Casuarina equisetifolia

Starfox · Oct 30, 2018

Well now I know this one has survived a mid September root and trunk chop hopefully I can use this thread to document it. Being such a bean pole of a trunk I was probably a bit conservative with the cut back but I wanted to leave some foliage on to see how it would react and frankly it didn't miss a beat, even with a 50 percent root reduction there was no die back at all. It didn't however buck bud down low like I would of liked but maybe I am seeing the hints of a few lower down buds coming now, maybe. A couple of weeks ago I thinned it out too and it has the beginings of some nice root flare.

Given the long needle like foliage I think a taller tree is probably better and instead of getting all twisted up with the idea of creating movement and such I'm thinking to just deal with a formal upright style, when planted out the ones I see here in the landscape are tall, thin, straight growing with a flame like style so maybe I'll shoot for that and get adventurous later on with cuttings. I don't know, just need it to get through winter first and reevaluate come spring/summer.

Unfortunately this is the best shot I have of it before cutting back.

my nellie · Oct 30, 2018

Easy growing species around Mediterranean... I don't know about France though...

Starfox said:
... ... I was probably a bit conservative with the cut back but I wanted to leave some foliage on to see how it would react... ...

Though it seems kind of "wise" this conservative decision of yours, I'm afraid you will be sorry in the near future for having lost one or two growing seasons...

Starfox · Oct 30, 2018

my nellie said:
Easy growing species around Mediterranean... I don't know about France though...Though it seems kind of "wise" this conservative decision of yours, I'm afraid you will be sorry in the near future for having lost one or two growing seasons...

Well the part of France we will be in is still considered the Med but yeah depending which of the two options we choose to live then one place should be ok and the other I'll definitely need a greenhouse so that much I have already come to terms with. I imagine they will behave a bit like my ficus here, in general they will be ok but require some protection on the coldest nights of winter.

Plus most advice I read and was told was to leave some growth as they can suffer die back and being a new species to me this was the safer option. If I chopped it back to bare wood and it died then that would of been a waste. If I'm honest chopping it back will put me one or two years behind. No reason to cut it back unless you want to put movement in it which I don't. I'm happyish with the height of it and they tend to have the taper of a palm tree with anorexia anyway so that isn't a concern either. Just going to grow it(hopefully), develop branching and slowly reduce the pot size.

Anthony · Oct 30, 2018

See if it is the one that lives more than 50 years.
Also do a Google.
Foliage is often trimmed like a pine's.

On this side it is a weed.
Good Day
Anthony

Starfox · Oct 30, 2018

If I live for 50 more years then I would consider it a bonus, any tree that wants to come along for the ride is welcome.

And yeah, I have seen that people often trim the foliage, not sure I'm a fan of that. At least not to make it look like a pine anyway, maybe to keep it in proportion but to look more like what it is.

Anthony · Oct 30, 2018

Natural shape
Good Day
Anthony

How does it go ------ a man plants a tree for posterity,
not for himself.

my nellie · Oct 30, 2018

@Starfox you might be interested in an article which Robert Steven has published in Black Scissors page on FB on 14 Νοεμβρίου 2017
R.S. is known for some very beautiful and dynamic Casuarina bonsai.

Starfox · Oct 30, 2018

Thanks for the link, had not seen that before. I know they are heavily used in Asia and that link shows quite well what you can do with them but you know what really bothers me about those trees?

None of those beautiful trees actually look like a Casuarina, I mean they are at another level but it is what I touched on earlier about the trimming to look like pines. Sure the trimming is useful for increasing ramification but beyond that I want a Casuarina.
I don't know maybe it is just me but the Casuarina's and Allocasuarina's I grew up with are distinctive.

I'd also question his claim that they were introduced as bonsai in 1985 but maybe he just means in Indonesia.

my nellie · Oct 30, 2018

I understand what you say.
There are Casuarinas growing here in Greece and they look like Pines. From a distance one cannot say if they are Pines or Casuarinas. So a straight upright form is what I am used to see in this species...
But these are all nursery grown trees for gardens and landscapes.
I don't know how Casuarinas look like in the wild. And the trees of R.S. (and others, too) are collected specimens and it's possible that they grow in different forms... It would be interesting if someone could post photos.

Starfox · Oct 31, 2018

Yeah that is the thing, in even in Asia their growing conditions vastly differ from elsewhere and here in Spain we are similar to you in that most here are cultivated for landscapes, as far as I know collected material would be nearly impossible to find here.
That said they do quite often exhibit that straight, tall, thin character in the wild too. And the long cladodes(leaves) of many species to me are fundamental to the look they invoke in me. Almost a weeping look at times.

I'll dig up some pics and links.....

And these you probably have to log in or register to see the pics but it's worth joining anyway.

http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=20173

There is a lovely big one in this thread and a nice little grove giving off that flame character.
http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=26076

http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=1232
http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=1230
http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=1231

This one is way cool.
http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=12275

For me these are far more realistic versions than those manicured to look like a pine, it takes their uniqueness away.

Brian Van Fleet · Oct 31, 2018

Amy Liang shows several of these in her book, Living Art of Bonsai. The foliage grows in “joints” like bamboo, making it easy to finger-prune and shorten. Where they grow wild, they seem to be strong growers, good bark over time.

Anthony said:
Foliage is often trimmed like a pine's.

Don’t trim pine foliage.

Starfox · Oct 31, 2018

Brian Van Fleet said:
Amy Liang shows several of these in her book, Living Art of Bonsai. The foliage grows in “joints” like bamboo, making it easy to finger-prune and shorten. Where they grow wild, they seem to be strong growers, good bark over time.

Don’t trim pine foliage.

That is the thing, each one of those segments is essentially a leaf so by pinching them back you are creating more ramification unlike pine needles so they respond quicker. And I may be wrong but each needle has the potential to be another branch so that is another consideration.

Anthony · Oct 31, 2018

Brian, I stand corrected -

"trimmed to look like pine foliage."

Would be interesting to see a - natural look.
Good Day
Anthony

An example - Pine needle version

Anthony · Oct 31, 2018

Aha, I think, I figured it out.
Image 5 - Steven - branch structure,

Use the technique in the image I posted [ looks like pine ,,,,]
adapt to branch structure.
Cool.

K grew up in an English Oil camp - Forest Rserve - Texaco.
The casuarina was used everywhere, Near his house were
5 trees.
50 years later, as was explained to us, all had died,

However, there are supposed to be some types that live to
300 years,

We have new types ------ maybe .......................

Please remember year 40 for us coming up. It would not
be easy to watch trees die,
And due to our family's longevity, we could watch this happen twice.

Alas the favourite - Gmelina was also listed at 50 years.
Maybe Bonsai soil and care will allow for longer life ....................
Good Day
Anthony

Starfox · Oct 31, 2018

Anthony said:
Would be interesting to see a - natural look.

Anthony, here are a few I found although I am taking a liberty as these are mainly Allocasuarina's but they are very similar trees and many have been reclassified but they have the natural look to them that I prefer.

All found on this site freely available to view....
https://www.vicnativebonsai.com.au/

A. torulosa

A. littoralis

The only reason I can see for trimming the leaves is in development and maybe for shape and dimension while keeping the natural look.

As for the longevity of certain species I can't really say from knowledge but I have read a few good discussions on the subject, there is certainly a case to be made that by applying bonsai technique it may prolong the life of trees indefinitely. I guess you need a few lifetimes to say with any certainty so we are not there yet.

Anthony · Oct 31, 2018

Simple, take the trees shown by the folk on Ausbonsai.
Observe the branching angles and the leaves as masses,
If you can draw / copy a few.
Then create an imaginary tree.
Good Day
Anthony

my nellie · Oct 31, 2018

@Starfox thank you very much for providing the links above.
Some incredible trees! And those arching branches!

my nellie · Oct 31, 2018

Have you seen this Redwood bonsai?
Some day in future your Casuarina will be similar to that (height wise I mean)

Starfox · Nov 6, 2018

Oops, apologies for the delay.
That Redwood is very cool, it could be something along those lines although to be honest this mainly needs a few years growth so I may well get other ideas about it depending on how it grows. Probably by the time I'm ready to do something we'll be moving again so I may as well enjoy it while I have it.

Starfox · Oct 24, 2020

Update,

Earlier this year I thought I had lost this in a winter storm, found it on the ground with most of the soil gone for who knows how many days. Any way I stuck some more soil in and kept watering and it did bounce back although the top half did die back which wasn't really to much of a bother as it would of been hacked back eventually.

So come April I figured a repot would be useful.

This was it in April.