Types of trees that can be totally defoliated/trunk chopped???

I know trees such as Chinese Elms, Ficus, Bald Cypress and things of that nature are. And, I know that most Junipers and Pines, as well as Boxwoods will not likely tolerate this. And I'm under the impression that Maples don't fare well down here. So, do any of you have any personal experience trunk chopping/defoliating other species??? Especially Texas natives or plants that will do well in zone 9... please let me know!!!

Try your local Hackberrys, and see if the Malpighia glabra [ supposed to grow as far north as Texas ] will work for you.
Later,
Khaimraj

Thanks! I also have seen what I think are Casuarina of some sort in my area... How would these handle it???

Try Vitex agnus-castus totally underused and great for hot climates. You can sheer them to the ground should you want.

I know I have hibiscus topiaries, and cut them ones a year badly without any leaves and they are OK, but maybe you are asking about confers?
I grow most things from cuttings, just get a stick without leaves and push it in sand or just in the garden. They all grow well. So if a stick without roots and leaves can grow then a big tree can be defoliated also I think?
I love pride of India, hibiscus, bougainvillea, pomegranates, tamarind,calistemon, accacias and figs,

Neli wrote:I grow most things from cuttings, just get a stick without leaves and push it in sand or just in the garden. They all grow well. So if a stick without roots and leaves can grow then a big tree can be defoliated also I think?

Then again, you are in Zambia, with tropical growing conditions. Pretty much anything will grow there (Except of course for those species needing a cold winter rest period!). But no, you can grow loads of things from cuttings, amongst which most juniper species. Not all of those (Again, most notably the junipers) can be cut down to a stumb and be expected to resprout.

Most deciduous species can be cut down to a stumb though. Beech does not like this treatment.

Apologies, G,

I am afraid I have only grown the Hackberry on your side, and I read of the growing range of the Malpighia. No experience with Casuarina.

However the Hackberry has so much to offer, I could see you spending the rest of your life just growing them. Even though I am back in the tropics, I still have my seedlings [ 1980 ] from Lafayette, Louisiana, with more coming up from roots left behind in the growing trough. I have to use an fridge now, but they are easy to work with.
You can get very close to the feel of a zelkova.
However, I am not sure how durable the heartwood is for a celtis.

What I did when I was in Lafayette, was go to the library and read up on trees in that state.
You could easily do the same for Texas.

Whatever you decide.
I wish you all the best.
Khaimraj

* Did you try the Ligustrum ?

To answer your question, Casuarina should not be defoliated. Few conifers -- bald cypress might be an exception -- should.

But why do you feel the need to defoliate? It is done only for very specific reasons.

Thanks everybody! I have had my eye on some Vitex, and have thought about trying a Hackberry, just looking for the right ones.

But why do you feel the need to defoliate? It is done only for very specific reasons

I understand the reasons that defoliations are performed. And I don't necessarily "need" to defoliate, this is more just for my personal knowledge. But one of the reasons it is on my mind is because there are no bonsai nurseries near me, and I don't get to travel much (plus I don't have the money). I love shohin and mame sized bonsai, and have access to some materials with nice trunks, but horrible branch placement. I'm pretty young still, and I have time to develop trees from "scratch", and I have enjoyed the transformation that my trees have made so far. In other words, I'm not in any big hurry to have a garden full of finished trees!! The gentleman that I'm learning from has quite a collection, and occasionally gives me trees that are a bit more developed, but I like to hunt down nursery stock as well. So, really I'm just curious. Kind of a making a mental list for when I'm out hunting... Of course I do have some Juniper, a Boxwood, and a Leyland Cypress that I bought to experiment with, so my trees don't ALL have to be trees that can be defoliated..

leatherback wrote:

Neli wrote:I grow most things from cuttings, just get a stick without leaves and push it in sand or just in the garden. They all grow well. So if a stick without roots and leaves can grow then a big tree can be defoliated also I think?

Then again, you are in Zambia, with tropical growing conditions. Pretty much anything will grow there (Except of course for those species needing a cold winter rest period!). But no, you can grow loads of things from cuttings, amongst which most juniper species. Not all of those (Again, most notably the junipers) can be cut down to a stumb and be expected to resprout.

Most deciduous species can be cut down to a stumb though. Beech does not like this treatment.

Darling,
he is in texas...it is almost the same climate like Zambia. I also grow conifers from cuttings under plastic packet.

Yeah, right now it is over 70F with 96% humidity at 11 o'clock at night!!

* Did you try the Ligustrum ?

We do have quite a bit of Ligustrum, but I'm not sure if they are suitable varieties for bonsai... Apparently Ligustrum was a popular shrub when they were building houses here 30 years ago or so. There's a ton of them planted as hedges along people's houses, perhaps they are tired of looking at them and wouldn't mind me collecting a couple.

G,
You first have to make the distinction between large & small leaf privet, the small leaf forms are supremely popular as bonsai in Aust and for good reason. They are almost unkillable, tolerating everything we throw at our trees (as well as neglect, drying etc) & get great leaf reduction, maybe the only possible downside is they rot like all buggery. I recently picked up an old hedge of golden privet, it is summer here & they had been out of the ground (in 35deg heat) for a week before I found them. Within a week they are already thumping away new buds. This is one of them after cleaning up, about 35cm across at the base
I have always loved this one by Harry Harrington which shows just how good they can be.http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATLongThinOneProgressionSeries.htm This one on Ausbonsai shows how fast they can be to develop http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=140&t=9350

In my climate I can collect them at any time of year but as per most trees early spring is the best. Get out there & get yourself a privet, you will wonder why you havent given them more attention.

Matt

Ed: change link

Do you know if mulberries grow wildly in your area? From my experience, these things are nearly impossible to kill. I found one this year, which has about a 5 inch thick base. When I dug it up, it was basically a big cutting, but It has survived. It even has some nice new growth.

Anyway, short of setting them on fire, there isn't much you can do to accidentally kill one.

Personally I have had success with Schefflera arboricola, Ficus benjamina, Crassula cultivars, and Forsythia. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Tom

There are tons of species that you can adapt to bonsai culture in our climate. Yaupon, live oak, TX ebony, Anaquita, any of the elms, TX Persimmon, olive, mustang grape...

Tropicals will do very well for you. You just need to make sure the material is healthy and you are doing things at the right time before you drastically whack things back.

I'm in between Houston and Galveston... you can always email me if you have a question: bnsaijim@yahoo.com