Collecting Alders

I plan on finding and alder in the coming year to add to my collection. I was wondering if anyone knew if i could remove the large nodules of fixing bacteria on the roots. Should i try to air layer one? and if i do try an air layer will it also grow the nodules over time? I will most likely will just dig one though as they are everywhere. The species in question is A. incana and A. rugosa, Mountain and Speckled alder.

Thanks for any help

chadley999 wrote:I plan on finding and alder in the coming year to add to my collection. I was wondering if anyone knew if i could remove the large nodules of fixing bacteria on the roots. Should i try to air layer one? and if i do try an air layer will it also grow the nodules over time? I will most likely will just dig one though as they are everywhere. The species in question is A. incana and A. rugosa, Mountain and Speckled alder.

Thanks for any help

no, removing these will harm the tree if you would remove em all, and repeat this at every repot. And yes, they would regrow. I suggest collecting a little more info about alders and how their rootsystem grows, and why. If you really want an alder, you'll have to deal with it and settle for that. Go for a bigger bonsai, so you have a bigger/deeper pot so this is not an issue because you only see the 'nebari' and the rest is hidden. Smaller specimen is not a good idea for alders, leaf-wise and rootwise

Thanks Yves, i would only be removing largest ones. I was thinking of a larger size tree as well, they grow very fast from what i've seen

chadley999 wrote:Thanks Yves, i would only be removing largest ones. I was thinking of a larger size tree as well, they grow very fast from what i've seen

they do, and they thicken fast too, an extra with this beautiful species. I have 3 alnus glutinosa enjoying themselves in full ground in my modest garden (borders).
The trick is to let em grow vigourously for a season but then you also have to dare and prune back drastically in next spring (or maybe 1 pruning in midseason). The thing is, these new shoots also thicken so quickly that they can ruin the taper you've been building up untill then, so they need more pruning back than you would expect, certainly when young.