Collected Chinese Celtis

[BonsaiElmo]

I have collected a few Celtis from around the property.

This is what I have so far, there are about 3 or 4 that I can easily collect that I intend to have in boxes in the next month or two.

I might need to thin out what I have so far to make some room... Though at this stage not keen to give up on anything till I see what survives...

Large slanted celtis uprooted 01.jpg

Large slanted celtis potted 01.JPG

Large slanted celtis potted 02.JPG

Large slanted celtis potted 03.JPG

Twintrunk celtis 01.JPG

Twintrunk celtis 02.JPG

Twintrunk celtis 03.JPG

Stray root celtis 01.JPG

Stray root celtis 02.JPG

Stray root celtis 03.JPG

[BonsaiElmo]

A few more trees and a couple of pics of my shaded growing area between the water tanks.

Straight trunk celtis cut root.JPG

Straight trunk celtis 02.JPG

Straight trunk celtis potted.JPG

Damaged bass celtis.JPG

26-06-11 celtis 1 .JPG

26-06-11 celtis 14.JPG

Growing Area 01.JPG

Growing Area 02.JPG

I have not been very selective, almost keeping everything I dug up. It is part curiosity, with experiments with different mediums and part fear that most of they may die.

Some are in a 50/50 potting mix and sieved crusher dust, some perlite with potting mix, and a few in straight perlite with crusher dust on top to hold the perlite in place.

I might need to branch out to diversify, though by Spring I should at least have one or two potential celtis trees.

[Jamie]

hi mate,

celtis are a really really tough species and you should have all of them survive without to much issue. once they settle they power on and you can make trees quickly.

although the trunks havent all got a great deal of character there are options, low trunk chopping at an angle for sumo, offset V cutting for broom styles etc.

good luck if you do a search there is a few celtis threads on here which show the growth rate of them and what can be done.

jamie

[BonsaiElmo]

You're right Jamie they are tough as nails.

All seem to be doing well, most have put out new leaves, or tiny buds, some faster than others.

I still have them in a fairly shaded position. Should I be feeding with Seasol or another fertilizer, or should I wait till Spring?

Here are a few pics.

23-07-2011 Celtis (6) small.jpg

23-07-2011 Celtis small.jpg

23-07-2011 Celtis (9) small.jpg

23-07-2011 Celtis (10) small.jpg

[Jamie]

hi mate

told ya

when mine started budding out just like yours they went out into full sun all day. seeing as they are shooting, a few doses of seasol wont hurt. depending on how long you have had the trees, if it has been over 6-8 weeks then you can start feeding with a balanced fert. if it has been less you can still feed them, just dilute the fert more than usual. if you use 50% of the standard dilution rate for now until they really start taking off should be fine. when they start to take off you will know it as the extension shoots will grow quickly. I think when mine took off I was seeing around 6 inches extension growth in a matter of a week or so every week. when this happens you can really start feeding them up, build the ferts up over some time and they will thank you for it.

I gotta go try find some more celtis, they are great trees to work with! wont be for a while yet, will take me cousin to do the hard yards

[BonsaiElmo]

Going to cut these down to size in the next day or so either with v's or slanted.

This is one idea I had, my first attempt at a vert.

Vert for large Celtis.jpg

Not very subtle, though I hope my carving would be better than my photoshopping.

[Jamie]

gday mate

interesting idea, I have saved a pic to do a vert for you. will do it tomorrow. I think there is a nice slanting style in there.

[BonsaiElmo]

Thanks Jamie, look forward to it.

This was a slightly different version with a side branch.

Vert for large Celtis 2.jpg

[Jamie]

hi mate

you have pretty much done what I was thinking! maybe a little more dense in the fine twiggery but you are on the right path. good work mate!

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

Hey there B E

Thanks for the celtis pics. I have just started taking a few from my neighbourhood and trying a few things although not as thick as yours. Did you soak the stumps in seasol at all before planting in your medium? Thanks for the potting mix details. I will look forward to your thread as they grow on. I have just started to get some leaf budding from the few i straight transplanted some weeks ago, but here in Toowoomba it is still quite cool.

What did you cover the cut stumps with... that white type of residue?

Good luck!

Stew

[BonsaiElmo]

Hey Stu,

I did not soak in Seasol, though this may have sped the process up. In fact 3 or 4 of the larger stumps were out of the ground for a couple of days before I got them planted. They came out of the ground easier than I had thought and I got a little carried away, did not have enough potting mix and or styrofoam boxes right away. I just wrapped em in some wet newspaper and rags.

The white stuff on the large stump is orchid cut sealant, sort of like gluggy water based paint. Seems to work ok, but needs a dry day or else it washes off. The others are sealed with bonsai cut paste, which I also found was not much use when applied in wet weather.

In terms of potting mix I have had a range of results,
2 trees doing the best are in straight Searles potting mix, though another tree in straight Searles has been very slow to bud.
2 trees in Perlite are doing very well, whilst others are only now showing their first sign of buds.
The trees in 50/50 crusher dust and potting mix have been the slowest to bud, so I will probably not use that combo again, shame as I have ready access crusher dust. Though crusher dust is good for holding down perlite.

I remember Toowoomba winters, I attended USQ some years back, I do not envy you that. Though if you are getting buds I guess the worst must be over.

Have a look at Jamie's thread from a while back, both he and Stimson have some great example of what can be achieved: viewtopic.php?f=104&t=3461&hilit=celtis&start=30

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

Hey BE

Thanks for the specifics in your last entry. This has helped me think a little more about what i can do here. I know there are a few big groups of 'weed' celtis around the edge of the local golf club that are begging to be dug up. Just have to think about how to broach the subject with the club's greenkeeper.....

I'm really looking forward to seeing the development of your trees from the different mixes etc.

The thread you sent was great too. I want to go and cut down the biggest celtis i can find and V cut it for some awsome growth.

Best of luck.

Stew

[BonsaiElmo]

Is that the City Golf Club? If so I used to work there, don't know who the Greenkeeper is though.

Pretty sure all Celtis are weeds, at least round here they are. We even had someone from the council come around and tag trees threatening if we did not have them taken out we would be fined per tree.

Though I hear that individual got promoted and the issue seems to have been dropped.

There is quite a bit of it on council land as well, so it would be a bit hypocritical. Reminds me of when I lived in Sydney. In Willoughby Council, privet was not classified as a noxious weed, 4-5 blocks away in North Sydney it was. Willoughby had so much privet in the council land they just changed the scheduling of it to cut costs. Unfortunately I was not into bonsai back then, though most of those privets were too big to dig out, we just cut and poisoned em, even with a bobcat they proved stubborn.

[BonsaiElmo]

Made the cuts today, might go further still on a couple.

2011-08-17 celtis chop (10).jpg

Not sure about this one, if 2 v's would have been too symmetrical, or if this will balance out eventually

2011-08-17 celtis chop (12).jpg

2011-08-17 celtis chop (15).jpg

I cut a lot lower than I had intended on the largest stump, perhaps I should not have used the chainsaw

2011-08-17 celtis chop (6).jpg

Oh well, will see how they all look in a month or so when the new shoots come...

[Craig]

i like the angle you have planted the last V cut (last pic), that'll be the good one