I'm not a horticultural expert so can't help with the nutritional questions but can give some info into the trees native growing conditions as I live approx 1 hours drive from where these trees grow native.They grow around cool sheltered and moist creeks alongside native ferns and tree ferns in mountain areas of about 1000 metres and are often covered in moss on their wide buttressed trunk bases.They don't grow in exposed open positions.Compared to the area around them they really are growing in unique microclimate as where I live we are very hot,dry and windy at times in summer and in the middle of the worst drought in local living memory(said to be the worst for over 100 years).They receive dappled light but also grow in full shade.Soil would be described as moist but well drained stoney clay with lots of organic matter one would find in cool rainforest areas.Temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees Celcius(approx 80 Farenheit)and humidity approx 50 to 60%.They would take some frost as I have camped amongst them in winter in temps of -5 celcius.Very beautiful and grand old trees are a stunning sight.I have about 6 seedlings growing in a pot at home which don't experience the sort of conditions they get in nature ie:- Lower humidity of around 30 to 40% average and higher summer temps(they have survived two days of 45 degrees celcius (approx 115 Farenheit) about two weeks ago(in shade and wind sheltered) and the humidity was 10% on both these two days!!!!.So they do seem to be adaptable somewhat.I'm guessing the tree you have growing in sand and shade is doing ok because it is sheltered and the shade also helps it along.The one growing in clay and on a mound on a hill seems like it might be too exposed to the elements(in contrast to its native growing preferences)so perhaps this might be the problem with that one.They do love lots of water as long as its not waterlogged for too long.I suppose conditions similar to where Californian Redwood or Giant Sequoia grow might be similar to what N.moorei likes.Does this seem right????.Hope this info helps,send me an email if you would like to know anything else about them and I'll answer if I can.Maybe someone else might be able to help with your nutritional questions. Regards C.N.

I grow my biggest mooreii in a greenhouse. I find that outside it tends to suffer a bit from the low humidity. Mine is now about 5 years old, but it doesn't seem to be suffering the way yours does. It regularly reaches 45C in my greenhouse. I've also got some smaller ones in pots outside, and they've survived down to 0C.

I grow mine in basically pure organic matter (just old rotted down garden waste). I have fed it with some seaweed fertilizer on occasion, but all in all it seems quite content to grow with little extra food.

I would guess that clay is too poorly drained. You might consider growing it directly in a pile of well rotted garden waste.

I successfully grew a Nothofagus moorei from a cutting I struck from a basal shoot from a 20 year old tree. The original tree was growing on basalt derived krasnozem in a shady gully at Ridgley in NW Tasmania (It was collected as a seedling from the original habitat on the Qld/NSW border - I don't know exactly where as I did not collect it). The original tree is now a fine healthy specimen some 10 m high. The cutting I struck from grew successfully in my garden in Burnie, NW Tasmania for about 10 years until I sold the property - but it was quite healthy and growing in a more exposed but slightly warmer environment again on krasnozem. It was about 4 m high 2 years ago. Both trees were always very healthy. I am in the process of buying a specimen from a Hobart nursery to plant near Dover in southern Tasmania. The soil is sandy and quite close to the sea, but I have chosen a sheltered position and the rainfall is about 900 mm per year. I shall be very interested to see how N. moorei grows in that position.

Hi Davedel,

I tried growing Nothofagus gunnii but the seedlings died. Have you ever tried growing N. gunnii?
Thanks for any tips!!!

I have some cuttings of gunnii growing, but according to wikipedia, gunnii is the most temperamental of nothofagus species. (Ok, I wrote that entry, so I guess I'm cheating a bit). But certainly gunnii is very hard to maintain outside its natural habitat (in australia). Jenny Read (a friend and world expert on N. gunnii) says she believes that gunnii requires a special fungus.

I didn't know that Nothofagus was native to Australia. I thought they only came from South America. I have always wanted to try one here in Alabama but don't know where to find one. I would love to see pictures if anyone has them. Thanks

ribman, Nothfagus was one of the major species that lead to proof of the theory of continental drift.

http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/n-cun.html might be of interest too.