5yr Native Tree & pot challenge: Defra - Fraxinus Excelsior

[defra]

every year i pull out about 100 seedlings that pop up everywere around my house and i mean every little crack between the tile's the benches in random spots in the garden close to my house is this big fraxinus tree and the seedlings are very invasive....

in 2020 i had one growing in my front garden i choped it down once and let it grow then full summer 2020 i decided to take a shovel and potted it up and it didnt skip a beat.
following pictures are from this process.
after collection.


cut off roots






the tree after potting up

 

[defra]

update as promised this is this tree now its up for the next chop then growing the next section and hope that i get some backbudding

 

[Zelrod]

Let us know how the ash recovers after the cut. It looks nice at the base!

 

[defra]

i completely forgot about this contest but i still have this ash sitting in the same pot it will have to be repotted this year ill take some pictures to see how the roots developed.

 

[defra]

so i have been re reading the rules a little bit but some time ago i saw a video of someone that made a flowerpot out of an old rag and some cement..
i made a cement bonsai pot following this process but as i am not sure about the pot if it even would be up against frost or heat continues water etc i have to test the pot.... the contest require a finished picture before 31 december 2025 in a native or self made pot so this tree will go into the concrete pot i made to test it for durability and not have another plastic pot on my bench!

the tree itself is alive but after the last chop i only chopped the top few branches so it did not really progress if i compare it to the pictures out of the update from 2022.
i think i should have repotted and pruned more often but at least its still alive we will see where this ends

 

[yashu]

Is there a “mother thread” for this contest? I’d love a link! I have a tree collected last spring and pot both from Maine. That could be somewhat presentable by next season if entry was not closed for this. Even if it was closed I’d post up for honorable mention as I’m pretty excited about putting this plant and pot together.

 

[defra]

So yesterday i took time to repot this one.
The plan was my own made concrete pot but the roots didnt fit so back into a plastic trainings pot it went.
Perhaps in fall i can pot it up in there but unlikely that i will force the plant for just this contest i chose health over that by planting it back in the trainingspot.

It been 4 years in the pot so it was full rootbound and i had to do some extensive rootwork.
I shortened all big roots removed one completely and planted it deep in the pot hiding the future nebari of the tree so it can Develop some more.
I think 2 years without potting is max for this one when building the nebari so next time ill have to do it sooner!

Also i chopped it down again untill the first branch ill let it grow freely next season i want to build a taller slender tree design in the future and need lots of growth to close the wounds.
This will not win the contest but its a fun project for sure!

 

[RJG2]

Is there a “mother thread” for this contest? I’d love a link! I have a tree collected last spring and pot both from Maine. That could be somewhat presentable by next season if entry was not closed for this. Even if it was closed I’d post up for honorable mention as I’m pretty excited about putting this plant and pot together.

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/the-five-year-native-tree-native-pot-challenge.46006/

Ends at the end of this year though.