Developing an Unexplored Species for Bonsai – Research, Techniques, and Experimentation

[trigo]

In Brazil, there are many native species rarely used for bonsai. I'm not talking about well-known ones like jabuticaba, pitanga, or Brazilian Rain Tree, but rather species that most Brazilians have never even heard of. One that caught my attention is Amburana cearensis.

Very few people have attempted to cultivate this species as a bonsai, and those who have, only started doing so recently (less than five years ago, as far as I know). There is little to no information on the best soil, techniques, or how far this species can develop as a bonsai. No studies have been conducted specifically for this purpose, and even the academic research on the species is scarce and lacks detail.

I’m looking for insights on how to seriously cultivate an unexplored and little-known species. Some key questions:

• Propagation: Should I focus on growing from cuttings, germinating seeds, or collecting yamadori?
• Testing: What’s the best way to experiment with different soil compositions and fertilizers?
• Techniques: How can I determine the most effective bonsai techniques for this species?
• Sample Size: How many plants would I need to grow to obtain reliable conclusions?

Favorable characteristics for bonsai, including:

• Excellent wound healing, possibly better than Ficus.
• Can withstand radical root pruning.
• Allows very thick cuttings, similar to olive trees.
• Leaves reduce well in size.
• Beautiful trunk with multiple colors and natural peeling.
• Fragrant flowers and fruit production.
• Highly resistant to adverse conditions.

I’m seriously considering specializing in a single native species and developing specific techniques for it, helping to promote my country's native flora and strengthen the national bonsai culture. In the future, I might even export seeds to other countries and help popularize it. I’d appreciate any advice on how to approach this in the best possible way. Please, help me figure this out!

 

[trigo]

Following some good photos, they are not mine. They are from a local artist named Pechin, you can find him on instagram pechin_arte.

 

[trigo]

and these are from other sources:

 

[pandacular]

I’m seriously considering specializing in a single native species and developing specific techniques for it, helping to promote my country's native flora and strengthen the national bonsai culture.

I think everyone outside of Asia should be doing this—pick one “unproven” native, ideally one that can be collected, and put a certain amount of focus into learning how it works. This pattern seems to have worked well in Australia, California, the Mediterranean, and no doubt throughout Asia as well, though in less recent history.

I don’t have tips on how to address the questions of what sorts of experiments to run, but I know @MaciekA has been doing similar work on balsam poplar. I also hope to follow this thread and learn for my own experimenting on my local natives.

 

[rockm]

This is the same path that introduced bald cypress, cedar elm, eastern white cedar, Carolina hornbeam. American larch and others that are now commonly used here in south/east/ north U.S.

Jump in. Work on them. I’d work with both larger collected trees and smaller seedlings to see what the species is like across its life span. Older trees react differently than younger trees. Goals are also different for both.

 

[Shibui]

• Excellent wound healing, possibly better than Ficus.
• Can withstand radical root pruning.
• Allows very thick cuttings, similar to olive trees.
• Leaves reduce well in size.
• Beautiful trunk with multiple colors and natural peeling.
• Fragrant flowers and fruit production.
• Highly resistant to adverse conditions.

Sounds like you have already explored most of the desirable characteristics for bonsai. The only other criteria I look for is 'will back bud on bare wood after pruning' but from the look of the pictures this species does that well too.

• Propagation: Should I focus on growing from cuttings, germinating seeds, or collecting yamadori?
• Testing: What’s the best way to experiment with different soil compositions and fertilizers?
• Techniques: How can I determine the most effective bonsai techniques for this species?
• Sample Size: How many plants would I need to grow to obtain reliable conclusions?

Not sure that propagation methods matter much. We all use what works for us and what gives results. I guess you'll need to check if any seed treatment is required to enhance germination and check whether the species can be struck as cuttings and under what conditions because sooner or later people will want to know all that.
I'm not really in favour of collecting yamadori natives. Trees in the forest were not put there for us to steal for profit. They are part of the environment and belong to everyone.

The only way I know of testing different parameters is to set up trials. I'm not up with what's accepted scientific trials but I usually start of with batches of 3 to get a rough idea of what works and what doesn't. Trials that fail are scrapped and those that show promise can be tried again with larger numbers.


Make sure you have controls in any tests to see if what you are testing is helping or whether the trees grow regardless of what you are trying with them.

 

[trigo]

I think everyone outside of Asia should be doing this—pick one “unproven” native, ideally one that can be collected, and put a certain amount of focus into learning how it works. This pattern seems to have worked well in Australia, California, the Mediterranean, and no doubt throughout Asia as well, though in less recent history.

I don’t have tips on how to address the questions of what sorts of experiments to run, but I know @MaciekA has been doing similar work on balsam poplar. I also hope to follow this thread and learn for my own experimenting on my local natives.

I think more people should choose a native species to study as well. The good thing about this one is that we can take an entire big tree, chop it into pieces, and get several plants.

This is the same path that introduced bald cypress, cedar elm, eastern white cedar, Carolina hornbeam. American larch and others that are now commonly used here in south/east/ north U.S.

Jump in. Work on them. I’d work with both larger collected trees and smaller seedlings to see what the species is like across its life span. Older trees react differently than younger trees. Goals are also different for both.

Currently, I only have two cuttings that I will propagate, but I will also try to germinate seeds and collect some yamadori.

 

[trigo]

Sounds like you have already explored most of the desirable characteristics for bonsai. The only other criteria I look for is 'will back bud on bare wood after pruning' but from the look of the pictures this species does that well too.


Not sure that propagation methods matter much. We all use what works for us and what gives results. I guess you'll need to check if any seed treatment is required to enhance germination and check whether the species can be struck as cuttings and under what conditions because sooner or later people will want to know all that.
I'm not really in favour of collecting yamadori natives. Trees in the forest were not put there for us to steal for profit. They are part of the environment and belong to everyone.

The only way I know of testing different parameters is to set up trials. I'm not up with what's accepted scientific trials but I usually start of with batches of 3 to get a rough idea of what works and what doesn't. Trials that fail are scrapped and those that show promise can be tried again with larger numbers.


Make sure you have controls in any tests to see if what you are testing is helping or whether the trees grow regardless of what you are trying with them.

The characteristics I mentioned are inherent to the plant itself, it does indeed backbud from bare wood after pruning. What remains a question is how well and how easily it ramifies, as well as how it will respond to common bonsai techniques like pinching and wiring. I think most techniques used on deciduous bonsai can likely be applied to it as well.

Do you think batches of three are enough to draw conclusions? I will first propagate and get several individuals to experiment with, but I'm not sure how many I should have to reach solid conclusions from my tests. My first test will focus on propagation itself, cuttings will probably be the fastest way to propagate.

What is the best way to propagate trident maples? I know you have thousands of them.

 

[Gabler]

The characteristics I mentioned are inherent to the plant itself, it does indeed backbud from bare wood after pruning. What remains a question is how well and how easily it ramifies, as well as how it will respond to common bonsai techniques like pinching and wiring. I think most techniques used on deciduous bonsai can likely be applied to it as well.

Do you think batches of three are enough to draw conclusions? I will first propagate and get several individuals to experiment with, but I'm not sure how many I should have to reach solid conclusions from my tests. My first test will focus on propagation itself, cuttings will probably be the fastest way to propagate.

What is the best way to propagate trident maples? I know you have thousands of them.

The more trees you have, the more solid your conclusions will be. I would also try to get cuttings from many different parent plants, so they are not all genetically identical. If you can grow a few from seed, that would help, too.

 

[trigo]

The more trees you have, the more solid your conclusions will be. I would also try to get cuttings from many different parent plants, so they are not all genetically identical. If you can grow a few from seed, that would help, too.

That's a really good idea, i had not thought about genetic differences. I will try to source more material from different collection locals too. Thanks.

 

[Shibui]

Do you think batches of three are enough to draw conclusions? I will first propagate and get several individuals to experiment with, but I'm not sure how many I should have to reach solid conclusions from my tests. My first test will focus on propagation itself, cuttings will probably be the fastest way to propagate.

I see 3 as a minimum. It just lets us know whether whatever we are testing is a viable option. If all 3 do poorly or die there's no point going on with that particular technique. If 2 or 3 respond well then it's time to increase the numbers. That's when I'd boost the test subjects up to around 10 in a trial. As @Gabler said, the more the better but you need time and space to house your test subjects. There's so much to try, you'll either need a lifetime or a huge area to house all your test subjects.
An example: I wanted to test appropriate time of year to root prune Australian native Banksias. I started with 30 seedlings in October (Spring down here) and root pruned then repotted 3 each month and recorded the results. All survived and grew well until March when all 3 refused to grow. April results similar so I concluded that banksia seedlings can be repotted any time of year except autumn and winter. Now I knew when to root prune I started trials to see how much root could be pruned. 3 trees to have 1/2 the roots removed, 3 trees to have 3/4 roots removed and 3 trees to have 80-90% of roots pruned off.
Then on to tolerance for pruning and other bonsai techniques. I spent around 15 years testing various different bonsai techniques and what time of year produced good results and bad results. I did not even come close to testing all the options I would have liked to test and that's just one species.
If there's no conclusive result in a trial - results are split 2/1 or 1/2 I'd redo with up to 10 subjects to try to get a better idea of whether the first result was just chance or whether that particular technique or time is not a good option.

I only grow tridents from seed. I don't get great results from trident cuttings so seed is actually quicker. These days I don't even have to sow seed. I simply harvest the seedlings from the garden beds and pots. Wherever a seed lands, a seedling grows and with 5 large trees in the garden that's a lot of seed and a lot of seedlings ready to harvest.
If you just need a few tridents, layering is reliable and allows you to start with a thick trunk and, hopefully some trunk character. I'd never bother layering a thicker, straight trunk. I can get much better results starting with a small seedling because I have more control over the shape and taper right from the start. Trying to rectify problems in thicker trunks takes a lot of work and many years. It's often quicker to start from seed than to try to make a good bonsai out of thicker crap.

 

[jason biggs]

this species looks fantastic.... a lot like commiphora. i bet they will grow strong from big truncheon cuttings

 

[trigo]

I see 3 as a minimum. It just lets us know whether whatever we are testing is a viable option. If all 3 do poorly or die there's no point going on with that particular technique. If 2 or 3 respond well then it's time to increase the numbers. That's when I'd boost the test subjects up to around 10 in a trial. As @Gabler said, the more the better but you need time and space to house your test subjects. There's so much to try, you'll either need a lifetime or a huge area to house all your test subjects.
An example: I wanted to test appropriate time of year to root prune Australian native Banksias. I started with 30 seedlings in October (Spring down here) and root pruned then repotted 3 each month and recorded the results. All survived and grew well until March when all 3 refused to grow. April results similar so I concluded that banksia seedlings can be repotted any time of year except autumn and winter. Now I knew when to root prune I started trials to see how much root could be pruned. 3 trees to have 1/2 the roots removed, 3 trees to have 3/4 roots removed and 3 trees to have 80-90% of roots pruned off.
Then on to tolerance for pruning and other bonsai techniques. I spent around 15 years testing various different bonsai techniques and what time of year produced good results and bad results. I did not even come close to testing all the options I would have liked to test and that's just one species.
If there's no conclusive result in a trial - results are split 2/1 or 1/2 I'd redo with up to 10 subjects to try to get a better idea of whether the first result was just chance or whether that particular technique or time is not a good option.

I only grow tridents from seed. I don't get great results from trident cuttings so seed is actually quicker. These days I don't even have to sow seed. I simply harvest the seedlings from the garden beds and pots. Wherever a seed lands, a seedling grows and with 5 large trees in the garden that's a lot of seed and a lot of seedlings ready to harvest.
If you just need a few tridents, layering is reliable and allows you to start with a thick trunk and, hopefully some trunk character. I'd never bother layering a thicker, straight trunk. I can get much better results starting with a small seedling because I have more control over the shape and taper right from the start. Trying to rectify problems in thicker trunks takes a lot of work and many years. It's often quicker to start from seed than to try to make a good bonsai out of thicker crap.

I will follow your methodology at first. I'm going to collect seeds from different sources and also take cuttings. I have plenty of space available since I live on a ranch. Thanks for the help! Once I'm set, I will either create another thread or update this one.

Thanks again for the help!

this species looks fantastic.... a lot like commiphora. i bet they will grow strong from big truncheon cuttings

I saw some cuttings larger than a leg successfully root at a friend's house.