AusBonsai

Hi there,
First time poster, I have been mucking around with this Eucalyptus Viminalis, one of four that self germinated in a bucket of soil by a tree.

I cut the initial leader when it was very small and tied it down to the edge of the bucket in early 2020. I have let it grow out and trimmed back in September. They have single shoots with two symmetrical buds that come out either side of the shoot. I have been trimming the single shoots after two leaves so far.

After some advice as to what to do next, should I cut back hard to the strong branches or leave it to grow another year continuing my current practice?

Most photos are recent including one of its brothers who I have let grow naturally in the pot behind it. There are also some old photos from september and last year.

Photos - https://photos.app.goo.gl/mcyS4DjAxs2PDYJH6

Welcome to the forum conor; I am not able to help with your question, nor can I see the photos, but wanting to bump your post so someone with more knowledge can answer for you. You can post images by clicking on the "insert image" button above the text box, then pasting the url between the [img] boxes. (see below)

Thank you Redsonic let me try again.

Jan 2021
Sep 2021
Brother Sep 2021
Nov 2021

Nov 2021 - with brother in the back

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Lets Try again

Try number 4

Well done. Photos have loaded.
I find eucs a pain as all the species I have tried are very apical dominant so the top grows very well and all lower branches gradually die.
There are a range of different growth habits within the Euc genus which respond differently to pruning.
E. viminalis is a species I have not tried yet so yours may or may not behave better than the species I have used.
Others I have talked to seem to manage Eucs as bonsai by gradually growing the tree larger then eventually pruning very hard to get new shoots closer to the trunk and start all over again.
I have found hard pruning to be hit and miss. Sometimes lots of shoots in good places, other times just a few from awkward spots. Often whole branches will die in favour of new shoots from the base of the branch

We have a number of Ausbonsai members who have more experience than me so hopefully you'll hear from GavinG, Sno and others with some more useful advice.

Hi Conornelson,

Welcome and well done on what you've done so far. It's always good to see Eucalyptus on these forums.

If it were me I'd now let the tree grow unhindered to let the trunks and primary branches thicken. A good strategy for Eucalyptus is to initially wire the trunk and main branches, then don't do too much other than feed and water heavily. Once the tree is at a good thickness then cut back all the branches back hard and continue the process. Any trimming of the shoots slows down growth considerably so letting it go will speed up the thickening. Good luck and keep us up to date.

Matt.

In February 2020, I posted a summary of AusBonsai posts on eucalypts. Here is a link to it: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=28106. There is a lot of useful information in it - all sourced from knowledgeable bonsai artists engaged with this site. Happy reading.

Howdy all,

Thank you for the advice, I think I will let it grow free for a bit. Will definitely keep you updated as there is not much information on Manna gums around. So far Id say my experience is good.

Cheers

+1 to advice already given. Grow long, in something big and deep, and don't be afraid to cut back hard to form an interesting trunk with angles. Viminalis are OK in pot culture, but I have found E. crenulata, E. bridgesiana and E. cinerea much less top dominant, and more civilised for branching.

A note of caution: Eucs have been rampant and robust growers for me when young, but I lost two old trunks this year when I had too little foliage on them through a Canberra winter. They seem to be less resilient when they are in a bonsai pot.

As we are all learning still, get lots of Eucs, try everything, and tell us what works! Just because they can be unreliable and erratic, doesn't mean they aren't wonderful when they work! They're the essence of the bush.

Gavin