Field Growing Bonsai - What's The Consensus?

[Jamie]

hi mate,

the thing is you will always find conflicting advice. one will say one thing and another twenty different again. i think evergreengardenworks ideas on chopping back is a good one, it can ensure good taper. all things aside though every species will react differently with different techniques needed.

[Bretts]

I would recomend Peter Adams Maples book. It has some great techniques for ground growing.
There is some great reading from Gary Wood. I believe he is connected to Peter Adams in some way.
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3287

[teejay]

Isn't it always the way with these things Jamie, no bloody straight answers. Thanks again.

Bretts:

I actually have Peter Adams' maples book. It's the conflict between his advice and the advice of others (namely Harry Harrington) that I'm mainly referring to. Thanks for the link.

Cheers.

[bodhidharma]

I have tried something different on a plum in the last few years . I designed the tree in a pot for 4 years, wired the trunk to get movement and not worry about its branching, just setting the trunk movement and height. When i had its design i put it into the ground and it has been there for 3 years now growing freely. I stripped it back to its original design last early Autumn and it had thickened its trunk fourfold and had not lost its movement. Now i only need to grow new branches which should not take to long on a plum.

[nealweb]

I have tried something different on a plum in the last few years . I designed the tree in a pot for 4 years, wired the trunk to get movement and not worry about its branching, just setting the trunk movement and height. When i had its design i put it into the ground and it has been there for 3 years now growing freely. I stripped it back to its original design last early Autumn and it had thickened its trunk fourfold and had not lost its movement. Now i only need to grow new branches which should not take to long on a plum.

G'Day Bodhi, did you loose any of the original taper in the trunk when as you thickened it in the ground ?

[bodhidharma]

G'day Neal, no it did not, everything thickened equally maybe i got lucky but it does look very proportional. I have a lot of trees out field growing same old way, let it grow ,cut it back etc but you cant get away from the scarring. I know it grows over in time but i cannot see why you cannot stick an established tree into the ground to thicken it up. I am sure this isnt new i just had never tried it. I will post it if i can get low enough to the ground to get a photo that captures it other wise when its back into a pot. Hopefully all i will have to establish will be a new leader and some branching.

[Jamie]

G'day Neal, no it did not, everything thickened equally maybe i got lucky but it does look very proportional. I have a lot of trees out field growing same old way, let it grow ,cut it back etc but you cant get away from the scarring. I know it grows over in time but i cannot see why you cannot stick an established tree into the ground to thicken it up. I am sure this isnt new i just had never tried it. I will post it if i can get low enough to the ground to get a photo that captures it other wise when its back into a pot. Hopefully all i will have to establish will be a new leader and some branching.

sounds like your technique is working well Bod! scars are unavoidable, whether ground growing or in refinement with the removal of branching, the good thing bout that is you can generally get small ones to heal well. in lindsays WOB series two episode 8 it shows a bloke with a massive fukien tea and they intentionally grow branches as sacrifices to then chop off and create uro or as they called it horse eyes, they looked great too, especially when you get different sized ones, and of course on the right tree!

i look forward to seeing ya plum if you can get a pic

[nealweb]

Excellent, thats good to hear. I'd love to see the pics, before and after if you have. Its certainly the way to grow azalea's. Get a long skinny 'whip' put lots of bends in it and plant it in the ground to grow for years and form a decent trunk but not cutting back the trunk, just the branches to stimulate more and vigorous growth. Then chop all the branches off, lift the trunk, pot it and regrow the branches from there. I wasn't sure how other ( more apically dominant) species would go with this but it sounds like your plum has done well so its worth trying out.

[teejay]

Thanks for that Bohdi, sounds like you might be onto something.