hollowed bougainvillea info?

[Enrique]

I recently obtained a very old bougainvillea plant, it had almost no roots so I hope it takes, the trunk is about 40 cm wide and naturally hollowed, but it is hollow all the way inside below the root base, I would like to know if anyone has any sugestions as to weather to fill the lower part of the trunk with soil or other material or to leave it empty, I have mix feelings about both so I decided to see if anyone has any ideas. Here is a picture.

[ArtAtkinson]

Enrique: Lovely tree. I once got two bougies without roots, their trunks were about the size of your trunks. They had been at the side of the road in the sun for about a week. I trimmed back all the branches to about 2 inches (5cm) from the trunk and potted them up directly into potting mix. In about 4 weeks they started to spring, both from the branches and then from the trunk. Select which shoots you are going to keep and wire them down CAREFULLY, early, as they tend to grow straight up.

The heart-wood of Bougies tends to rot, especially from large cuts, even if you seal them. I have a few with no heart and they still flower well. I have stopped any further rot on my trees by first removing all of the 'corky' heart wood then treated it with Teak Oil (An outdood wood preservative) which will soak into the wood.. There are other preservatives you can use but I prefer the natural one. It is amazing how much of the heart can rot and the tree still survive.
If I had your tree I would cut bach the branches further, remove what soft wood I could and treat the rest with Teak Oil. Then pot it up and water as usual. I have found cut off pieces of Bougie to spring well in construction/building sand as well.
Old bougies will rot once there is a cut, so much so that I've heard growers in the tropical East say that they won't wast time trying with them. I disagree.
Good Luck
Art

[Enrique]

Thanks Art, that was helpfull, I was lucky and manage to pick this plant just as it was being cut so it only spend an hour outside (travel time) and from this picture I had already remove must of the foliage and some 50 % of the branches, but I will cut it further, I will get the oil, and hope for the best, I have had several other bougainvilleas rescue, even around the same size but none as old as this one and I would really like to make survive well.
Enrique

[Enrique]

Hi Art thanks, I cut quite a few branches and after this few weeks is begining to show some good growth It seems to be going well, I also wanted to know about casuarinas, there are some old hendge trees that are going to be cut, so I want to rescue, what would you recomend, soil type, water, vitimines etc? thanks for your help. best regards, Enrique

[ArtAtkinson]

Enrique. I am sorry but I cannot help you with Casuarinas. I have tried for years to use them with little success. I have been told that what we refer to as Casuarina equisetifolia here in the Caribbean is not the same as the one used in the East.
Most of the trees that I persist with have been collected at a very young stage. Somehow the older ones, if they survive, do so for a year and then the branches start to die one by one until the whole tree dies. May be the wrong potting mix, although I have been told that they will grow in almost anything, maybe wrong collection time. I have not figured it out yet. Yet I've airlayered one tree very easily .... and failed with others. If you get info let us know.
Art

[carlos rodriguez]

CAn anyone tell me where to find natural teak oil
Thanks,

[ArtAtkinson]

Carlos. I found mine in a gallon can:-)
Seriously....I found it in a home center/paint/building supplies store. It is used to preserve outdoor wooden furniture and boat decks etc.