Ginkgo biloba

Hi everyone,

This is a project that started with som seedings.

September 2007




August 2008





November 2008:









In February 2009 I repotted. I'll post photos soon.

My question is if I can merge the two in one.

Regards.

No interest, the trees are too young , it's more easy taking eight or ten seedlings, braiding together and grow in soil or in a large pot for 5 to 8 years.

Yes, you CAN - but I don't know that you should.

You would be better off doing that with cuttings from the SAME tree. There can sometimes be variations in seedlings, even from the same tree. Also, ginkgos are male or female, and they grow a little differently too. It will be a long time before you know which is which. It looks like you may already differences happening here, but they are still very young. If I were you, I'd grow these separately and watch how they develope. Ginkgo is easy from cuttings and airlayers. Root cutting from the same tree and bind those.

R

Thanks guys,
I'll post soon how they look today.

An update,

May 2012



Regards.

Keep them growing. I started growing this one as a 1 year old graft in 1976.

This photo is from Fall 2010 I believe.

Now this tree is 36 years old.



[img][/img]

Hi Gary,

Nice to see your gingko. How did you manage to get such ramification?

I saw some tips on how to do it in http://lakeshorebonsai.wordpress.com/

http://lakeshorebonsai.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/pruning-ginkgo-to-develop-ramification/


Regards
Rui

I start the ramification on Ginkgo as soon as I see a definite branching pattern emerging. When the tree is small, I let it grow 6 nodes and pinch back to the first or second node, whichever way the bud facing the way I want it.

Now you must remember that Ginkgo bonsai bud twice. So after you pinch or cut the first long growth back to 1 or 2 buds, you must wait until it starts to bud again, the new buds will appear where your first cuts were made. Let them run a bit and then clip them back to an outside bud. This is how I prune a young Ginkgo.

You will notice as time goes by that the Ginkgo is very apical dominant. Taking this into consideration I clip the top buds much like you would with an established Japanese maple, clipping the top buds as soon as possible, as soon as the top buds open, take a tweezers and nip out the center of the bud.

On the sides of the tree the buds are weaker so let them run a bit and then cut them back to where you want them to grow the following year.

It takes time to produce a large Ginkgo by this method. I do like to use male graphed trees because you cant see the graft unless it's a high one and you get a better root flare.

Others grow them in the ground when they are young but I have tried that and the top becomes over heavy and too tall.

There are other ways to raise Gingko bonsai but this is the method I use.

Good luck.

Does ginkgo bud back if trunk chopped?

I forgot to include a photo of this Chi-Chi ginkgo I purchased in 1989. I bought 5 of them from Brussel's bonsai, I planted these into the ground and only only one survived after 2 years.

I dug this one up and put it in the training pot you see in the picture. This Ginkgo has a different type of genetic shape. All the branches are more dominant including the top.

Here's a picture of it.

[img][/img]

Hi Gary

Thank you very much for your knowledge about ginkgo techniques.

Best regards,
Rui

Those leaves are really interesting. They almost look two dimensional.

In Portugal, Autumn as started. When is the best time to do some hardwood cuttings? What are the main procedures?

Poink88 wrote:Does ginkgo bud back if trunk chopped?

I think ginkgo does not cover big wounds all that well, which would be a reason to avoid this?

leatherback wrote:

Poink88 wrote:Does ginkgo bud back if trunk chopped?

I think ginkgo does not cover big wounds all that well, which would be a reason to avoid this?

It takes a long time to heal large cuts, but if carved to make a plausible shari, eventually they will heal over. Ginkgo does bud back very well. Do the trunk chop either in very early spring, as buds are swelling or after leaves have expanded and hardened off and some branch extension has happened. In the Chicago area, late May to late July is a good time to trunk chop ginkgo. I have seen a chop as low as 2 inches above the roots on a 2 inch diameter trunk, many sprouts emerged.
This ginkgo is a 4 inch diameter trunk, about 35 years of age. It was in the fence line under a huge 80 year old female ginkgo that had been planted by a former US Foreign service officer who had been stationed in Japan about the 1920's. The chop was summer of 2010, not as many sprouts as I would have hoped, but a few came. Of interest, a number of bulges under the bark formed after the chop, I suspect they are buds, that formed as a result of the initial chop, but did not continue developing once the first few emerged. This is the reason I think a second hard chop next year will be successful.
I did end up with a nice bar branch arrangement. The plan is to chop again next summer, all branches and more of the trunk. If buds sprout in better locations, then the trunk will be cut to the desired height and carved to make a better image. Right now this stump is ugly at best. A decade of work and this could be a very nice tree, under 18 inches tall.

The point is, they do bud back, sprouting through 35 year old bark. So chop away if it makes sense to do so.

It's Autumn in North Hemisphere. Lets see your ginkgp yellow colors..

I took these today. 10-9-12.

Autumn Gold-



Chi-Chi-Ginkgo

Does ginkgo bud back if trunk chopped?

Yes they do especially near where the chop is done. Ginkgo's heal just as well as other trees, from my experience.

My Ginkgo's just lost their leaves, we had 23ºF.

Autumn Gold Ginkgo



Chi Chi Ginkgo. It's over potted but it needs to grow.



These trees take time to develop.

I missed mine this year, it went so fast! But here is one from last year. This is no great tree, but it is a fun tree... It has 3 more branches this year from last, so it's starting to fill out.

Mine is quite far behind the rest of you, this is today and it still has a few days to go before peak

Hi LSBonsai,

Thank you for your support. I'm very found of you Bonsai Blog.. Very helpful.

LSBonsai, beautiful ginkgo!

Here's mine (has some leaf burn on margins, needs a better pot.)

Well guys, it's fall! Let's see some more ginkgo fall colors.

Mine is not yellow, yet.

Not in fall color yet.