It started with a kiss... and a seedling oak

Inspired by Jim's story of his 1 or 5$ juniper he started 20 years ago...

This one started as a 1 year old seedling, back in approx '98, when i was 20 or 21. I'm now 34. I had no bonsai then, only a few nursery plants and seedlings, but i was tempted.
The story is that back then i was visiting an aging aunt with my brother, walking the garden of her little old farmhouse, as she complained about all the work she had with her garden at her age, we walked by the oak tree that was there (about 50 to 80 year old) and i spotted a seedling. I remember at that time i almost didnt dare to ask her if i could have it, because would that not sound silly to her, a 20yo asking about a seedling to try and make bonsai out of it haha. She didnt even understand what bonsai was actually.
Anyway i had it, took it home and made all the mistakes a beginner makes, i potted it straight up, and offcourse in the next few years little did it change, and big was my dissapointment but i kept it anyway, and only had the opportunity to field grow it for a couple of year since 2005.

It also will never win a big prize or award, but its the emotion behind it, the nostalgics, the memories, and still be somewhat proud i actually got it so far that it still looks rather nice now, even though the trunk diameter is totally out of proportion to the height of the tree, etcetera.

Pictures of the first 3 or 4 years i do not have, but this is what i do have.
The last picture is 2012, but late spring. I noticed that the trunk
is slightly thicker by now because the fissures at the base are wider.

GREAT job you did your Aunt proud if that is my tree i wont part with it . Thanks for sharing all my first bonsai are still with me,if its ugly nevermind i still love and proud of them. The distance you travel start with your FIRST STEP.
Regards,
Alex

That is a great first tree. I am trying to air layer an oak right now and I hope it will look as good as yours. (just smaller) maybe you can help with my oak post in questions.

Great fun! Thanks for sharing.

Yves,
You should be very proud. Nice work.
Jerry

It's trees like this that have so much sentimental meaning that we treasure them even if they aren't our best specimens. I've got a couple: a hackberry I grew from a seed from the tree at my oldest son's preschool 30 years ago, and a Quercus suber I grew from an acorn from a tree on the campus at the University I graduated from in 1974. I'll never sell these trees!

Jerry Meislik wrote:Yves,
You should be very proud. Nice work.
Jerry

I use a quote, but actually wanna thank you all for the comments. I didnt really also expect compliments about the tree itself, since i think its very modest in trunksize, still a juvenile...but offcourse i love it for all the other reasons as well.

Sadly this aunt (of my mother actually) has passed away 2 years ago, but I tell you it was something when her daughter (now about 60yo) almost burst into tears when I told her that this tree was a survival of the oak in her mothers garden. I brought 2 trees to our son's baby party, and wanted her to show it because I knew there was a bit of a sad story behind the passing away, namely that this aunt had been living at her daughter's ever since (about 8 years ago) she had to part with her old farmhouse (her husband died earlier), and the guy they sold it to, just bulldozered everything, even the oak... These folks, no matter how far family it is of me, have a special place in my heart, they are too good a folks and that is also 1 reason why i kept on and kept on nursing this oakie.

Yves,

and that is why I do Bonsai.

Thanks a million, from one who works with seed, seedlings and cuttings.
I don't really care if my trees are exceptional designs, just that they are healthy, and know that they are cared for.
Memories, memories and contemplation.
Thanks again.
Khaimraj

Hi Yves

Not bad at all ...But if you take the potbound tree, and place it in a larger pot every start of july, will the tree grow a better nebari....place it in the small pot again during the winter.

Kind regards Yvonne

Great progress! Have you been able to reduce leaf size any at this point?

Steven wrote:Great progress! Have you been able to reduce leaf size any at this point?

Yes, i think thats clearly visible on the pictures. 'normal' oak leaves would be at least double that, or more.
but this is due to the pruning only and consequently the ramification only from pruning. The more leaf you create that way, offcourse then there is no need for the tree of that size, to creat huge leaves any more. A natural process which satisfies my.

if you mean defoliating, no, never, and probably will never do it
i dont feel a need

cheers

Love the tree!

I have a similar one that came up in my vegetable patch 7 years ago and got grown as bonsai by mistake. They are a very enjoyable species for bonsai.

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:Hi Yves

Not bad at all ...But if you take the potbound tree, and place it in a larger pot every start of july, will the tree grow a better nebari....place it in the small pot again during the winter.

Kind regards Yvonne

Hi Yvonne
thanks. But hmmm is that common practice with Quercus Robur? or is that advice because its still a young tree with rather thin trunk? And has that really good results? Potbound, i'm belgian so i try to fully understand, you mean fixed in its pot for several years, full with roots? Its the second year in its substrate, I would normally repot it next spring and make sure i dont prune the root system too vigorously.

Also, it seems to me like an awful lot of effort to do that consequently each year?

And question, is the thickening of the trunk (like i noticed it happen this year, IN JULI, without slippot it) not simply due to the fact that quercus robur naturally has a good strong second grow of shoots? Its calle Sint-Jans lot in dutch, dont know in english.

Oaks to get lammas growth so come back quite strongly after a cutback in early july. Its also important to aim your new growth - so make so the last bud is going in the direction you want.

Mine have continued to grow very strongly in bonsai pot. In my experience sometimes stronger in the second and third year in the pot when heavily root bound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammas_growth

I went out on the lawn now and took a picture of the new buds.