help with privet

Hi,

I have read a good photo progression series of a privet stump here http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPrivet%20Bonsai%20Photo%20Series.html. The trunk has been completely hollowed out. Thank you.

Hi,

Just an update one year after on my privet. Surprisingly good growth despite very poor weather during the growing season with a very wet summer. I wired the tree about 3 times to set the branches properly and to prevent scars on bark. I also fed the tree at every watering with tomato feed apart from the osmocote thats already in the substrate and roots have emerged from the drainage holes. I will either repot into a large box not choping any roots or plant it in the ground. I will carve some taper at the very top of the tree and will leave the branches to grow unpruned for another 4 years. I have observed that some branches have thickened by about 10mm. Many branches have forked so looks messy in the picture than it is in real. Any advice on improving the tree?

Here was the tree after advice from the forum a year ago.
December 2011


Here is the tree today and some close up of branch growth
December 2012








Cheers,
Adam

Looks like it is doing well.

A warning, though. I had a large, very nice privet stump -- L. sinensis -- that started to rot at the chop site, and after abut 15 years it had rotted away to nothing at all. I had to toss it. Not even enough to burn. This was despite endless treatments with wood hardener, epoxy, et. al. So keep a close eye on the bare wood. I've gathered that the privet you have over there may be a bit less susceptible to rot.

JimLewis wrote:Looks like it is doing well.

A warning, though. I had a large, very nice privet stump -- L. sinensis -- that started to rot at the chop site, and after abut 15 years it had rotted away to nothing at all. I had to toss it. Not even enough to burn. This was despite endless treatments with wood hardener, epoxy, et. al. So keep a close eye on the bare wood. I've gathered that the privet you have over there may be a bit less susceptible to rot.

Thank you Jim for responding. I took your advice last year and kept an eye on the rot. I applied preservative last year at this time and I have already done so this year. This Ligustrum ovalifolium of mine has stopped rotting. I control watering and place the tree under a canopy of a clematis next to a wall and this stops excessive rain. In times where there has been major downpours I place something on the surface of the substrate. I am not happy with the chop site and plan to add taper as in the following image.


I have studied the tree and concluded that the top is made up of fused branches which I can carve out of the trunk. Thank you.

Cheers,
Adam