bnw
Seedling
Hi B-Nutters,
I haven't seen too much about western larch (Larix occidentalis) and bonsai culture online (although the little I have seen here has been helpful), so I thought I'd add my experience here. It's been a couple years since I collected this western larch, which is now budding out, so I'm hoping it will survive.
I collected it in April 2022, just before budburst, from a rocky hillside. I suspect many of the roots extended meters into this rocky soil in order for the tree to have survived our hot and dry late summers. However, I was able to keep some fine feeder roots near the base of the tree, which fit easily into this terracotta pot. Most of the native soil fell away from the roots upon collection, so it was potted in mostly bonsai substrate (pumice, fine conifer bark, and calcined clay).
Shoots emerged after collection and it seemed fine for about a month. Then all the new needles died and I figured it was a failed collection due to insufficient roots. Thankfully, I didn't throw it then and forgot about it for a few weeks. I think I was picking it up to throw it out when I discovered new growth emerging. This second growth emerged, but didn't extend, for the remainder of the 2022 growing season.
The winter of 2022/2023, I believe I treated it like my other hardy trees - I left it outside to freeze unless temperatures dropped below 15 deg F, when I'd take it into my garage that stays around 25-35 deg F when temperatures get that cold.
Last growing season (2023) it woke up and put out new needles, but these shoots didn't extend much or at all.
It's now got emerging buds (April 2024), about the same amount as last year. I recently did some light wiring to it.
One interesting thing about this tree (that maybe bodes ill?) is the reddish tips of the emerging shoots. It doesn't appear to be a larch needle disease, or at least one that I could fine online or in a book. I've seen this reddish color on some of the other larches near where I collected it, but haven't see it on other western larches in my area (usually the new growth of western larches is bright green). I figured the reddish color was water/heat stress from growing on a south facing/dry hillside where I collected it. However, this tree is now two years post collection and still pushing red/brown tipped shoots.
I haven't seen too much about western larch (Larix occidentalis) and bonsai culture online (although the little I have seen here has been helpful), so I thought I'd add my experience here. It's been a couple years since I collected this western larch, which is now budding out, so I'm hoping it will survive.
I collected it in April 2022, just before budburst, from a rocky hillside. I suspect many of the roots extended meters into this rocky soil in order for the tree to have survived our hot and dry late summers. However, I was able to keep some fine feeder roots near the base of the tree, which fit easily into this terracotta pot. Most of the native soil fell away from the roots upon collection, so it was potted in mostly bonsai substrate (pumice, fine conifer bark, and calcined clay).
Shoots emerged after collection and it seemed fine for about a month. Then all the new needles died and I figured it was a failed collection due to insufficient roots. Thankfully, I didn't throw it then and forgot about it for a few weeks. I think I was picking it up to throw it out when I discovered new growth emerging. This second growth emerged, but didn't extend, for the remainder of the 2022 growing season.
The winter of 2022/2023, I believe I treated it like my other hardy trees - I left it outside to freeze unless temperatures dropped below 15 deg F, when I'd take it into my garage that stays around 25-35 deg F when temperatures get that cold.
Last growing season (2023) it woke up and put out new needles, but these shoots didn't extend much or at all.
It's now got emerging buds (April 2024), about the same amount as last year. I recently did some light wiring to it.
One interesting thing about this tree (that maybe bodes ill?) is the reddish tips of the emerging shoots. It doesn't appear to be a larch needle disease, or at least one that I could fine online or in a book. I've seen this reddish color on some of the other larches near where I collected it, but haven't see it on other western larches in my area (usually the new growth of western larches is bright green). I figured the reddish color was water/heat stress from growing on a south facing/dry hillside where I collected it. However, this tree is now two years post collection and still pushing red/brown tipped shoots.
