artificial yamadori - from seed - sadly partially failed

Morning to All,

well there were all these comments on - how long a bonsai from seed would take - or it was not really practical to do so.

If you have one fukien tea in your yard, you will, because of birds have, soon have many more. I have three varieties of the fukien tea, and just by mowing get weird shapes and lots of material for hedging.

About, maybe eight years ago I planted a seedling in a selected spot, with good drainage, fukien teas don't like wet roots. It freely grew to about 14 feet and all I did was clean the base of stray shoots.
Eventually, a friend and I dug it out. I left it in a large plastic container to re-form the core, and for about 4 or 5 months [ double trunk ] it did well. However, for whatever reason the large trunk just died. So much for my dreams of a 5 inch of trunk bonsai -

I started over with the roots that were left in the ground, which naturally resprouted. I also added on one small leaf fukien tea to the area, as Mary Miller had told me years ago how easy it was for her to get 3 inch trunked shrubs.

We don't have, or I haven't discovered any finely leafed, twiggy shrubs or trees, so I make do with the ground or cut black 55 US gallon barrels. [ also blue ]
However, It has become fairly easy to raise large of trunk trees and shrubs.

Here is my first success/failure with Fukien tea large leaf.
Khaimraj

Here is a second attempt. This was grown to just about 8 feet tall and dug out because it was in my way when mowing.
Once again it is in a large growing pot to restart the core. Both images shown are just around a year old.

These trees are excellent for clip and grow and I use the stork's leg, expanding out in multiple v's since I prefer the idea of trees up close as opposed to the poodle clip for distance viewing.[ Hope that makes sense to the reader, if not just ask, happy to help.]

Second attempt - trunk is about 3 inches. Back of the tree showing the chop.



At later date I will show another variety of Ironwood, not local, but seen around the capital, grown for a large trunk.

With time I focus more on trunk movement, apologies for the straight trunked shrubs.
My excuse is it takes time to master a technique and like in oil painting training, you start of simple.

oops forgot this - the re-sprouted roots of the first effort.

I'll be cutting down these to try for more trunk movement.
The black barrel in the back is for holding the water for when I water. I still water by hand with a 2 gallon watering can.

As usual feel free to comment - yay or nay.

If you have little or no sensible material to collect ------ adapt
Just got another fustic, saved from a bulldozer, not sure if it will make it, fingers crossed.

Khaimraj,,, The tree in the second picture has got to be the biggest fukien tea I have ever seen!!! It looks like it will be a very nice tree done the way you say you do the pruning...Does the chops heal over good also??? I think you will have a good start with this one,the small flowers will be good also.. good luck and post it again when you do some pruning..good job john

John,

I have a much older fukien tea, about 40 years old, 14 with me, field grown in China, but with a 2 inch or so trunk. Typical Chinese chopsai technique, the wounds have never healed, but then, I suspect this tree may have a poisonous sap as nothing has tried to eat it. I have never tried to treat the exposed wood either.

The cut and left on concrete tiles trunk, from the biggest tree, didn't rot either. I am hoping to use the left over wood for making chess pieces. I have a mini lathe, and I don't like to waste lumber of any kind.

As usual, from reading years ago, to expose wood that is normally durable to weather and insects [ teak for example ], the wood should be at least 25 to 50 years old.
Thanks for the interest.
Khaimraj

* Hee hee, John it has been pruned some 3 times a month since April, the branches should start to lose the straightness by next year and become gnarled.

Khaimraj,, It must be nice to have trees grow that fast!! What i was asking about was the chop site on the trunk healing over so you did not see a saw cut..i do kike the tree and would like to see it next year...good work john

John,

you are looking at the back of the tree. So if as I suspect the wound does not heal, it would be at the back of the tree. However, this is just the first stage, to re-develop the roots around the trunk, and build the core.

Next year around January 2nd, when I begin to repot, I will see if the tree can be tilted for growing as an informal upright, and not a broom type shape. If the tree can make an informal upright, it will be replanted in a shallow but large container, two branches will be chosen and another cut will be done. One branch will be allowed to lengthen to 8 or 10 feet and the other for the vertical. If the wound does not heal, I will leave it as a decorative feature or if possible leave it at the back or other.
Will show the group as the training continues.
Stay Well.
Khaimraj