AusBonsai

hey everyone

i'am planning on digging this hionki from my back yard in late winter/early spring

the foliage is very dense and no light is reaching inside so the foliage is a long way from the trunk
can i give it a good hack now? i dont know to much about this species
or would it be best to wait to hack it in late winter when i remove it
i sunk a shovel into the garden bed and as far as i can tell the concrete slab goes nearly all the way to the wall so removing shouldnt be too much of a problem

any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated
cheers matt

Do your research before you hack and dig, Hinoki are not like any other conifer. They will not back bud, at all, ever. There is a bot if information about so do a google search.

Paul

I concur, no back budding. If you cut past green say goodbye to that branch.

Unfortunately, this isn't the easiest tree to work with

If the tree is going to be removed anyway, you may as well have a crack at it. It would be an excellent tree to practice wiring on!! If you can turn a tree of long leggy branches into something presentable then you're on the right track haha

Regards,
Mo

hey thanks for the feed back guys much appreciated

i did some reading............... they really dont back bud do they haha
lets see how i go trying to make something presentable

I wanna see whats inside that ball of green! A few progression pics would be nice

I have dug a couple of older hinoki from my garden, contrary to popular belief they will bud back a little but not reliably. If you have the time its better to open up the canopy and let some light into the interior while the tree is still in the ground then allow the shoots inside to develop over a period of time. There is one in my garden now that is earmarked for removal and I have spent a couple of years gradually reducing the outer canopy. Large specimens of this species are quite hard to come by in this country so if you can take your time it would be well worth the effort.
Craigw

Hi matty-j,

I fully agree with Craig, you need to be patient and go slow about it! Hinoki of that size are not readily available and looking what you've got there is worth the effort. I've got a few in various sizes and love them, but I've also lost a few by not taking the time and the necessary care.
As Craig suggested - open it up, but again be careful not cutting too much …. if it’s gone it’s gone! Good luck and enjoy!

Cheers,
Rudi

I always love a contradictory post.

I can't talk about the species Hinoki as I don't grow them, but I know the dwarf cultivars won't back bud or reshoot on old wood. I grow the following ; flabelliformis, gracilis, nana gracilis, spiralis and kosteri, (ignore the spelling) from my own experience with these I can say they will not shoot from old wood, which has a reddish-brown bark. They may shoot from the greenish branches between the brown bark and behind the lusher growing foliage, but not consistently (and anyway, this is not old wood).

The species tree or perhaps other cultivars may shoot, but I doubt it. It's like talking about Sao To Me azalea, everyone agrees that they don't flower, except for that one person. Many people get Hinoki, C. obtusa confused with C. pisifera or Thuja cultivars, which behave differently to Hinoki.

Anyway, good luck with it, and take it slow.

Paul

I grow many species of dwarf conifers in the garden here, pines, fastigate junipers, picea, tsuga, cryptomeria and more. There is no confusion as to the species although with some of the older ones I am not sure of the cultivar name. With the dwarf hinoki there is no doubt they back bud sporadically for me.
Craigw

nice material Craig.

thanks paul will do!
thanks craig very nice material! ill definitely be pm you if i run into trouble

this tree is at my parents house and it was planted when my brother was born 30 years ago! along with a nandina to the left of it (which i will be trying to collect at the same time)

the trunk splits into 3 different trunks i have no idea what will be kept yet, this weekend i will be opening it up and getting a hose in there and washing out the years of leaf litter thats in there and having a better look ill remove foliage to let light in and if i feel its right ill remove one of the trunks to a long stub

here are some photos, sorry for the bad quality
cheers
matt

Good post and experience Craig.

Grant

Craig,

Thanks for posting up some pictures and info. I'm curious about some specifics though.

Did the back budding only appear on ground planted trees? Have you had any on pot planted trees?

Did you feed the plants in the ground? And what with.

I ask as I only have potted trees.

Regards

Paul

p.s, sorry in taking so long to post but had troubles with timing out on posts.

How did this one go?