AusBonsai

Moved things around today and finally found some room to bring the big Fire out of the shade house. It has still been pretty warm around here so I probably should have put it in part shade for a week or so but I was not keen on double handling this one so it will just have to grin and bear it if we keep getting sun next week. Is that Queensland weather heading this way again?
It finally gave me a chance to get some decent pictures although I still don't think they do it justice. This was collected 5 months ago and the recovery has been excellent I think the front may be some where around here but It is a tree that I just keep walking around marvelling at the movement. I would very much like to see this with all the branches kept in a broom form. The bark is to die for. I would guess at 60 years for this tree but it could be any number in either direction. It would take a while to take in the wabi sabi of this tree kunzea

You can find a thread of when I collected Big fire here
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2547&hilit=firethorn
But as I am niave whith this species I thought it might be good to start a new thread asking for advice.

I collected this Firethorn 6 months before Big fire in Autumn as a bit of a tester. I was a bit concerned that with the Winter rain and the lack of established roots it never really dried out. So although it sulked all Winter come spring I felt it grew well.
Since collecting one in early spring and then the Big fire in late spring I would say that was a much better result.
Anyway apart from the odd dead branch 12 months on the tester fire was solid in it's pot with good growth and I figured it was time to continue testing.
It was not easy material and I put my Bonsai mix tape on for ideas and figured the only option was to take the lower branch on curve and a couple of branches higher. After a bit of carving, wire and a couple of less branches this is what I ended up with Not exceptional by any standard but I do like what I have when viewed in the flesh(maybe a different angle in the pic ) so I think this will be fun material in the future. Anyway it will continue to be the tester tree for the Big fire and any advice on Firethorn training would be much appreciated.

Hi Bretts , very nice specimens you have there .No styling advice , i do have a few small ones taken as cuttings up to 20mm branch cuttings . I do have a couple of collected specimens but haven't clapped my eyes on them for a while . Be iteresting to watch the styling in stages of the big mother .Cheers

Brett - what is the plant growing on the far left of the first photo in your first post on this thread? Is it a Gmelina arborea by any chance? (also known as duckfooted beechwood) I have one that is growing like blazes, and was wondering if anyone else has one.

Glenda

That is one that I have been trying to find the correct name for. We knew them as thorn of Christ or similar. I saw them as mallsai down on the south coast and liked the look of them. The mother in law had a tree in her back yard and I often had them come up as seed as this one did. I think this is my last one at the moment after I gave a way a few and one of the two left died after being ripped out of the pot by the kids one time too many
They have a bulbous tap root that needs to be cut off like a baobab. It will be interesting to what sought of lateral root system this one has at next repot.
I do not think it is Gmelina arborea though!

The leaf of the Gmelina is trilobal, and has a thorn at the base of each leaf.
This was taken 3 months after aquiring a cutting a fellow club member had struck, that was about 10cm tall. It is now about twice the size. Is it anything like yours?

Glenda

Ill get a pic of mine tomorrow Glenda. Nothing like that

The bulbus tap root was cut of this in spring which basicly turned it into a big cutting. Hence no work on it this year. I am wondering where to chop it back. That tunk looks too nice to cut into?

alpineart wrote:Hi Bretts , very nice specimens you have there .No styling advice , i do have a few small ones taken as cuttings up to 20mm branch cuttings . I do have a couple of collected specimens but haven't clapped my eyes on them for a while . Be iteresting to watch the styling in stages of the big mother .Cheers

Thanks Alpine It was horticultural advice I was most after so if you can help out in any way that would be great. Don't be afraid to drag the ones out that you haven't looked at for a while and post pics here either that would be great. I would like to discuss Firethorn in general here not just mine.