Sweet Acacia (Acacia farnesiana/smallii)

[milehigh_7]

I have long wanted a bonsai that would pay tribute to the rugged desert mesquite that are native to my part of the world. However the bipinnately compound leaves on them which are about 3" long just seem like they would be impossible.

So I have been eyeing these trees that grow outside my office and trying to identify them because they look very similar but the leaves are less than an inch. Today while taking a quick look around the nursery for clearance stuff I found the tree I had been trying to ID.

It seems to be a Sweet Acacia. There seems to be some confusion between two species that are both called the same common name. (A. farnesiana and A. smallii). In any event I found this 15 gal on clearance so I got it. It was about 10 feet tall so I borrowed a saw and chopped it about 2" above a branch. It was so fun! I can't tell you the looks I got from the workers at the landscape nursery!

I did not have any beverage containers handy so this 16oz size wood hardener can will have to do for scale. At the base it is just a bit over 3". It has pretty nice roots, I was pleasantly surprised. I am thinking African flat top style.

 

[Smoke]

Pretty sweet bark and base on this one. Will watch to see what happens down the road.

(I always keep a couple empty beer cans under my seat for emergency shots of trees)

 

[milehigh_7]

Thanks Al! I am thinking I should keep a "tree kit" in the car. A few empties would be a good addition!

 

[Bob O]

That is a great trunk!
Some thing to think about, but first of all let me say that I know nothing about this species of tree, so am trying to learn something about them.

This thought is from my experience with collected hornbeams here in the east. If I let a shoot or shoots develope that low on the trunk, it rarely will throw out shoots higher up on the trunk where I want them for a new apex and branch formation.

Are you going to leave those two shoots near the base or do you plan to remove them?

Bob O

 

[edprocoat]

That is a nice trunk Milehigh! Good luck with it, it looks like a great start.

Smoke, LOL, but watch out when carrying empty BEER cans, the old open container law could cause a fine to be leveled on a traffic stop!
Coke cans are the choice for me.

ed

 

[Smoke]

That is a nice trunk Milehigh! Good luck with it, it looks like a great start.

Smoke, LOL, but watch out when carrying empty BEER cans, the old open container law could cause a fine to be leveled on a traffic stop!
Coke cans are the choice for me.

ed

I love it when a new guy just begins to figure out the Keppler humor...

"The case for smaller trees"

 

[milehigh_7]

Bob, one thing I have heard is that you have to prune a node up from where you want to remove a branch and then wait a few months for the die back. You can't really see it but about 2" below the apex is a branch that I hope will be the leader at this point. As far as leaving the two bottom ones, I am just not sure about that. They will eventually go it is just a matter of when.

 

[Smoke]

Even with a tree that has compound leaves? I figured that cutting anywhere would bud like crazy. Aren't trees like this pollarded all the time?

 

[milehigh_7]

It's A. smallii

Al, the first thing I had to do was improve my vocabulary. I had never heard that word before so thanks! I suppose you could say they pollard them but not like some of the other trees I have seen with the pollard look.

In any case according to some research I have done they do respond aggressively to pruning so theoretically I should get several shoots to choose from. Evidently it is recommended to prune just prior to monsoon so I was about a month or so early but that is okay.

The dieback thing was in some reading I did on mesquite and may not apply to acacia. In any case I am really excited to see how this tree develops. I am trying to locate info on "African flat top" style, if anyone can point me to resources for this I would be much obliged.

Oh I was able to key it to A. smallii. They evidently don't sell farnesiana here as it will not survive below 20F.

 

[milehigh_7]

Found a post from the South African guys that supports the dieback at pruning thing.

http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthr...-Monkey-Thorn-quot-progress&p=60424#post60424

 

[Bill S]

EEEEEEEeeeeek, gak, yuk, OMG, god that's nasty, Al pull up your shorts will ya, Clyde cool stump. My biggest question would have been do the bud back, those shoots would take forever to come up to size.

Geez that thong still fits.

 

[milehigh_7]

From what I have read they bud back like mad sooo we will see. I was trying not to comment on Al's... contributtion (sic). Just as nasty as the last time I saw that...

 

[milehigh_7]

I thought I would post a shot of the tiny leaflets on these.

 

[milehigh_7]

Here is a short video showing the growth since the initial chop:

[video=youtube_share;RooIqnZBZv0]http://youtu.be/RooIqnZBZv0[/video]

 

[Poink88]

I used to collect old Huisache (farnesiana) stumps and they tend to have twisted trunks. The heartwood is very nice rose or pinkish orange. Here is one I collected..a small 60# quarter piece

 

[pjkatich]

Hi Clyde,

Good luck with your acacia.

I have been messing around with what I think is the A. farnesiana for a number of years now. My research indicated the A. smalli and A. farnesiana are very similar genetically and hard to tell apart.

Do the leaves of yours fold up at night?

Here are a few observations, large cuts will not heal over and you will experience die back on a cut as large as the one you made. So, you will need to work that into your design. This seems to hold true on most cuts made on wood that has hardened off.

They grow some nasty thorns which occur on the new seasons growth. You can cut them off and they will not grow back on old wood.

In my area, they bloom around Christmas time with small (about the size of a pea), fragrant, yellow, powder puff flowers which will develop into a bean like, seed pod.

They can survive temperatures down into the 20's. However, they do not like it. They will drop all their leaves and flowers and sulk a bit when this happens. Nonetheless, I have never lost one due to cold weather.

They propagate easily from seeds and cuttings. I have never tried to air layer one yet.

They will tolerate a total leaf pruning but they do not like it very much.

They do not like to have their roots pruned heavily. I have had poor results on trees that were heavily root pruned so I tend to go easy on them. I normally re-pot mine in June.

If you work at it, you can develop some good ramification on them by pinching out the new growth after they put on two or three leaflets. This also slows down the development of thorns.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[milehigh_7]

Ok a few things I have learned. This species grows like crazy. Four times this summer I have chopped it back to nearly nothing. It back buds all up and down the trunk in a nearly uncontrollable fashion. Since the video just two months ago I have pruned off all but the top let it grow 4+ feet then chopped it back again. About three weeks ago I chopped it down to what you see in this picture from what you saw in the video above.

 

[milehigh_7]

Yesterday it I chopped it again after it put on 4+feet on the leader. I chopped it to get some additional movement in the trunk. It grows so fast that wire leaves nasty scars after a couple of weeks.

The first pic are before the most recent chop and the last is what I am left with now. If all goes well that lowest branch will put out a new leader for me. Then I will let it grow till spring. Another of the pictures shows the wound beginning to roll over from the big chop in june.

 

[butlern]

What's become of this tree, out of curiosity?

I have had my A. smallii for about 20 months. The past two winters I have kept it indoors in a cool room (~60-65 F) with plenty of light (retains foliage and continues to grow, albeit slowly).

Just wondering if this species would benefit from a period of formal dormancy in my garage with all my other temperate trees. I am able to maintain ~35 F out there in the winter (with some supplemental heating).

Any thoughts from those with A. smallii experience? My understanding is that they will be OK down to about 20 F (as noted above by Paul).

Really would like to better understand whether dormancy is essential for this species (i.e. will it decay over time if not allowed to enter full dormancy)?

Thanks

Noah

 

[butlern]

Just bumping up this query of mine...

Any thoughts on the matters posted immediately above?

Thanks