YukiShiro
Chumono
Im a software Dev at a financial service provider, usually our Decembers are very busy, I'm working on a project as we speak,
but I ealry booked myself of for next week in october already
cool Beans
Acacia Advice, Please?
- Thread starter Angela
- Start date
but I ealry booked myself of for next week in october already
cool Beans
fredman
Masterpiece
Man I would love to see this operation. How much do you break up with the shovel? Do you sift it afterwards?
YukiShiro
Chumono
i break up as much as I need to, 20liter bucket full of pieces takes me about 2 hours to break down, i do break up for 20 mins, then I sift the broken up pieces to two different sizes, 4-5mm and 6-8mm,
I repeat until the bucket is empty then i sift the fines out, then I wash all the dust out, then I leave it in the sun to dry
that's it, bit of a shoulder workout, but hey...I live in africa, not afraid of a lil manual labor
Tieball
Masterpiece
Nice tree. Listen to advice....also ask around locally for growing advice....local knowledge is valuable, however, sometimes it can be flawed because they're not thinking about a tree in a container. Enjoy developing the tree.
fredman
Masterpiece
Yeah that's no shit bra. I remember what that was like...
What exactly is your soil mix you use on Acacia and deciduous in general Herman.
YukiShiro
Chumono
equal parts Leca, clinker for medium trees and under I use the smaller clinker and leca, bigger trees I use bigger clinker and leca. then it depends on what I have on hand for the organic part of my soil, I always add around 30-40% for deciduous, acacia specifically get 30%. The Organic part of my soil comprises of rough palm fibre(LOVE it!) or sifted milled and composted pine bark, or a mix of them in equal parts
works for me, I water each morning before work and each evening after work in summer(depending on rain), and every second day in winter
lekker
fredman
Masterpiece
That's why i love Africa.... n Boer maak n plan
milehigh_7
Mister 500,000
Here is another site that may be of interest to you and other African style lovers.
http://www.pretoriabonsaikai.org/index.php/trees-a-styles/african-styles/74-pierneef-style.html
http://www.pretoriabonsaikai.org/index.php/trees-a-styles/african-styles/74-pierneef-style.html
Omar
Yamadori
Are Acacias treated as sub-tropical or deciduous when grown as bonsai?
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Tieball
Masterpiece
You might wish to check out and get in touch with Terry Erasmus at http://www.bonsaitree.co.za
Excellent website with good information, maybe not Acacia trees though. However, Terry is located in South Africa and may of good help to you. He knows bonsai very well and has years of experience....good advisor with your local climate....especially good as a tree grower.
Excellent website with good information, maybe not Acacia trees though. However, Terry is located in South Africa and may of good help to you. He knows bonsai very well and has years of experience....good advisor with your local climate....especially good as a tree grower.
fredman
Masterpiece
Some Acacias in the wild adapted well to sub tropical areas. The same specie grows in arid and tropical areas, though their growth rates are influenced. One specie (karroo) grows enormous in the sub tropics but rather stunted in arid areas. Soil composition also has a huge influence.
Most Acacias however are found in arid and semi arid areas. All depends on the species....
All in all I would say an Acacia should be treated as deciduous first and foremost.
Very few Acacias can actually be used for bonsai. Basically only some of the hooked thorned ones. I'm in the process of bullshitting myself by growing on some fever trees (Acacia xanthophloea) that I might be using for bonsai in the future. Will see, but somehow I don't think the long thorns will be aesthetically pleasing. To remove the thorns makes less sense to me.
Question for Dorian....That sweethorn you bent the hell out of.... does the long straight thorns reduce much as the roots are refined?
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Tieball
Masterpiece
Dorian Fourie
Chumono
Hey Fredman. Good to hear from you.
The acacia karoo that I bent the hell out of did not quite like what I was doing to it. It is another one of those acacia that can be very temperamental and just die back on you and all of your work gone. So I went from this....
to this in 3 weeks. The whole branch just died back and there was nothing I could do
But to answer your question....
Unfortunately the thorns do not reduce. I would just cut them off
fredman
Masterpiece
Oh no that's bad. Yeah some Acacias will be more difficult to work with. Will be interesting to see how it buds back for you. That's what I meant (Herman) about back budding on old wood. My fever trees does the same. Once their main branches are set, it does not form buds easily lower down. Some Acacias looks like it back buds better than others.
About the cutting of the thorns. I seems wrong to me to remove it. Its what makes an Acacia for me. Yeah rather stick to the hooked thorn ones for bonsai....
Dorian Fourie
Chumono
Thanks Fredman.
I agree with you on the cutting of thorns but it was almost impossible to work in the tree and wire it without removing the thorns first. The hook thorns like the black monkey I find are easier to wire because the thorns are smaller. Yeah they still hook and scratch but luckily they do not stab you half to death.
The sweetthorn has actually budded out incredibly well with buds coming out all over the oldest part of the trunk. I have left it to grow uninterrupted to help it recover after the huge dieback. I might give it a trim before the end of the year though. I will post a pic or 2 of it in the morning
fredman
Masterpiece
Yeah that's good that you have new buds to work with after the chop. Like I said the buds in the upper part of the tree is what interest me. That's what is needed to shape a umbrella. The verticals that splits up to form the finer ramification in the upper canopy. You understand what I mean?
I have a native NZ tree that i'm trying to shape into a umbrella/pierneef. Its difficult when it doesn't bud enough in the upper branches. It buds more on the ends of the branches and that defeats the whole object....
Dorian Fourie
Chumono
![IMG_6243[1].JPG](https://www.bonsainut.com/data/attachments/115/115493-c1c39e19afe8df4ac15a80608fc31d59.jpg?hash=wcOeGa_o30 "IMG_6243[1].JPG")
fredman
Masterpiece
Yes man now I like it. Now its got the starting makings of a savanna Acacia I always felt sorry for the poor thing when it looked like a python wrapped around a little springbokkie....
I admired you for bending and squeezing the living daylights out of it, but had a shy tear in the eye for the poor thing.....
Now you can start building a proper thorn tree from it. You have some nice starting bones there of hoe?
I always felt sorry for the poor thing when it looked like a python wrapped around a little springbokkie.... I admired you for bending and squeezing the living daylights out of it, but had a shy tear in the eye for the poor thing.....Now you can start building a proper thorn tree from it. You have some nice starting bones there of hoe?
Dorian Fourie
Chumono
Well honestly if it dies now it dies. No more sentimental value to it. My friend that left it is now a ex friend after he screwed me out of R100k.
I will continue to try and grow it but not with the passion I had before. I can put that effort into a more deserving tree.
But I do like the way you described it. I learnt a few good lessons strangling that tree.
I will continue to try and grow it but not with the passion I had before. I can put that effort into a more deserving tree.
But I do like the way you described it. I learnt a few good lessons strangling that tree.
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