Digging diciduous

[hugh grant]

Hey
just making sure, am I right in saying that the end of winter/ early spring is the best time for digging diciduous trees like liquidambers?
Just wanted to make sure

Thanks
Hugh

[Bretts]

Thats about it. Just as the buds begin to pop. Trees have only just started going to sleep and I already can't Wait

[Chris Sirre]

Hey
just making sure, am I right in saying that the end of winter/ early spring is the best time for digging diciduous trees like liquidambers?
Just wanted to make sure

Thanks
Hugh

Hi Hugh,

You can start digging as soon as the leaves have dropped. You know then the tree is dormant and not much harm will be done to the tree. If you wait till the buds are about the "pop" that means the tree is active again. The roots are well and truly active (and growing) before the buds are swelling. So you will damage a lot of feeder roots when you start digging.
Dig as soon as you can and work on the root ball. Pot it up in a poly box and watch it grow in Spring.

Good luck,

Chris

[hugh grant]

Thanks guys, now I know what to do.
Also on the same note, is it fine too to a trunk chop at the same time I dig or should I wait till it buds and then chop?

Thanks
Hugh

[Amanda]

Some of the buds on my Liquidambar are bursting now and have appeared all over the branches? Other than new ownership and a good dose of organic food here and there I'm not sure what is happening?

[Bretts]

You can start digging as soon as the leaves have dropped. You know then the tree is dormant and not much harm will be done to the tree. If you wait till the buds are about the "pop" that means the tree is active again. The roots are well and truly active (and growing) before the buds are swelling. So you will damage a lot of feeder roots when you start digging.
Dig as soon as you can and work on the root ball. Pot it up in a poly box and watch it grow in Spring.

I agree with Graham potter . "Alot of people tend to repot their bonsai much too early" You can get away with it after leaf fall but you can run the risk of the tree sitting in wet soil doing nothing and root rot can set it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTcdho7vSMI

Also see here
http://www.bonsaisolutions.com.au/bonsa ... onsai.html

Anja I am going to guess that is just Winter buds setting in. Liquid amber have fairly large swollen Winter buds.

[Amanda]

Brett, the Winter buds are very swollen however some little leaves are appearing already.

[Bretts]

Ah ok. I would not panic. You are more north than me and I guess some what warmer also being near the coast would also be a factor but I think it would settle into Winter. Maybe some one closer to that climate can tell you what to expect.
Chinese elm is infamous for sprouting back into leaf in these conditions but I have not heard it with liquid amber!

[Amanda]

That's interesting to learn about the chinese elm, this is I believe a chinese liquidambar. A little different growing perhaps?

[Bretts]

I tried a google search on that but could not find it but I do see there are several species of Liquid amber do you have the scientific name for the tree?

[MattA]

In my personal experience digging a deciduous tree too early in winter can often result in failure, most usually due to rot setting in during the cold wet winter. I always try to collect them as or even after budbreak and have had no problem collecting them right thru out the growing season.

When the buds are about to break in spring, yes the roots are active but also the whole tree is full of juice, so when you dig it has the stores to get going straight away, rather than having to build up that energy with minimal root if dug earlier in winter. I have even had losses of bought bare root trees and no longer purchase during winter, prefering to wait until I can see the tree is atleast starting to make some moves.

Anja, I wouldnt be too concerned about the liquidamber shooting, they are extremely variable in there winter habits. I have 2 in training, neither of which are showing any signs of colouring and the one in a pot is still putting out new growth. There are 2 in my street, one is already bare & is very late to come into leaf each spring. The other is still putting on new growth and while it does colour up in the old foliage, it doesn't drop until the main spring flush happens. I can only guess that part of this variability comes from the individual micro climate the tree is growing in.

Matt

[hugh grant]

Thanks guys for your replys and the info you've given me. So I think it will be digging time when the buds start to break. Anja sure your one is fine, it's probably just responding to a bit of warm weather maybe.

Thanks
Hugh

[craigw60]

Root pruning too early is a big mistake I have lost trees doing this. You cut the roots and then they sit in cold wet potting mix all winter. You need to cut the roots at a time when the re-growth will happen as quickly as possible. I don't think about rootpruning until early august and if there weren't so many trees for me to do I would start later.
Craig