AusBonsai

Hi,
my swampy has been in the ground for 4 years its 6ft high bigger than i thought it would get in 4 years should i pull it up and put it in a pot?
i'll get some pics and when is a good time to dig it up? should i create one of those wooden box pots for it?

Simon

Hey Simon,

The ground is the best place to grow trees. People mainly use grow boxes and pots because they lack the space.

Is it in the ground using the collander method?

Jarad wrote:Is it in the ground using the collander method?

Here's the thread by Ray M if you haven't already seen it:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=14986

During that time you should have dug it every 2 years and cut back the roots and chopped the top for taper. I would start doing that now. You can use a colander or a big pot or styro box and let it root through. That is the best method as you keep a pot full of roots and just have to saw through the roots that have escaped. If you keep it off the ground on some bricks it is even easier to cut the roots. Remember to fertilise the ground and not the pot to encourage the roots out

Come on guys, the question was not about colanders or the best way to grow trees in the ground and, besides, this tree will be far too large to fit into any colander I know of.. Maybe good advice for future attempts but isn't solving the current problem.

my swampy has been in the ground for 4 years its 6ft high bigger than i thought it would get in 4 years should i pull it up and put it in a pot?
i'll get some pics and when is a good time to dig it up? should i create one of those wooden box pots for it?

1. Whether it is worth digging for bonsai will depend on what the lower part of the trunk looks like and how long you are prepared to work regrowing the apex to make a bonsai. Most trees can be used. The question is whether it is worth taking the time.
2. Generally accepted best time is when it is dormant which will be over winter. I don't think it will matter early or later in winter.
3. My guess is that it will be too big to fit in any pots and probably too big to fit in a polystyrene fruit box so the only alternative is to make a larger box to accommodate the roots. More questions arise from this: Where will you find a bonsai pot that big when it is ready to be potted properly? Can you manage a tree of that size when it needs to be repotted or taken to the club show? Where are you going to keep it?

Some advice on taking trees from the ground: Roots can be cut far shorter than most people think. the best time to cut roots back really hard is when you first dig the tree because you will also reduce the top at the same time. When digging my maples I generally cut all roots back to around 5cm on larger trees and shorter on smaller ones. Swampies seem to be pretty hardy so I think it should tolerate hard pruning like that too.
If there are no side branches in the right spot to shorten the trunk just cut it straight across. there is no point making an angled trunk cut until you know where the new buds will grow from.

Ditto to what Shibui just said!

Ha ha Edward, that is usually a pretty safe bet. "I'll have what she's having".

Peach, if you haven't lifted and trimmed the roots and cut the top back to get some taper during its time in the ground, I would dig, lift and do that now. I would then put it back in the ground to grow a very strong and vigorous leader to start developing some good taper - it will develop faster in the ground than in a pot. Once you think that the general core trunk shape/width/taper is getting close, then put it into a pot and work on settling the primary branches etc (which you can get started during the above process to get a head start).

A pic will help people give you more tailored advice.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

packet of 25 smokes to show size of the trunk but not the base. i haven't dug it up yet any advice on it.

Simon

Now is the time to dig it up, Cut back roots to get rid of any larger ones, trunk Chop, Wire up a new leader and replant it.
Let it rip for another 2 years and see what you have.

Unless of course you want to just chop and carve the top for interest, then build branching in the lower trunk. In which case, dig it up now and start developing it in a training pot.

Ken

where do i chop the trunk?

i know the tree wont fit in a collander what about the plastic fruit container things
https://d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net/p ... 1335865023

what soil to put in it? i've searched and its pine bark, diatomite, sand. should the plant be in that medium now?

Simon

have you considered air layering the top off. It will slow down development but will give you 2 trees. About 12 inches from the soil

PeachSlices wrote:where do i chop the trunk?

i know the tree wont fit in a collander what about the plastic fruit container things
https://d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net/p ... 1335865023

what soil to put in it? i've searched and its pine bark, diatomite, sand. should the plant be in that medium now?

Simon

You need to decide now, what height and style the tree will be? Tall with a foliage canopy top? Tall with a carved top and foliage below the canopy? Shorte with thos 2 options? Something else altogether?

They will help determine where to chop as once you do you cannot put it back on. What height tree would you like to finish with?

That box looks too deep for my liking. When you lift trees, they should go into shallower containers to develop nebari.

What soil mix do you use for all your other trees? All mine are the same mix regardless of the development stage that they are at.

Ken

kcpoole wrote:

PeachSlices wrote:where do i chop the trunk?

i know the tree wont fit in a collander what about the plastic fruit container things
https://d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net/p ... 1335865023

what soil to put in it? i've searched and its pine bark, diatomite, sand. should the plant be in that medium now?

Simon

You need to decide now, what height and style the tree will be? Tall with a foliage canopy top? Tall with a carved top and foliage below the canopy? Shorte with thos 2 options? Something else altogether?

They will help determine where to chop as once you do you cannot put it back on. What height tree would you like to finish with?

That box looks too deep for my liking. When you lift trees, they should go into shallower containers to develop nebari.

What soil mix do you use for all your other trees? All mine are the same mix regardless of the development stage that they are at.

Ken

I use those crates for growing trees. I plant the tree on a tile in the crate which helps develop the nebari while giving room for the tree to still grow strong. Once I get to a more refined state but not yet ready for a bonsai pot I use these. I put shade cloth in the bottom. These really push the nebari out as they are shallow but still room to grow.

Josh.

Clever


Cheers
EZ
Via Tapatalk

guys its still in the ground the base of the trunk is huge
will be dug up in a week
its been 2 years and that 2 years made it bigger

Simon