Small leafed privet

[Ulf]

Well after lurking, reading and learning for a year or so I have been forced to take the plunge today. I have rescued three small leafed privet (or at least that is what I was told they were) that will otherwise go under the slasher and one rather sorry azalea that already has gone under the slasher, twice and been chainsawed for good measure...
All of these had rather good even horizontal root spread and came out easily due to the sodden weather we are currently getting. As I was caught flat footed and had no prepared medium, I have planted them all in boxes (trays from the worm farm, sans worms) in a mixture of decomposed granite gravel, red earth and a little black compost. I have absolutely no clue if this is a good idea or not.

collected privet 11.jpg

collected privet 22.jpg

So although I have been trying to answer as many questions as I can from reading the stickys and FAQ's I still am unsure as to what exactly I should do next? Are these even worth keeping? The Privets are about two centimetres at the base, can I thicken the trunks easily? The Azalea has quite a fat and thick base but that is all... It has a massive root system at least thirty centimetres across and a good fifteen centimetres deep.
I would like to get better pics - it was pissing down when I took these and there is not a lot of detail I know.

In other news, there is a massive Privet growing at the side of the orchard due to be cleared soon also.

large privet 33.jpg

It is about ten centimetres through the trunk up to near the second bend. I was wondering if it could be used? Air layering perhaps? If so where? I was sort of thinking just before the first bend.

Any advice, criticism or pointers would be gratefully accepted. I have an awful lot to learn.
Cheers
Ulf

[Bougy Fan]

Hi Ulf and welcome Not sure about the red earth in the mix - is it like clay ? You want a good free draining mix - probably would have been better just sifting some of the deco and using bigger than 4mm particles. Did you drill some holes in crates or do they have plenty ? Look like privet to me - should be a good start. Good luck

[Ulf]

The crates have perforated grid bottoms and should drain well. I agree the soil mix is probably not too good. The red soil is not too clayey, still quite friable and slightly sandy and I only used about 1/20th to the gravel in the hope it will be free draining. Nevertheless I think I will replace it all with something more suitable as soon as the opportunity presents. Should the mix they are in while they grow out be the same as the bonsai potting mix they will eventually be in? Should I be fertilizing or leave them alone for a bit?

[xtolord]

Hi Ulf and welcome,
Privets are on my top list of species to make into bonsai - grows fast, hardy and easy to shape, easy to propagate too.
If in good health, you must try really hard to kill them.
From the look of your shoots those look a lot like mine, I think those are Ligustrum sinense.

I've got a few privet articles, not much, but hope it can be of some help : http://maubonsai.blogspot.com/search/label/Ligustrum

The topic of "What to do now" is vast.
I would be more helpful if you could go into detail about what you want to do with them.
Do you want to thicken the trunk?
Create nebari?
Give some movement to the trunk?
Work on the style/shape/ramification?

[Ulf]

Hey, thanks for that. Very interesting and it certainly appears to be the same species. Around here they are found growing feral. I was very disappointed when I found out they are not native as they have the most beautiful sprays of flowers.
Right now I need to decide what form would suit each one best. I will post much more detailed photos when the weather allows me near them with a camera. In the meanwhile I was looking at possibly shortening the longest of the privets and generally thickening trunks all round.
I think the Azalea will need time to recover from the abuses it has suffered recently before any decisions are made.