Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Is that to say they bud back well? Have you chopped one?
I wanna see a Rainbow Eucalyptus....
- Thread starter Forsoothe!
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LittleDingus
Omono
I just took layers off two of mine today:
Air layer roots on both sides
I have a couple of 2 year old rainbow eucalyptus that we nice and lush and growing out until I was gone for a few days in the heat of summer. Much of the lower growth died back revealing some branches with ugly loops. About a week or two ago, I decided that when the plants came in, I'd chop...
The layers should probably have stayed for another week or three but really the only reason I layered them was to see how they would react. The real goal was to chop off some ugly branching and see what back-budding might occur.
These guys are young. The trunk is only 2 year cane...approximately 1/2" diameter.
That apparent branch is from the small tree behind it. This trunk has no branches currently. The other layer does have one or two branches left below the layer.
My experience is that these do back bud on young cane at least. In all cases I've noticed, there is leaf above them and the buds are in the sun. When the buds are alone, they seem to take a long time to start developing. I've had a few sit with teeny tiny leaves for weeks before extending appreciably. Buds from the base of live branches seem to move much faster.
We'll see what this trunk does now. It is inside for the winter...but it is in a bright sun room that will get quite warm for the next month or two yet. One thing I've been keeping an eye on is that, for this trunk anyway, the "chop" could probably be considered to have started when I started the layer. There are no branches lower than the layer I took of. The cambium on these guys is almost trivial to remove...it peels off the sapwood very well. So, to my thinking at least, the lower trunk should have seen the start of the layer as a "chop" since that should have removed all source of leaf hormones and energy. So far, no buds though...but it's only been a month and my thinking on this may be off...
I only have 2 years experience with these so far though so consider that when deciding how much to pay for what I'm selling you
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Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Nope. The bullseye is once again right over my house.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
As expected we got the brunt of Delta as well. I won't be able to assess further damage until Monday night at least. The road there is not passable now.
Lumaca
Mame
I've missed this! There are a bunch of these near my cousin's house, and they get chopped down pretty regularly, and reach 10m easily in 2 years.
Here's an example of backbudding on old trunk. You can also see an example of root sucker a little behind it.
I have to say, these are the THIRSTIEST tree I have though, so thirsty that I was considering putting a bowl of water under the pot. Apparently they are used to drain swamps in some areas!
Mikecheck123
Omono
Other than the fact that wasting time isn't wise.
The properties that make a good bonsai aren't a mystery.
The drawbacks with this species are also readily apparent.
So there's not really anything to discover. This tree will always give you fits and disappointment. Other species are more rewarding.
But it's your life.
Starfox
Masterpiece
That's the spirit! 
Yes I did say that too.
This is only scratching the surface, I could do this all day.
Yes I did say that too.
So yeah I do think it is a shame that most people want to try the one species that would seem the hardest when there are far better suited ones that are just as stunning.
This is only scratching the surface, I could do this all day.
Are any of these cold hardy?That's the spirit!
Yes I did say that too.
So yeah I do think it is a shame that most people want to try the one species that would seem the hardest when there are far better suited ones that are just as stunning.
View attachment 344336View attachment 344337View attachment 344338View attachment 344339View attachment 344340View attachment 344341View attachment 344342
This is only scratching the surface, I could do this all day.
Starfox
Masterpiece
The ones in those pics may not be but probably the most famous gum for it's colourful bark is the Snow Gum or Eucalyptus pauciflora. These are found in the sub alpine regions of Australia.
The is always E. coccifera which is the Tasmanian Snow Gum.
These are the most spectacular but there are other cold tolerant species as well. Just really need to avoid the real deep and cold freezes.
I know from facebook Eucalyptus groups there are guys in Germany and Sweden growing Eucs easy enough.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
keep in mind, many of the pictures shown have had their colors pressed..
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
I'm not sure why...but when this species is brought up from time to time...I feel its like chasing a magical unicorn.
Starfox
Masterpiece
Well you get that just taking pics from google or facebook and yet it's hardly damning. There are more than enough examples to see out there so you can make your own judgement and many other sp. not posted that have excellent bark qualities.
At the end of the day a colourful Euc is much easier to obtain than faffing about with Rainbows and many respond far better to the techniques applied.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Naw. It's one of those "exfoliating bark" species that a handful of photos make look like an amazing rare find... when the reality is much less striking. Because after all, if the tree was so beautiful and had no downsides, why would it not be planted everywhere?
I know in our HOA in SoCal we stopped planting what was called "Red Bud" eucalyptus (another cultivar with exfoliating bark) due to pests, weak branches that were a property liability, and just the general mess of having bark strips lying all over the place. In the time that I lived there, we probably removed 80% of the eucalyptus in the 1600 home community.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
I get the love of exfoliating bark...its why I added the Chinese quince. As well as being mesmerized by the crepe myrtle when down south a few years back. The bark drew me in...even though it was in bloom. But this species...has to have a lot of downfalls. There are not a lot on them as bonsai. But there are more than one exfoliating bark contender. I have just pushed this particular one in a not worth looking into category. Because as mentioned before...if it had good characteristics for our hobby...there would be some prime examples of it. I'm just not into chasing unicorns.
Wow, propertyliability...I can see why they were removed!
LittleDingus
Omono
That's the spirit!
Yes I did say that too.
So yeah I do think it is a shame that most people want to try the one species that would seem the hardest when there are far better suited ones that are just as stunning.
View attachment 344337
This is only scratching the surface, I could do this all day.
I admit, I have rainbows. They are easy to grow. They grow fast. I haven't really tried to "style" mine yet but I'm more of a clip-n-grow guy than a wire guy so they'll probably always look like house plants...which is fine with me. I'm a northerner, so, yeah, they all are pretty unique to me...well, except the ones that are always used as springs in flower bouquets (perriniana, I believe?).
What species is this orange one? I would be willing to give that one a try if I could find seed.
I think part of the issue for some of us northerners comes down to marketing. Rainbow euc seeds are easy to come across because they are "flashy". They have visibility through numerous outlets: I see them on Etsy, EBay, Amazon... Many other eucalyptus varieties are obscure in the north...we just don't know about them. Had I seen this orange barked variety before the rainbow variety, I probably would have tried it instead. But I didn't. I saw delgupta first and got a lifetime supply of seed for $6. This will be the 3rd year I've planted some. Each year I get 50-100 plants to sprout, keep 3, and still haven't made a dent in my seed supply!
I get most of my seed from Sheffield's. Even going there, most of the euc pictures (even delgupta) are boring: mostly tall sticks with indistinct foliage...not the sort of image that attracts bonsai people
Starfox
Masterpiece
The information I have for the first 3 pics including that orange one is as follows...
Eucalyptus spathulata, E.platypus, E.astringens, E.orthostemon and possibly E.urna in there
At a guess I'd say either spathulata or platypus but tough to tell really. Not sure how wide spread the seeds are but can always have a look.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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I'm in favor of experiments in seeing if one species or another will "submit" to bonsai culture. There are at least 100,000 species of trees, half or more of these thousands of species have not been in human cultivation, so there are still many, many species that simply have not had "bonsai techniques" applied to them. So experimenting with something new is worth while. E. deglupta has really only been cultivated in the USA for less than 20 years, and not widely, not much time to be tested as bonsai. I like @Starfox suggestion to check out the other species of Eucalyptus. One problem with Eucalyptus in general, the hardy species are really only sub-tropical. They simply do not do well once you get into zone 7 and colder zones. So most of North America have to treat them as indoor for winter, outdoors for summer plants, which is not ideal for rapid development as bonsai.
But keep experimenting everyone.
But keep experimenting everyone.
Lumaca
Mame
Probably because it's a tropical native? I got a couple because I was researching trees that are native to my area. They are grown for both timber and pulp here BECAUSE they are low maintenance fast growers. They love high humidity and high rainfall. I'll have to remember to snap some accurate pics next time I go to the supermarkets. They have a row of 20m ones there with barks that are starting to get real fancy.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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I am speaking from my experience in USA. I only spent 5 days in Malaysia (the peninsula) and 5 days in Singapore about 30 years ago, so my experience with your part of the world is near zero. I was not big into bonsai at the time I visited. Though I was quite taken with all the blooming Wightia religiosa planted around the landscapes in both countries.
Have you any of the Dalbergia species in your area of Indonesia? Rosewoods. It is a tree of great eco-biological & forestry interest because it is so very slow to reach sizes required for harvesting as lumber for cabinet work. The compound leaves will probably be an issue in attempting to style it for bonsai. But with its hard wood, it should hold shapes well once new growth has matured.
