- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
I think its because they take a billion years to grow.
Im going to be attempting to grow some Australian Natives into bonsai soon, after seeing these
The biggest issue with playing with Aussie natives is that they HATE their roots being touched and can quite often just turn up their feet and die after a re-pot!
I read a book a while back on Australian species for bonsai, I copied down some of the advice it gave into a word document, here is is:
Bonsai with Australian Plants posted:
Australian bonsai
Notes taken from Bonsai with Australian plants by Dorothy and Vita Koreshoff
General tips for Australian natives
Pruning: Cutting back to bare wood results in new growth as long as done just before regrowth. If done after growth has started will result in dieback.
Wiring: constant pruning of all upward growth on branches to be wired. Otherwise branches will die back.
Specific Species
Callistemon (bottlebrush)
Rootpruning: prior to regrowth period, maybe not barerootable.
Styles: all, no weakening of branches below horizontal.
Pruning: cut into bare wood prior to regrowth, prune back below old flowers.
Trimming: allow spring growth to extend until flowers appear. Keep tidy by trimming shoots extending past flower buds. At all over times pinch out new tips leaving only a few leaves.
Wiring: No problems.
Acacias (wattles)
Many species, some with bipinnate foliage and others with leafy foliage. Some have both, which can look untidy, especially on smaller trees.
A. glaucescens, A. longifolia, A. mollissima and A. podalyriifolia are all suitable and reasonably hardy.
Seed must be scarified before it will germinate. Seed grown plants have a tap root which can be a problem.
Root pruning: no problem once fibrous system established. Nodules on roots containing bacteria.
Styles: Upright better, slight loss of vigor with cascades.
Pruning: Can be reduced to bare wood anytime before regrowth at root pruning time. At other times leave some foliage present.
Trimming: constant throughout growing period. Trim back each time to the first or second leaf depending on direction. Retain length of spring growth necessary for floers and then pinch out the tip. After flowering cut hard back.
Wiring: Safe as long as upward growth is checked.
Banksia
Suitable species include B. ericifolia, B. integrifolia, B. marginata, B. spinulosa and B. serrata(old man banksia).
Seed very hard, must be soaked in water for a week then dried very quickly in sun or over heat.
Rootpruning: no need to bare root, can be done anytime prior to regrowth.
Soil: needs good drainage.
Styles: B. ericifolia is the most traditional material of the genus. B. serrata can look ugly if its tuber develops into a potato like shape, so it’s important to select a shoot and continue a tapering trunkline. Don’t allow too many branches to grow around the area where the trunk and tuber meet as it will increase the tuber diameter.
Pruning: can be drastic but is safer at the end of a dormant period.
Trimming: pinching new shoots or cutting back when slightly matured on ericifolia, spinulosa and serrata. Integrifolia and marginata have more awkward growth pattern of long internodal space with alternate leaves between whorl-like buds. The new shoots must be pulled out before they have a chance to stretch to maintain compact growth.
Wiring: acceptable, wood pliable so extreme bending is possible. N loss of vigor from bending below horizontal.
Casuarina (she oak)
Look pine-like, highly suitable. Usable species include C. cunninghamia, C. torulosa, C.glauca and C. stricta in order from best to worst.
Root pruning: best done in spring or autumn when plant is just about to shoot. Never remove the main area of soil around the trunk.
Styles: all possible, only slight weakening of growth at the end of cascades.
Pruning: Drastic reduction and cutting back to bare wood are both possible. Complete defoliation is also possible as long as done prior to regrowth. Constant small shoots develop along trunk that must be rubbed off. Allow bottom branches to grow untrimmed at the ends until required thickness is obtained. Any branchlets growing strongly upwards must be trimmed or removed or dieback will occur. When branch and trunk structure is done, all other growth should be removed prior to the strongest growing period each year.
Trimming: constant through all growing periods. Needles need to be shortened on all species. Each needle is actually a stalk with tiny leaves located at the little serrations between the sections. These come apart when pulled, do not use scissors.
Wiring: safe as long as no vertical shoots develop from the base of the branch or along it. Wood takes a long time to set in position.
Podocarpus(P. abinus and P. elatus)
Rootpruning safe.
Cultivation similar to Callistemon.
Eleocarpus reticulatus(might also apply to dentatus, NZ species?)
Withstands drastic Rootpruning, pruning, trimming and wiring but growth method is awkward with long internodes and wood is quite brittle and difficult to shape.
Araucaria bidwilli(bunya bunya, might also be applicable to other species?)
Rootprunes easily before growing period. Cascade might be possible, all strong upward growth is removed leaving only slected weak cascading branches. Other styles tough as material is non traditional.
Eucalyptus
Best species are E. saligna(Sydney blue gum), E. nicholli (peppermint blue gum), E. maculata (peppermint gum) and E. sideroxylon (pink flowering ironbark). Chosen species must have ability to branch close to the ground.
Some species produce a lignotuber. This must never be planted deeper than the original soil level, however it can be raised safely.
Rootpruning: as they grow throughout the year, must be done in summer in the hottest months when they are somewhat dormant. Dormancy may have to be artificially induced by allowing soil to dry to the point of leaf wilting, simulating drought. Plant is then rootpruned by bare rooting or by removal of outer root ball. After planting keep well watered until new shoots appear.
Fertiliser: likes lots of nitrogen.
Styles: all possible except maybe formal upright.
Pruning:can be pruned back very hard, but lots of pruning is best done prior to main growing season. Heavily barked species branch less so should be pruned more carefully. Any upward growth from branches must be removed or shaping the branches will be impossible.
Trimming: constant, internodes tend to be long so tips should be pinched out while still immature.
Wiring: no problems as long as pruned properly.
This is a cool thread, I have a few trees in progress but nothing really worth showing at the moment. If you want to get more into bonsai it's worth looking for a bonsai club or society in your area. Talking to people in person often makes it easier to understand than reading articles on the internet or in books. Fair warning that most clubs are predominately older people though.
|
#
¿
Oct 21, 2012 09:03
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 4, 2024 02:04
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
Jesus, it's like something out of the Shire. It doesn't even look real, it looks like someone's idealized conception of what the perfect storybook tree should look like.
Well that's sort of the point of bonsai, they're idealized representations of trees. Though there is a lot of variation, some artists like to create very naturalistic looking trees whereas at the opposite end of the spectrum you've got really stylized sculptural stuff like some of Masahiko Kimura's junipers.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 10, 2012 00:49
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
There's a blog by a guy doing a bonsai apprenticeship in Japan here if anyone's interested. The Japanese do seem to have quite a formal way of doing bonsai as well as how they teach it.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2012 09:46
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
When is it considered appropriate to completely defoliate your plant? I learned about doing this just the other day but as far as I can tell people tend to do it on plants that are nearing a decade old.
Also, all those bonsai look great crocoduck!
Defoliating is quite stressful so you probably want to limit it to established, healthy plants. Unless you've got an established plant there's probably not much point in doing anyway, since you don't really want to start reducing leaf size until you've got the general shape and ramification of the plant down.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2013 06:52
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
Those aren't going to survive for very long indoors.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2013 00:28
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
Eucalypts basically grow all year round, they don't really have a dormant period like most trees.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2013 11:22
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
you don't need to buy a special mix, just make your own up using pumice and regular potting mix, with a lot of pumice. I use that for all my succulents and it works fine.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 19, 2014 01:38
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
if you're in Australia you can't really over water, unless you're growing it in like pure clay or something. yellow tips could be mineral related - try fertilizing it more possibly.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2015 00:58
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 4, 2024 02:04
|
|
- A human heart
- Oct 10, 2012
-
|
I live in Brisbane, according to google our natives are very hard to bonsai because they act very differently to the traditional stuff.
Re: Australian natives, i posted some info from a book about them upthread ages ago:
quote:Australian bonsai
Notes taken from Bonsai with Australian plants by Dorothy and Vita Koreshoff
General tips for Australian natives
Pruning: Cutting back to bare wood results in new growth as long as done just before regrowth. If done after growth has started will result in dieback.
Wiring: constant pruning of all upward growth on branches to be wired. Otherwise branches will die back.
Specific Species
Callistemon (bottlebrush)
Rootpruning: prior to regrowth period, maybe not barerootable.
Styles: all, no weakening of branches below horizontal.
Pruning: cut into bare wood prior to regrowth, prune back below old flowers.
Trimming: allow spring growth to extend until flowers appear. Keep tidy by trimming shoots extending past flower buds. At all over times pinch out new tips leaving only a few leaves.
Wiring: No problems.
Acacias (wattles)
Many species, some with bipinnate foliage and others with leafy foliage. Some have both, which can look untidy, especially on smaller trees.
A. glaucescens, A. longifolia, A. mollissima and A. podalyriifolia are all suitable and reasonably hardy.
Seed must be scarified before it will germinate. Seed grown plants have a tap root which can be a problem.
Root pruning: no problem once fibrous system established. Nodules on roots containing bacteria.
Styles: Upright better, slight loss of vigor with cascades.
Pruning: Can be reduced to bare wood anytime before regrowth at root pruning time. At other times leave some foliage present.
Trimming: constant throughout growing period. Trim back each time to the first or second leaf depending on direction. Retain length of spring growth necessary for floers and then pinch out the tip. After flowering cut hard back.
Wiring: Safe as long as upward growth is checked.
Banksia
Suitable species include B. ericifolia, B. integrifolia, B. marginata, B. spinulosa and B. serrata(old man banksia).
Seed very hard, must be soaked in water for a week then dried very quickly in sun or over heat.
Rootpruning: no need to bare root, can be done anytime prior to regrowth.
Soil: needs good drainage.
Styles: B. ericifolia is the most traditional material of the genus. B. serrata can look ugly if its tuber develops into a potato like shape, so it’s important to select a shoot and continue a tapering trunkline. Don’t allow too many branches to grow around the area where the trunk and tuber meet as it will increase the tuber diameter.
Pruning: can be drastic but is safer at the end of a dormant period.
Trimming: pinching new shoots or cutting back when slightly matured on ericifolia, spinulosa and serrata. Integrifolia and marginata have more awkward growth pattern of long internodal space with alternate leaves between whorl-like buds. The new shoots must be pulled out before they have a chance to stretch to maintain compact growth.
Wiring: acceptable, wood pliable so extreme bending is possible. N loss of vigor from bending below horizontal.
Casuarina (she oak)
Look pine-like, highly suitable. Usable species include C. cunninghamia, C. torulosa, C.glauca and C. stricta in order from best to worst.
Root pruning: best done in spring or autumn when plant is just about to shoot. Never remove the main area of soil around the trunk.
Styles: all possible, only slight weakening of growth at the end of cascades.
Pruning: Drastic reduction and cutting back to bare wood are both possible. Complete defoliation is also possible as long as done prior to regrowth. Constant small shoots develop along trunk that must be rubbed off. Allow bottom branches to grow untrimmed at the ends until required thickness is obtained. Any branchlets growing strongly upwards must be trimmed or removed or dieback will occur. When branch and trunk structure is done, all other growth should be removed prior to the strongest growing period each year.
Trimming: constant through all growing periods. Needles need to be shortened on all species. Each needle is actually a stalk with tiny leaves located at the little serrations between the sections. These come apart when pulled, do not use scissors.
Wiring: safe as long as no vertical shoots develop from the base of the branch or along it. Wood takes a long time to set in position.
Podocarpus(P. abinus and P. elatus)
Rootpruning safe.
Cultivation similar to Callistemon.
Eleocarpus reticulatus
Withstands drastic Rootpruning, pruning, trimming and wiring but growth method is awkward with long internodes and wood is quite brittle and difficult to shape.
Araucaria bidwilli(bunya bunya, might also be applicable to other species?)
Rootprunes easily before growing period. Cascade might be possible, all strong upward growth is removed leaving only slected weak cascading branches. Other styles tough as material is non traditional.
Eucalyptus
Best species are E. saligna(Sydney blue gum), E. nicholli (peppermint blue gum), E. maculata (peppermint gum) and E. sideroxylon (pink flowering ironbark). Chosen species must have ability to branch close to the ground.
Some species produce a lignotuber. This must never be planted deeper than the original soil level, however it can be raised safely.
Rootpruning: as they grow throughout the year, must be done in summer in the hottest months when they are somewhat dormant. Dormancy may have to be artificially induced by allowing soil to dry to the point of leaf wilting, simulating drought. Plant is then rootpruned by bare rooting or by removal of outer root ball. After planting keep well watered until new shoots appear.
Fertiliser: likes lots of nitrogen.
Styles: all possible except maybe formal upright.
Pruning:can be pruned back very hard, but lots of pruning is best done prior to main growing season. Heavily barked species branch less so should be pruned more carefully. Any upward growth from branches must be removed or shaping the branches will be impossible.
Trimming: constant, internodes tend to be long so tips should be pinched out while still immature.
Wiring: no problems as long as pruned properly.
|
|
#
¿
May 4, 2017 12:04
|
|
#
¿
Oct 21, 2012 09:03
I love primitive pines, but so many of them don't bonsai well. Maybe some kind of air layer thing, or a palm-tree look. I'm thinking about doing it in spring when it's warm enough to take the tree outside (so, late February around here). If I do it I'll take pictures and report back.