The first one (and another one that's not pictured) seems to be some kind of dwarf, as it doesn't grow anywhere near as fast and the leaves have stayed small. This one is in akadama, but the other stayed in organic soil and looks pretty similar in size.
I chopped pretty much all of these after the first year (which maybe was a mistake, as it slowed down trunk development). I didnt leave any foliage on some of them, but almost all survived, even though I cut in the middle of summer in Perth ( I had 15 or so and I wasn't scared to experiment). From now on I wont repot or chop in the hotter months as the new growth can dry up far too easily.
Once autumn comes I'll chop 3/4ths of the way up to encourage some lower branching. Till then, lots of water, lots of fert.
Phytolacca diocia is an amazing species that I think everyone should try, it was one of the first things I grew from seed and I only managed to murder a few. Think ficus level of indestructibility
(and crazy fast growers as well). They wilt a bit in the middle of the day but the leaves will perk up once the sun goes down.
