Casurina Shohin : Smallest Yet?

This tree was trained about 3 years. From a straight trunk segment 4cm only, after 2 times cut within 2 years, there have been 13cm tall tree as shown.

Hi Invinh
Nice tree. I love casaurinas and I have been training seedlings that I have grown from seeds. Some of them are like the one you showed; already showing character and vigour. Thanks for sharing.
What mix do you use?

Cosmos

Cute tree. Mine was as small when I collected it years ago and then it grew out of mini size. It's about 7 inches now.



Best,
dorothy

cosmos wrote:Hi Invinh
Nice tree. I love casaurinas and I have been training seedlings that I have grown from seeds. Some of them are like the one you showed; already showing character and vigour. Thanks for sharing.
What mix do you use?

Cosmos

I use 100% sand and fine gravel.

dorothy7774 wrote:Cute tree. Mine was as small when I collected it years ago and then it grew out of mini size. It's about 7 inches now.



Best,
dorothy

Your tree is so cute, you take good care of it. Your trees look like my tree. How do you make leaves so short?

Regards;
lnvinh

Thank you, Invinh. Yes, they look very similar. I prune the "needles" short from time to time. Here is a pic before with some long needles:



Here is the "sister", they were both growing next to each other when I collected them:





Best,
dorothy

Beautiful work Dorothy & Invinh !!

Ed

dorothy7774 wrote:Thank you, Invinh. Yes, they look very similar. I prune the "needles" short from time to time. Here is a pic before with some long needles:



Here is the "sister", they were both growing next to each other when I collected them:


Best,
dorothy

Thank you for sharing, Dorothy. Your way is very good. I will do it this way. Usually I soak it in water tray, this also makes smaller leaves and shorter as the original tree.

This is one of my tiny air-layered she-oak. Height 8 cm base 4.5cm




Cheers,

CJ
http://newzealandteatreebonsai.blogspot.com/

Hi CJ
That is an awesome sumo casaurina. I like it.

Cosmos

newzealandteatree wrote:This is one of my tiny air-layered she-oak. Height 8 cm base 4.5cm




Cheers,

CJ
http://newzealandteatreebonsai.blogspot.com/

OH, So Cute. Thanks CJ. Really is a tiny tree. The question continued, "So there must be a minimum tree yet?"

Thanks Ed. Very lovely, CJ.

-dorothy

Cosmos, Dorothy, Thanks.
Invinh, there must be smaller one still out there. I do have some smaller ones but they are not ready for show yet. It is easy to make small bonsai with this specie as they can be air-layered easily. I just train them on the big tree and when they are about ready, I air-layer them. In 6 months there should be sufficient roots to put them into bonsai pot.

Cheers,

CJ

Hey Cj ya should have entered that ripper in our Aus native contest
I just entered this one in the less than 1 year in training category 12cm high

Hi Brett, ya tree has a very interest trunk with good taper. Take care of the branches and in 1 more year, ya should have a stunner. Me enjoy creating more than winning awards. She-oak is such wonderful material for big and small bonsai. Problem is the exceptionally fast growth which requires intensive maintenance. This one still under development. Height 5 cm base 4 cm.



Cheers,

CJ

Hi CJ
I see that you use scissors to prune becuase it leaves a tell-tale sign at the tips. This is allowed in the begining but when you need to exhibit the tree it is best to just pluck short.

Comsos

Hi Cosmos, when the needles are long and old, cutting with scissor is the best way to shorten them. Breaking the needles with bare hands will take too long and not necessary as the needles grow back in days. Subsequent trimming will be done with bare hands. The new growths are easier to pluck. From my experiences, growth of more than a month are tougher to break. This is one of my she-oak which has been pluck with bare hands for the last few years.



Cheers,

CJ

Brett Summers wrote:Hey Cj ya should have entered that ripper in our Aus native contest
I just entered this one in the less than 1 year in training category 12cm high

Thanks Brett Summers, Skin your tree look too impressive. Looks like the leaves of this type sometimes turn red color?

newzealandteatree wrote:Hi Brett, ya tree has a very interest trunk with good taper. Take care of the branches and in 1 more year, ya should have a stunner. Me enjoy creating more than winning awards. She-oak is such wonderful material for big and small bonsai. Problem is the exceptionally fast growth which requires intensive maintenance. This one still under development. Height 5 cm base 4 cm.



Cheers,

CJ

Probably the smallest trees. If your tree branches as long as the other bonsai will probably become "First Casurina Mame". Congratulations.

newzealandteatree wrote:Hi Cosmos, when the needles are long and old, cutting with scissor is the best way to shorten them. Breaking the needles with bare hands will take too long and not necessary as the needles grow back in days. Subsequent trimming will be done with bare hands. The new growths are easier to pluck. From my experiences, growth of more than a month are tougher to break. This is one of my she-oak which has been pluck with bare hands for the last few years.



Cheers,

CJ

Thanks newzealandteatree, Have Cutting the Top leaves to make a blackish?