How long will our natives live ?

[Jamie]

brett,

i am presuming we are talking about the same thread of fruit trees and grafts on bonsainut? link here http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread. ... tree+graft

it talks about how grafts are used in fruit trees and the way calloused wood can generate and if it is viable enough to grow from.

it is a very interesting read for anyone who hasnt read it, i reccomend it, it will show you a lot

i get exactly what you are saying about letting the top grow aswell as the bottom, that is pretty much what i am trying to say if one starts doing more then the other eventually energy is sapped from below or above the soil line and causes the tree to die slowly, it basically comes down to exhaustion and our ability to keep the tree in a balance of harmony which will allow the tree to continue to grow, i agree if we arent cauitous with old trees we could spoil that balance and cause heart ache, but if we can perfect the balance of harmony then there is no reason for a tree to die in potted culture, barring other elements such as pest, diseases etc.

it makes me quite thrilled to think the bonsai i work on can be passed onto my children, or my childrens children, or even further down the track
it would make me very happy to float around in oblivion watching my great great great grand kids working on trees i started


jamie

[Webos]

Someone mentioned fruit trees and that they get about 10 years good production out of a tree. I was in Shepparton a while back, and driving past a farm, I saw that an entire orchard had been ripped up and put in a pile of stumps. Wish I had've been there on the day...Farm Yamadori paradise.

[Jamie]

Someone mentioned fruit trees and that they get about 10 years good production out of a tree. I was in Shepparton a while back, and driving past a farm, I saw that an entire orchard had been ripped up and put in a pile of stumps. Wish I had've been there on the day...Farm Yamadori paradise.

to right, the stumps could of possibly been alive still too......

[Bretts]

No I hadn't seen that one Jamie. I saw something different a while back some where that I can't remember. That is pretty cool. Al is a funny bugger

I would say it slightly different about the vigor though Jamie. It is not so much about balancing top to bottom as balancing growth to composition refinement. The tree needs to grow to stay healthy but we need to restrain growth to maintain the composition. If you constantly pinch the growth then the roots won't grow.

At some point the composition may be lost. This will be much sooner in the faster growing trees. They say it takes longer to get a pine where you want it but it stays there much longer
It will be very interesting to see how the acacia's go in the future. I think people must be willing to let them go through developmental changes otherwise they will lose them. Better to lose the composition than the tree

I rememberd reading something like 10 years. Those trees that Al posted on Bnut look older than that though

[Jamie]

yea but if those trees are getting chopped down every tens years once production is started and grafts are placed then it could be the case, if i remember it correctly though they do get dug up.

you have said that very well aswell brett, couldnt have said it better myself.

i would definately sacrifice composition for the life of the tree, which is necessary sometimes.

jamie

[anttal63]

I think that with the correct root pruning technique you are maintaining a plant which has basically only feeder roots this is why bonsai live so long. With regards to my acacia I potted it a couple of months ago and what remains of the plant is very healthy but who knows what the future will bring as far as a bonsai goes it doesn't have much style any more. I will post a photo of it soon. I have a big plant fair this weekend so won't be until early next week.
Craig

Craig have you ever bare rooted the tree and freed up its roots of all old soil???

[craigw60]

Hi Ant,
Acacia seem to develop a very fibrous root system so I have never felt reserved about getting stuck into the roots. It has been seriously potted many times and as I said in an earlier post the growth which remains is really healthy. I will post a pic of the tree next week when I have some time in daylight. You will see this tree has lovely nebari and has staarted to develop nice cracking in its bark, such a shame.
Craig

[anttal63]

cool craig i look forward to it. i have never done a potted acacia. for the same reason of their short lived reputation in their natural habitat as well as gardens. So that is 2 long term success stories with yourself and Ray Nesci. I personally would love to do a large Blackwood.

[craigw60]

Hi Ant,
I live in amongst the backwoods and yes they can be lovely trees, to make one into a bonsai it wood have to be big. However I watch them die on a regular basis. There are some across the road from me and the guys who clear foliage off the wires cut them a few years ago. The trees have been slowly dying back branch by branch ever since. I can see the trunks dying back down to the roots from the big scars. I think as a bonsai they would have to be grown slowly with out the use of sacrifice branches.
Craig