and enjoy your new tree.
Until then you could check out the casuarina posts in the Ausbonsai native section to see some different ideas
Hope you enjoy the bonsai journey
cheers

Hi Karen,

I’m not qualified to assist with styling , I’m sorry. Rather, I have a question for you..

A. inophloia is a beautiful tree, and a great choice for bonsai I’ve always thought. Are there more specimens available where you got that one? I’ve not been able to source.

Thanks

Good luck with yours. Great choice of species I reckon

Dave

Hi Karen and welcome. I would leave the second trunk there at the moment. I would also cut back the main trunk to get some taper and wire it for some movement. Nothing worse than a cas that is a straight stick

Hi Karen
Indeed, welcome to bonsai!

Casuarinas can be ideal or a bit troublesome as bonsai. Most people, using the commonest grown (A littoralis, A cunninghamiana, A torulosa), find them very tolerant to bonsai horticulture (top pruning, root pruning). I've met a few people who have had troubles, and I can't determine exactly why.

I've grown a few A inophloia, because of the stunning bark. Horticulturally, they are fine, but getting that bark requires a bit more 'special' treatment, than one usually uses. For many years, I grew them in ordinary bonsai pots and the trunks stayed narrow, or increased very slowly in diameter. After giving the matter some thought, I worked out that to get those wooly, stringy bits of bark, the trunk needed to increase in diameter quite a lot, because they come from the splitting of the old bark - no diameter increase = no bark splitting. So I potted my tree into the largest bonsai pot I had, giving the tree lots of root space (and that is the key). The trunk fattened noticeably each subsequent season, and I'm now rewarded with the early evidence of wool production . . It will take a few more years to be eye-catching, but I'm on the right track. I can't say if growing the ground would be successful too. I'm sure it would stimulate the wooly bark through good trunk growth, but I just don't know if they survive digging readily. Worth a try. I'd predict they would, but we need evidence.

I've also let the branches grow with only limited pruning at this stage, to help provide lots of energy to fuel the trunk growth. My experiences show that when cut back severely, that is back to bare branches/trunk, the remaining branches/ trunk sprout prolifically. So one follows the path of: develop the trunk first, selecting branches for the main structure as opportunity arises, but focussing first of trunk growth. You need lots of greenery to fuel the good woody growth, out of which comes the shaggy bark.

The bulb at the base of the trunk is a classic 'ligotuber'. Many Australian species have them. As your tree ages, and you allow the trunk to increase in diameter, the l-tuber will blend with the trunk, giving it an attractive swelling at the base. On my tree, the l-tuber has not produced the wooly bark, rather a finely bubbly surface, from which many new shoots sprout over summer. I just rub them off. The contrast between the wooly and bubbly parts, at this stage, just add to the great character of what this species offers. One shouldn't try to straighten bent noses - enjoy the personality behind!

I'll try to append some pics of mine, but I'm not always successful with this simple, (modern ) activity.
Cheers
Roger
[PS: it looks like I can only add one pic at a time . I'll try a second post with another pic.]

Here's another try for second pic
Roger

Regarding the digging of in-ground casuarinas,- I've tried three times to collect (yamadori) casuarinas locally around where I live and was finally successful on the last try. I couldn't work out why the first two failed, but the third one was dug and as I dug it out I could see it was actually two shoots that were coming from the root of of a nearby tree. The other two were isolated, so must have grown from seed. What I'm getting at here is, if you plant them in the ground it's probably advisable to do so in a collander, and if possible cut the tap root short before planting in the ground.
Cheers, Frank.

Kunzea wrote:Here's another try for second pic
Roger

Hi Roger,

That’s a lovely trunk. I’d love to acquire some if anyone has any they want to sell.

Kind regards,
Rory

Thank you everyone for your comments and information. I purchased my little tree from a plant fair when the seller commented on the unusual bark so I'm looking forward to it maturing. I have shaped it a bit and trimmed the top and replanted into a larger pot. In a couple of months I'll post a progress shot. Thanks again, Karen.