In May 2022 I planted three Sheoak tube stock plants. That’s twenty months ago. They were tiny little things. Today I had to take them out of the ground, because the trunks are getting to the point that I wouldn’t be able to do anything with them.
Sadly, I didn’t take a full photo, so here’s some observations of the native tree:
- The branches radiate outwards in all directions, something like a juniper, mostly going slightly up.
- The leaves are everywhere, and ended up with so many leaves around them that the trunks are hard to see.
- The trees grew to person height, and the first thing I did was chop them back to about three feet.
- Everything about the tree is soft – bark, wood, and roots.
Sheoak the First
So, the plan of action, get them out of the ground, into some (regular) pots and start prepping for bonsai.
Sheoak the second
Sheoak the Third
Next
So now I let them grow for a year or so. I’ll be looking for more fine roots, and for the foliage to recover. I’ll need to keep the branches better trimmed.
My vision is to plant them together as a three-tree forest planting. That will depend on how well they survive the coming seasons. The root systems will need to be flattened, so I’ll pull them out in Fall to encourage good growth. They also may need to be shorter?
Although… these three might be too big for a forest planting. Perhaps they could be three informal uprights?