Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden raintree) dig

[Kyushu Danji]

Hello,

I have a large Golden Raintree in the yard that I feel would be a great bonsai specimen with a little time and work. Its growing in some very tough soil under a much larger tree of the same species at the moment. Because of its close proximity to the larger tree it seems to have struggled to survive, with plenty of deadwood, but lots of good, vigorous growth to one side.

My question is whether or not it is a good idea to move it right away, or wait until winter or early spring? I am willing to wait until a more appropriate season to move it if necessary, but for pure convenience I would like to know its chances if I moved it now. I live in canberra, and it has been pretty hot, and pretty wet over the past few weeks.

I'm not part of any Bonsai society or anything yet, but I have had experience with bonsai for quite a few years now and I am a keen gardener, so I feel confident that when it is dug up I will be able to look after it. However I am not so experience in this sort of yamadori type dig, so your advice would be most welcome and appreciated

[Kyushu Danji]

anyone..

[Handy Mick]

If you are not in a hurry wait, but if you had to dig now get as much roots as possible and soak is seasol for a few days, then plant and keep in a shady area for a few weeks untill you see growth.

Mick

[Kyushu Danji]

Thanks Mick. Might at least wait until we get some more rain before doing this.

[MattA]

I have never dug one of these but do have some seedlings i was given mid winter. There were 9 in the fruit box but only 2 survived repotting. I cant say if its an issue with the species or just my methods, I was fairly brutal on the roots as they were a total mess, I did the work just on bud swell.

The 2 that did survive seem to need alot of feeding to get any growth happening & need lots of water, wilting at the drop of a hat. I am going to just let the grow all year & see where they are at next spring. I havent seen any as bonsai so its a challenge I cant resist... who knows in 20yrs they may be something more than sticks in pots.

Am guessing that the lack of response is because noone has tried before, so I say... give it a go and let us know how you go. I would do it late winter early spring like any other deciduous. Maybe get in & do some prep work & give it a regular watering to try & encourage some roots closer to the trunk.

Matt

[Kyushu Danji]

I have never dug one of these but do have some seedlings i was given mid winter. There were 9 in the fruit box but only 2 survived repotting. I cant say if its an issue with the species or just my methods, I was fairly brutal on the roots as they were a total mess, I did the work just on bud swell.

The 2 that did survive seem to need alot of feeding to get any growth happening & need lots of water, wilting at the drop of a hat. I am going to just let the grow all year & see where they are at next spring. I havent seen any as bonsai so its a challenge I cant resist... who knows in 20yrs they may be something more than sticks in pots.

Am guessing that the lack of response is because noone has tried before, so I say... give it a go and let us know how you go. I would do it late winter early spring like any other deciduous. Maybe get in & do some prep work & give it a regular watering to try & encourage some roots closer to the trunk.

Matt

You are probably right. I did a quick google search before posting and there were only a few bonsai specimens that showed up. I'll post some photos tomorrow of the parent tree and the one I want to dig up. You never know, the photos may entice more posts

As for the seedlings, we have them pop up all over the garden every year like weeds. If we don't remove them straight away, they are really difficult to dig up. I suppose I should be cultivating these seedlings as well..but I know that it would take years for them to produce the yellow lantern looking seed pods that I crave!

Thanks for the advice

James

[Kyushu Danji]

Ok, so after a closer inspection I've discovered that actually the smaller tree is actually part of the bigger tree, and has sprouted from the roots
But I feel all is not lost. It has got a pretty thick base where it connects to the main tree, so I am considering now whether to do an air layer. I have done these before..just not on such a big scale.






As you can see from the photos, the main tree is pretty massive, but has these nice flowers, followed by yellow lantern like seed pods.
Should I even bother attempting this? Its probably quite a way out of my depth.
I feel I may as well though, otherwise one day soon someone is probably going to come along and hack it off anyway.

[de_keizer]

i say try it the worst that will happen is it dies. then if you still want one as a bonsai try air layering the main tree on one of the branches

[Kyushu Danji]

i say try it the worst that will happen is it dies. then if you still want one as a bonsai try air layering the main tree on one of the branches

I think I will. Welcome to the forum