Larix decidua, European larch

[Grant Bowie]

Larix decidua; European larch
This tree is a recent purchase and is 38 years old.

Front.JPG

Left side.JPG

Back.JPG

Right side.JPG

Bad Points
Very slow growing so slow to thicken, reticulate, recover scars and set wiring etc
Will only live in very cool to cold climates
Last tree into leaf in spring
First tree into dormancy in autumn
Heavy and irregular roots
All branches to back of tree died due to too much shade (possibly)
Not trimmed recently so a number of branches over-heavy and with vertical portions and generally messy
Two branches emerge from almost the same point about halfway or 60% up the tree
Good Points
Very slow growing so I have purchased age that cannot be hurried
Suited to climate in Canberra
Nice autumn colour and small needles
Easy to look after once established
Heavy roots provide easy tied down points
Very good taper
Very flexible so easy to wire and position
Lots of branching to play with and position

So what to do..

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

Solutions to styling of this tree
As it is a conifer from very cold climate (although deciduous) I decided to train it with very pulled-down branches to replicate the habit of trees growing with heavy snow in winter
I thinned out all branches by cutting out vertical portions and all branches were reduced to two by two branching where there were three or more branches from the same point. Also if the next set of branches were too close they were removed as well.
The messy branching close to the trunk on the lowest left branch were removed even though one portion could have supplied a bit of a low back branch
The second lowest branch on the left was shortened back drastically to lighter portions as it was way too heavy
I then pulled down all the lowest branches but had to remove the lowest branch on the right as it hit the ground straightaway and jinned it
I was able to bend a heavy low branch on the left, but hidden by the front branches, into a back branch situation
Where the two branches emerge from the trunk about 60% up the trunk I bent the slightly lower branch on the left down but wired up then down the other branch on the right to fill the large gap and provide a bit more back filling as well. There is no significant swelling at that point so I will probably get away with it permanently. It is very reminiscent, style wise, of older cedars that you see around in parks
The apex then loses vigour and sort of meanders to the right; very reminiscent of an older tree in nature so I went with it as is. I wired down the top branches a bit less than lower down and rounded out the crown; once again showing its age.
I don’t expect it to back bud at all so I will always have to use existing branches and buds.
As the tree already bends to the right towards the top I will let the lower right hand side branches extend to the right as well over time
I have chosen a glazed but antique finished pot to compliment the tree in the future. It is wider than the current pot and should support the spreading lower branches to the right that I intend to allow to grow

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[Grant Bowie]

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[woody]

Hi Grant,
what an awesome bonsai mate!!
Thanks for the in depth description on the pros and cons. Living in Orange I have killed so many , doing things at the wrong time.
The new shape, to me, makes it look even older.
Truly lovely to look at. I will be searching for this come summer to see how it looks with greenery.
I have a question for you though. How did you attach the branches down into the pot
woody

[Grant Bowie]

Hi Grant,
what an awesome bonsai mate!!
Thanks for the in depth description on the pros and cons. Living in Orange I have killed so many , doing things at the wrong time.
The new shape, to me, makes it look even older.
Truly lovely to look at. I will be searching for this come summer to see how it looks with greenery.
I have a question for you though. How did you attach the branches down into the pot
woody

The branches are first wired and then pulled down by wire attached to the heavy roots. it is passed under an accessible point.

Treat like a Cedar in regards to potting etc.
grant

[woody]

ahhhhh, thanks Grant. Would have thought that would pull the root out of the medium. Clearly not though. I took a closer look at the roots....they look very thick and strong. I am guessing this, but maybe you wired the larch down into the pot so it doesn't move around.
thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate that.
woody

[Grant Bowie]

ahhhhh, thanks Grant. Would have thought that would pull the root out of the medium. Clearly not though. I took a closer look at the roots....they look very thick and strong. I am guessing this, but maybe you wired the larch down into the pot so it doesn't move around.
thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate that.
woody

The lady that grew this tree; Lynne F from Launceston, is a very experienced grower and the tree was wired into the pot.

And yes the roots are very heavy and firmly attached.

Grant

[hugh grant]

fantastic work Grant, very well executed for the species of tree.
ive been waiting, hoping you would post what you did with the tree after seeing it in Canberra after you purchased it. lots of character and charm in this tree which like you say only comes with age.

Hugh

[bodhidharma]

A great job Grant. What are the dimensions of the tree I have one i am working on so it is inspiring to see what can be achieved with this species. What, if any, techniques do you use to reduce foliage extension and needle? size. Also, have you root pruned this species, how much and what sort of timing.

[Grant Bowie]

A great job Grant. What are the dimensions of the tree I have one i am working on so it is inspiring to see what can be achieved with this species. What, if any, techniques do you use to reduce foliage extension and needle? size. Also, have you root pruned this species, how much and what sort of timing.

Hi,

Although 38 yrs old the tree is quite small; being only 44cms tall from the bottom of the pot or 38cms tree only.

This is the first time I have worked with the European larch so I have no specific techniques yet other than to be cautious.

Needle size is already quite small(smaller than Japanese larch) and growth is minimal(Age, natural, lack of fert? I don't yet know).

The tree was root pruned last August by Lynne and was just normal for any bonsai that had been in pots for so long.

Light root prune and like cedars do it late winter/early spring before or just at needle burst.

Nick Lenz talks about needle plucking defoliation on the American larch but I don't think I would ever risk it on this tree.

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

IMG_5392.JPG

here is the larch in a new pot.

Grant

[Pup]

Very nice Grant, not being suitable for WA, well our particular area. I was thrilled when Peter Chan showed me how, then allowed me to prune and pinch a large one in his nursery in 2009.

I like the new pot suits the tree well, will also match the Autumn colours.

Cheers Pup

[Haydenmc]

Hows this one coming along Grant?

Im keen to acquire an old one i have my eyes on, but im worried it wont survive Melbournes hot summers.

[Grant Bowie]

Hows this one coming along Grant?

Im keen to acquire an old one i have my eyes on, but im worried it wont survive Melbournes hot summers.

Only so-so in comparison to the larix kaempferi(Japanese larch) which is going gang buster. It does seem to love/need the colder winters and cooler summers. It had very little growth over spring summer.

I am seeing lots of Larix decidua used here in forestry in NZ but it is an uninspiring tree to see.

I would use/recomend the Japanese larch at the moment.

Grant

[treeman]

I would have been inclined to keep this tree the way it was without bringing down the branches so much. There are quite a few examples of larches in Japan shaped mainly by clip and grow and not wired like a white pine. With such an old tree perhaps a more....how do I put this?.....''measured'' approach is called for. Just my opinion of course Grant

More like this kind of thing: (12 pics down)
http://wild-e-eep.blogspot.com.au/2011_ ... chive.html