Lemon Scented Gum Seedlings

[CraigMac]

Hello all,

This is my first ever post!

I have sprouted 12 Eucalyptus Citriodora plants from seed and I am wondering if anyone has any ideas for their (distant) future? I am planing to put them in a growing bed for a few years. Should I pinch out the growing tip already or wait for them to mature a bit?

Cheers!

Seedling.jpg

[Roger]

Hi CraigM
I have a friend who is growing a lemon scented gum. It has worked in a style of its own. The lemon scented gum belongs to the group called 'blood woods' and are usually called Corymbia rather than Eucalyptus. I'm only saying this because the blood wood often have a canopy form that is different from other eucs that grow with them. They are often much more rugged, angular, irregular in crown outline. But like many eucs that are currently being grown as bonsai, getting branches where you want them and when is one of the horticultual challenges. PeterH has often commented that his E. nicholii drops branches like the big trees, but shoots a new one somewhere, with the challenge being to work the new branch into a harmonised whole.

Your seedlings are very young. At this stage, unless you are aiming for some very small bonsai, I'd just leave the apex grow for now. It would be more important to look to the roots and encourage surface roots and get rid of the tap root as soon as you can. You can nip the tip of the tap root to encourage side roots, but again I'd be tempted to wait a bit. However, since you have so many, you could try experimenting with when you nipped the tap root and see what happens.

Like many eucs, these will shoot back on old wood. So at this stage you might want to think about how tall a tree you want and how much of that height you want as a clear trunk before branching. Then, consider what shape you would like for the trunk: straight, leaning, curved. If you know the final height, you can start training the trunk into lines that will make sense with the full size. As the wood gets a bit hard, it is always easier to shape early than to bend later - and you have the choice to do that now.

Good luck and keep us informed.
Roger

[MattA]

Craig,

Great choice of species to work with, I have a little citriodora I have been playing with for 6yrs now & love it.. I updated the thread with some new pics for you to see what can be done in no time. viewtopic.php?f=104&t=3826&p=95096#p95096

I couldnt have put it any better than Rogers advice for growing these on. I only wish i had spent the early years sorting out the roots properly, get that done then in the ground planted ontop of a tile to help stop the roots going down again will be great.

Look forward to seeing your little seedlings in a few years time.

Matt

[kcpoole]

Awesome Craig

I have a few Eucs in the ground and they need to be kept under control. Wire them in the ground to shape them while growing is a great idea

Ken

[shibui]

I grew a batch of citriodora seedlings a few years ago to plant in the driveway and windbreaks. The seedlings turned out with 2 distinct forms - a strong growing, smooth leaved one and a smaller, twisted type with hairy leaves. Both have the lemon smell but it is stronger in the smaller, hairy leaved type.

[Roger]

Interesting one shibui. Where did the seeds come from? I ask because I've collected euc seeds from street trees and got amazgingly different looking progengy. Of course, only the mother was known, not the father. What I got were clearly hybrids.

Having said that, I've spoken to some commercial growers who buy seed in the kilo load. They reported that they usually got a small percentage of seedling that were 'different' to all the rest. Different in that they were small and twisted forms. Again, one can't discount hybridisation, even from wild populations. Some of these naturally small forms could make ideal material for bonsai - built-in character and small size to boot.

Roger

[shibui]

Interesting that these odd seedlings occur from bulk seed lots. My seed was taken from a farm tree near Chiltern. Lots of other eucs planted on the place so plenty of chance for cross pollination. I've kept a couple of the odd seelings in pots but they have not thrived. Only 1 left and I fear that it will succumb sooner or later. A couple were planted out around the property and are growing ok so far.