AusBonsai

I germinated a bunch of ombu trees from seed a couple of years ago. Here's some photos:
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.

Nice. Sure does have a lot of ficus qualities, absolutely right on that. The fast growers give us more material to sculpt but throw off their form sooner. I think it's why US enthusiasts display their figs as though they were deciduous.

Photos on Google make these Ombu look magnificent in the wild. From the looks of your project here, the roots can become a feature. Good luck

Hi Tarkek,

They are all starting to have some interesting trunks. Do they grow in full sun or are they prefer shade?

Having a big batch of trees is a great way to experiment and learn. Do they respond ok to root work?

Are the branches woody? or do they tend to be fibrous and hollow?

When you cut off a branch how well do they heal over?