Page 57 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q2

of the tree. Casuarina can also be easily grafted to grow Jins and shari on Casuarinas do not last long and
new branches at designated points on the trunk. tend to rot in humid climate and in excessive rains.
Next step in the styling of the tree would be to
achieve branch ramification. This is done by constant- Maintenance and care:
ly pruning it. Pruning is generally done by regularly Casuarinas do well in full sunlight. In shady areas
pinching with fingers. On the odd occasion one can the branches tend to become thin and dieback is seen.
use scissors to remove twigs heading in the wrong di- Roots tend to rot if the soil does not dry in between
rection and to reduce the number of growths from any the watering schedule. In India we occasionally add
one point. Since each needle has the potential to grow coarse salt granules (a tablespoon or two) into the
into a branch, the unnecessary needles should be re- Casuarina container depending on size, followed by
moved at the first stage, keeping only those needles re- copious watering for a healthy growth.
quired to create the future branches and sub-branches. Temperature; Handles most climates well, even
Casuarinas have strong apical dominance so if you coastal areas and is tolerant of mild frosts. Keep moist
allow one shoot to extend on a branch the remain- in the heat of summer by spraying or misting.
ing foliage will weaken pretty quickly. If you break the Watering; Casuarinas should be watered so as to
new shoots with your fingers while they are young you not completely dry out the soil.
can avoid browning-off on the tips, which will hap-
pen if you prune with scissors. In hot regions, leaving Top; Casuarina equisetifolia from
the cut needles on the soil surface creates mulch for nursery-grown material in the
the plant as well as protects the soil from overheat- collection of Archana Gupta.
ing and drying out too quickly. Casuarinas tend to get Bottom left; A composition
top-heavy very quickly which then causes the shaded with a driftwood feature from
lower branches to die back. Therefore regular pruning nursery-grown material in the
and thinning of the branches at the apex is mandatory. collection of Jyoti and Nikunj
Parekh.
For training of a Casuarina into nice looking bonsai, Bottom right; Casuarina
the pruning technique involves first creating a rami- equisetifolia forest from nursery-
fied branch structure, followed by creating pads or grown material by Archana
clusters of needles at the tips of the sub-branches. Ca- Gupta and Krishna Gupta.
suarina is fast growing and so the best way to achieve
ramification is constant pruning using the clip-and-
grow method.
Once the overall styling of the tree has been
achieved, the needles can be shortened on mature
trees by removing all other growth and pulling away
the excess needles between the branches. This will not
cause browning like cutting does.

April/May/June 2015 | BCI | 55