progression of chuhin sized Olive

Howdy, I just wanted to share some photos of an Olive I bought as semi-bonsai material in March. Unfortunately I forgot to save the original way it looked but I'm sure most of you have come across this time of material. Its a wild bush with a great trunk (which is why I bought it) in a training bonsai vessel.


After the first removal of unnecessary branches and styling with, what I thought at the time as the best front.

A few months later, only occasionally plucking leaves, branches here and there but mostly left to grow and choosing a new front and getting it ready for a new pot by Mr. Jiri Svacina.




I was considering a lot of pots but I ended up going with this one. To me it feels like the same sort of glaze you would find on Mediterranean style dinnerware and feels right with a plant that grows in such an area. Growth is left long so that the tree has time to produce new roots and fully recover. I assume that cutting and removal of the wire will happen around springtime next year.

Hope your trees are moving nicely into the vascular stage.

Tom

Vascular dementia?  

Vlad wrote:Vascular dementia?  

I hope not

What do you mean by the vascular stage exactly? Secondary thickening of plant cells perhaps?

Yes, as in the tree is now focusing on increasing its storage of energy in the tissue and roots whereas in the spring to about mid-summer, trees are focused on increasing their photosynthetic surface area

Happy that you are taking the investment seriously 

Thanks Vlad.

Yes, as much love as I can give and provide

I do not know too much about olive tree care. My feeling is that they do not like to have "wet" feet though. The top layer of sphagnum ( if I see it right ) may not be the best thing to do with olive.

Hi Vlad,

That may be true but this pot is very small and shallow, so the sphagnum will allow the roots to take advantage of all the space versus just 60% if the sphagnum wasn't there. In regards to watering it's all about maintaining a good balance of water and oxygen so I only water when I see the soil is drying out. I've really paid attention to my watering this year, maintaining this balance all over the garden in different substrate and plant health scenarios and I must say, it's amazing. I even saved a contorted hazel from dying and it looked dead after repotting for about 3 months

By the way, will you be attending Dečin this weekend? I'd be happy to meet the man who wanted to give me a free tree

Thomas Urban wrote:

so the sphagnum will allow the roots to take advantage of all the space versus just 60% if the sphagnum wasn't there.  

Hi Thomas, I do give up. How did you figured out this exact number?  I do not have any problem to agree with the positive effect of the humidity on the hair root development in the top layer of soil.  I am just fascinated by the exact numbers  such as this one or advice stop feeding in mid summer etc.  Are we still talking living organisms?  

That's it.  

I hope to spend the weekend somewhere in the forest and on my pushbike.  Have a good time there.

I am not sure why this is frustrating for you?

Yes, the number is not official maybe it's between 80-60% I am not sure and I don't claim to know the exact number. But, looking at it from a logical perspective, with large fluctuations in temperature during the summer for example, when the pot is only 4-5cm tall, then there isn't much space that is suitable for the roots. I didn't cover the surface but rather sprinkled (posipal) a thin layer of ground up sphagnum and this has really helped my trees this summer with the super-hot Brno weather that is only exacerbated by the dark objects on my terrace. I face the sun all day and it gets close to 40-45C on the terrace during peak summer and this summer was hot.

I am curious about your 2nd point, the stop feeding in mid-summer, what is your opinion of should fertilize vs. not fertilize? Some say yes and others say no.

Thank you and too bad we won't meet, maybe next time. I hope you enjoy the countryside on your push bike , but I have no idea what a push bike is, maybe a scooter?

Frustration looks a bit different my friend.   This was just  a pure anger  

Thin layer of sphagnum moss will keep the moist just for a couple of hours during the summer temps peaks in our continental weather - at least this is results from my garden.  I need to spray it twice or three times a day.  

I do believe that a sun protection of a pot is much more important then the layer of sphagnum unless  you can keep it wet.  As you have written the temp of any dark pot will go close to 50°C inevitably burning all hair roots that are touching it from the other side.
This year I have tested "double potting" for some of my  shohin starters  = a pot inserted into another a bit larger plastic pot filled with sphagnum moss.  All plants in test were growing nicely during the hot summer.  There was a constant stream of new white roots from the pot into the larger container.  I have to cut them off several times. Looking forward for next spring to see how the roots system will look like.  


Regarding summer feeding - if the plant is actively growing why I should  stop feeding?   But thats me and my plants that I know.  You have to find the method that works for you.  

This thread goes too long for me.   I'd better stop.

Pushbike = bicycle

Double potting sounds like a really good idea, I would like to try this next year. I also adapted my bald cypress to a more "wet" situation as well where I was able to keep a lot of water around the bottom of the pot.

Your summer feeding sounds good as well. I have tried both feeding and not feeding but I didn't notice too much difference. But, I was looking at your blog and you seem to have a very nice and lush garden which seems to be perfect for trees. My terrace is more of a desert

Push bike must be some olde UK English, I have never heard of it before we just call it a bike in the US.

Thanks for your input and have a great weekend

hey Tom and angry Vlad - another thing good for small trees in the hottest of the heat of summer, is to simply bury several of them into something like a dish pan or cat litter tray and surround/bury them with pumice or perlite or similar and water it all...

Have to break the silence.

Very valid point Kevin. Knowing the background of sphagnum your advice should be followed by all of us who cares... Thank you.