AusBonsai

Hi all,

I've got this tree growing down the road from me and have absolutely no clue as to what it is? :$

Sorry, hit send too soon.






I'm pretty sure it's deciduous as I've seen it with no leaves in winter, I could be wrong though?

Any thoughts?

Jason

Wow!! don't know but equally as curious

Hi Jason Looks like Ailanthus altissima - Tree of Heaven.
It is a declared weed in Vic and NSW http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/p ... -of-heaven. Very difficult to get rid of. Comes up from seed and also suckers from the roots. Digging it up will only cause more to sprout from pieces of root left in the ground. Only the most toxic chemicals will kill it.

My advise - stay well clear of that one

Ailanthus atissima ,tree of heaven

So does that mean its legal to dig it out? I may have to ask the council I think.....

I've already taken some suckers to see how they. Why do you say steer clear for bonsai? Is it due to the suckers? Or just so we don't promote growth of the weed?

Cheers for the quick answer to guys much appreciated.

Regards jason

not for bonsai because it is a declared noxious weed - not legally allowed to grow declared weeds and required to manage the plant to reduce the numbers and spread.

AND the large compound leaves will not look good on a bonsai.

Does this mean it is illegal? Just wondering in comparison to privets? This is more so trying to find the legalities of it, not questioning you, so please don't think that shibui.

It means that you can grow it but you must not allow it to spread or become an issue... IE remove any seed before it matures and not plant it in the ground where it could take hold. If you were to grow it in a pot & not allow it to seed you have met the requirements of the law.

Ok, cool.

Cheers for that leptolover. I only planned on growing in pots.

In relation to the large leaves, perhaps I can try and grow them for a winter display tree only?

I will be very vigilant to not let it spread from the pots though.

Jason

Sorry Guys but I read 'must be managed in a manner that reduces its numbers' to mean landholders should be actively trying to get rid of them rather than propagating more

I just can't understand why anyone would want to grow a known problem plant when there are so many other non invasive species that make great bonsai

Experience shows that no matter how good the intentions are, there is a high chance of escape when you get too busy or loose interest at some stage in the future. it is not worth the risk.

A lot of the trees we like to grow as Bonsai are in fact weeds in one place or another. Without thinking to hard about it I came up with a few. Chinese Elms, Murraya, Privet, Celtis, Pines (in some areas), a few of the vines we grow are weeds, Lantana, Olives, Boxthorn. The list goes on. I see no problems with using 'weeds', as long as we are careful with seeds and cuttings we take off the plant. SA Bonsai would be the much poorer, if not for the use of 'weed Olives'. A few really nice privet Bonsai to be found in NSW and Celtis in Qld as well.

Hi Jason.
Just a guess, but without getting into the weed consideration issue, if you are planning on making a bonsai out of this species and due to leaf type and size you are going for the winter image, you still probably won't be able to acheive decent ramification anyway.
I have no experience with this species and I could very well be wrong, but I for one wouldn't bother with it. Perhaps consider using a different species that will provide better results.
Good luck, cheers Dario.