Collected Euonymus burning bush advice for big chop

[bast]

I dug this big multi-trunk burning bush up from my yard two years ago. I put it in a ~25 gallon pot for a year. The following spring (last year), I heavily pruned the roots and potted it into this wooden box I built. This spring I'm planning to do a drastic chop on all the trunks to make it much more compact. I'm just not sure exactly where to chop.

I'm probably going to keep all of the trunks, because I hear these trees don't heal all that well. I don't like how straight they are so I was thinking of cutting them pretty short. I'm undecided on cutting above or below the first splits on each trunk.

I also don't know if it's really important to chop above visible buds, or if it will be able to grow new buds out anyway. I know these are usually single-flush species, but I'm assuming (hoping) that it's still early enough in the spring that it will sprout buds and have a full flush after the chop.

Also yeah those are air layers that I put on last year. They have swelled but not grown actual roots yet. I don't mind if I lose them, I just want this tree chopped.

So does anyone have any thoughts or advice? I might do the chop as early as tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[bast]

I do realize it’s not the best material for bonsai… it wasn’t the original plan when I dug it up, I just did it to plant a tree in its place in the yard. After it grew well in the big pot, I decided to try to make a bonsai out of it.

I think it looks alright at this size with the proportions, but it’s way too big really, and when you look closely, the branches have a lot of straight sections. That’s why I was thinking of chopping it really short and letting new branches grow that can be shaped over the coming years.

The other option of course is to just plant it elsewhere and make it a regular yard bush again. I don’t really have a good spot for it though... and I want to see how it would do as a bonsai. But I don’t want to ruin it either. Decisions are hard.

 

[Gabler]

That looks like great material for bonsai. Chop the trunks at different heights to create some variation.

 

[canoeguide]

Chop everything lower than you think, and as @Gabler said, be sure to vary the heights.

Right now you've got some relatively long, straight sections. If you chop them too high, you'll get new branches not far below the chops and you'll always have these straight sections in the middle of your tree. This species is very tough, and predictable, but you only get one flush of growth per year, so you don't want to waste years building ramification and then hate that you didn't chop it lower. I speak from experience

The species heals thumb-sized wounds just fine in a few years. I've been pleasantly surprised by this.

 

[The Barber]

Also not mentioned is how burning bush like to divide into 3's, I recommend being vigilant and keeping the branch division to 2, these guys swell pretty quick. You probably know this, but figured it is noteworthy.

 

[bast]

Thanks everyone! I think I’ll chop it today then, and fairly close to the base, with some variation in trunk lengths. Maybe the back V will be the tallest. All well below their first splits. The right side actually has some damaged bark that has healed over quite a bit. It goes from low to about 2/3 up toward its first split. I’m wondering if i should cut through it or make that trunk a bit longer to cut above…

 

[Cruiser]

This is decent material. It has the bones to create a nice openly-grown broadleaf tree. The uro and trunk damage are a bonus.

You’ve been given good advice.

Euonymus are so tough, straightforward, and pretty. Every time I consider getting rid of mine, they charm their way back into my heart.

 

[bast]

Chopped. It might be good to cut them even shorter, but they can't be uncut afterward, so I figured I'd ponder it a bit and maybe cut more tomorrow. The right one is extra long due to preserving all of the trunk damage, so it might be a limiter that the others need to balance with.



Damage cam:

 

[Gabler]

Chopped. It might be good to cut them even shorter, but they can't be uncut afterward, so I figured I'd ponder it a bit and maybe cut more tomorrow. The right one is extra long due to preserving all of the trunk damage, so it might be a limiter that the others need to balance with.

View attachment 585330

Damage cam:
View attachment 585331

That chop height looks pretty good to me.

 

[The Barber]

I'm with Gabler, I think the chop height looks good and you can always cut back to a lower branch they will push later on if you decide to. If you haven't, I'd seal those wounds to avoid dieback.

 

[bast]

Ah thanks, you don't think there's too much straightness there? I'm glad I didn't cut more. Actually I was thinking of shortening the left one quite a bit, to kind of expose more of that V trunk behind it; also for more variation, since the front 3 are roughly the same height.

Thanks for the reminder on sealing. I will definitely do so shortly (hope I didn't wait too long already). I was also planning to scoop out a little of the centers with a knob cutter too.

I'll report back after all is done. Thanks again!

PS I realized that my "damage cam" picture is missing a 5th branch (found it sitting on a bench a while after the pic). Ah well, close enough.

 

[bast]

I went ahead and shortened the left trunk a bunch, and slightly shortened the front one to balance. Hope I wasn't too aggressive. Oh well, can't go back now!

Also sealed the cuts. I gave up on digging out with knob cutters as I couldn't really get a grip to dig into the inner wood.

 

[MMJNICE]

Just Wanted to say really good start to your collected burning bush. I have a couple myself so I'll be watching your thread with interest. I hope you stick with it good luck.

 

[RJG2]

Looks like I have its brother!

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Apr 29, 2024

Burning bush/Euonymus alatus from the woods.

• RJG2

• 

 

[ForrestW]

Nice tree to start with-- and good decisions. I grew mine for 10 years then decided I wanted it shorter... They have some good qualities but as mentioned only a single flush so it takes a little time to get momentum.

 

[bast]

Looks like I have its brother!

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Apr 29, 2024

Burning bush/Euonymus alatus from the woods.

• RJG2

• 

That's awesome, it does remind me of mine a lot! Yours has a really nice root flare, I love it.

Dredging up some old pictures to show more of the process... I guess I never took photos of it before I dug it up, or even right afterward. The earliest pic I have is from October 2023, with it in the big container I had plopped it into, when it had its bright red leaves falling:



And then March 2024 when I took it out of the container, showing how much the roots filled it in that year:



You can see how buried into the ground the base was in that picture.

And this is after the laborious process of clearing away that soil and most of the roots (took me all afternoon if I recall), testing the size in the box I built for it:

 

[RJG2]

That's awesome, it does remind me of mine a lot! Yours has a really nice root flare, I love it.

Dredging up some old pictures to show more of the process... I guess I never took photos of it before I dug it up, or even right afterward. The earliest pic I have is from October 2023, with it in the big container I had plopped it into, when it had its bright red leaves falling:

View attachment 585967

And then March 2024 when I took it out of the container, showing how much the roots filled it in that year:

View attachment 585968

You can see how buried into the ground the base was in that picture.

And this is after the laborious process of clearing away that soil and most of the roots (took me all afternoon if I recall), testing the size in the box I built for it:
View attachment 585969

Nice, mine is from a local nature preserve - I volunteered to be a steward - which is pretty much just hacking back bittersweet, ensuring the paths are clear, and digging up other invasives I can use for bonsai.

 

[MMJNICE]

Looks like I have its brother!

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Apr 29, 2024

Burning bush/Euonymus alatus from the woods.

• RJG2

• 

I love how flat burning bushes roots are.. look like you got a good one.

 

[bast]

Saw a few buds pushing out today. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't see any this year, so that's a relief.

This one is in a really nice spot I think, at the top of the tallest trunk:


The couple others I've seen so far aren't really in spots that I was hoping for...

 

[The Barber]

Saw a few buds pushing out today. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't see any this year, so that's a relief.

This one is in a really nice spot I think, at the top of the tallest trunk:
View attachment 588284

The couple others I've seen so far aren't really in spots that I was hoping for...
View attachment 588285

You should generally see growth in the spring on any tree you chop back hard in the spring. Although some people have seen collected trees wait till fall or the next spring from what I've read. Everything I've had that didn't push in the spring ended up dead sadly.