AusBonsai

Here's a lil' project I have going atm the moment, utilising some large leaf privet locally sourced from my gutters.

I know we usually bind saplings/seedlings over a form/rock, but I thought I would try something a bit different and try to weave an inverse basket in pot.
I have used this method to weave baskets and lampshades before so thought it possible.

Started with about 60 saplings. Defoliated them and removed branches.


Positioned the four largest around the perimeter of the 200mm pot.

I then wired the tips together to form a pyramid. This is the only fixing used on the basket weave.


I began inserting roots through to inside the pyramid and began wrapping/ weaving them around in the same direction progressing to the tip in a spiral.

This is a progression of how I insert the roots inside then wrap around the cage whilst weaving upwards. Whilst you are weaving upwards you also want to be weaving in and out of the uprights. Add more uprights if needed to sustain the in and out weavings form.

And this is it so far. From here i'll either bind with jute and pull it all together, alternatively I may leave it as is. With the speed of growth the privet should fuse the gaps within 3 years.
The pot is only there to serve as a convenient holding tool, the bottom will now be cut out to expose roots and ground planted.

If nothing else, it serves as something to do with otherwise bin bound plants. This seasons are now growing and are about 10 inches high, so I may use about 60 more thinner seedlings to bring the weave in tighter.

That is crazy mate, great imagination, hope it works well, would they eventually fuse?

See in the middle of the last pic there is one thicker, more-so than the others? That one is 1 1/2 years old. If you do the math on those gaps, within 3 years it will be almost fully fused.

Like I was saying though, now that I am looking at the pics, I can see places I would like to stick about 60 more smaller seedlings to fill gaps.

that will look so cool man!!! keep us posted, i want some D:

rch003 wrote:that will look so cool man!!! keep us posted, i want some D:

Get excited about weeds much..?! Nah just kidding! It is fun, I don't think I have the energy tonight, but I will finish the weave with more. I'll keep ya updated, in a week it should be busting with new growth... I am struggling with reducing leaf size on the large leaf varieties. Smalls I have down pat the just reduce to nothing, but I pluck and pluck but they still grow back to normal size.

Mitchell wrote:

rch003 wrote:that will look so cool man!!! keep us posted, i want some D:

Get excited about weeds much..?! Nah just kidding! It is fun, I don't think I have the energy tonight, but I will finish the weave with more. I'll keep ya updated, in a week it should be busting with new growth... I am struggling with reducing leaf size on the large leaf varieties. Smalls I have down pat the just reduce to nothing, but I pluck and pluck but they still grow back to normal size.

Mitchell very cool weave going on, it will be an interesting trunk once its all fused up. For the time being dont worry about leaf size, once your trees really start to mature & fill up it will happen.

While a tree is developing i dont worry about leaf size because i want grow, once it starts to mature & i want to build fine ramification is when I start to see some leaf reduction and I dont even do anything apart from starve them, keep them in drought conditions & dont feed them

Matt

Hey Mate, I know what you mean, though I'm not interested in leaf size of this plant more-so in leaf reduction of large leaf privets. I have several 20m trees around my house, and have profuse amounts of seedlings.

I am only interested in leaf size reduction, as I have many other specimens of this variety training atm and know I have issues with them, hence possibly this one in the future.

Hey bud,

Is all cool, I was meaning that once you get them towards finishing stages the leaves will come down in size. I have seen large leaf reduce to about the size of a normal small leaf privet, easily distinguished by its shape.

The grower who's tree it was explained their theory. Once a Privet is styled & fully grown as a bonsai, you stop all feeding, not even once a year Water only when the tree is wilting the result... tiny leaves by comparison and somehow it doesnt seem to affect his trees in the long term, showing me some he had been growing this way for about 15yrs after failing to get them to reduce much for many before that.

Matt

Interesting... don't get me wrong, sometimes I find it hard to verbalise what I am trying to say on the interwebs. I was merely trying to convey leaf reduction interested me in general.

I will indeed try said method, as pinching does not seem to be working. I can pinch them all back and keep them small by constant plucking, but as soon as I let up they go large again.
I'll work on growth first for the others, then try the starving method when I am happy with branch development.

For this one though, it's in the ground and ferts all round, want to put on as much growth for the rest of the season as possible.

Hi Mitchell , now i have read it , can we have an update on this as a progression .Cheers slow ol' alpineart