Dug up boxwood - will this work?

ashilayd

Seedling
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Location
Midwest, USA
USDA Zone
6
So I came across this woman offering her boxwood for free as long as they dug them out themselves. I've wanted to attempt a boxwood bonsai for a while but have zero experience. Before I waste my time, can anyone give me their opinion on the material I dug up? I had to cut off a lot of material and only left what I did with hopes of some back budding and new branches. Is it too old? Too big? I plan to cut more but I don't want to kill it. Does it have any potential for an attractive bonsai? Any advice/options would be greatly appreciated!
20210724_140515.jpg
 
The lower trunk is the important bit and it looks good. Plenty of scope to prune for taper and some nice bends for an attractive trunk.
There will be some pretty big scars after removing surplus branches but that's almost universal for collected stock. Consider using dead wood features to disguise some of those reductions.
Boxwood is never too old or too big. Leaving extra at transplant is usually a good idea to stimulate better root growth. It is likely to be a few years new roots are strong so don't be tempted to start styling too soon. Good material deserves the time it takes to do properly.

No indication of your location so time of year is unknown. Boxwood are pretty forgiving so it is likely to survive even if it is mid summer in your area. If you are in winter that's even better.
Adding a location to your profile gives other readers lots of good clues to time of year, climate, etc.
 
The lower trunk is the important bit and it looks good. Plenty of scope to prune for taper and some nice bends for an attractive trunk.
There will be some pretty big scars after removing surplus branches but that's almost universal for collected stock. Consider using dead wood features to disguise some of those reductions.
Boxwood is never too old or too big. Leaving extra at transplant is usually a good idea to stimulate better root growth. It is likely to be a few years new roots are strong so don't be tempted to start styling too soon. Good material deserves the time it takes to do properly.

No indication of your location so time of year is unknown. Boxwood are pretty forgiving so it is likely to survive even if it is mid summer in your area. If you are in winter that's even better.
Adding a location to your profile gives other readers lots of good clues to time of year, climate, etc.
Thanks for the advice! I live in the Midwest, USA ( Zone 6 ). I know it wasn't the best time for transplanting but didn't want to pass up the opportunity since it was free. I'll definitely take your advice and give it a season or two. Since it's going to need to recover for a while, would you suggest full sun or keep it in an least a partially shaded area for a while?
 
As it is mid summer there now I would try part shade until you get some growth. The leaves you have now have been shaded by upper growth so won't be sun hardy at all. Full sun will just burn them. Full sun and associated heat will also put more demands for water which the cut roots won't be able to provide.
Part shade should give you the best chance for out of season transplant survival.
 
Nice. Welcome to Crazy!

I don't know if you made the cuts, but that "through trunk", the straight one, would have been the one to remove.

Anything with green so low has potential.

Sorce
 
Nice. Welcome to Crazy!

I don't know if you made the cuts, but that "through trunk", the straight one, would have been the one to remove.

Anything with green so low has potential.

Sorce
I agree! Since it was so recently transplanted and cut, should I wait for anymore major cuts like that? I'm hoping for some back budding by the end of the summer (at least) before making and more drastic cuts
 
The rule of thumb is wait at least a year before styling anything newly collected. Took me way to long to learn that the hard way because I can be impatient.

The stuff you've trimmed off already; well what's done is done, and given the amount of root you lost digging it up might actually be helpful in balancing the top side to the bottom side, as it were.

What's your soil there? Looks like potting soil maybe? As long as it's well draining, that may actually help some, too. It'll need extra water to make up for the lost roots. Most often we plant in more inorganic substrate to prevent root rot and promote oxygen exchange in the roots. I suggest the chopstick method to check soil saturation. Stick a wooden/bamboo chopstick from any Asian takeout restaurant in the soil. Use it like a dipstick; pull it out check how wet it is, place it back in the same hole, water as needed. If there outside of the chopstick is just soaked, WAY too much water. Slightly damp, about right.

If you're unsure how to add your location to your profile; click on your avatar in the top right corner, then click "My Account." Fill in as needed.

Welcome aboard!
 
The rule of thumb is wait at least a year before styling anything newly collected. Took me way to long to learn that the hard way because I can be impatient.

The stuff you've trimmed off already; well what's done is done, and given the amount of root you lost digging it up might actually be helpful in balancing the top side to the bottom side, as it were.

What's your soil there? Looks like potting soil maybe? As long as it's well draining, that may actually help some, too. It'll need extra water to make up for the lost roots. Most often we plant in more inorganic substrate to prevent root rot and promote oxygen exchange in the roots. I suggest the chopstick method to check soil saturation. Stick a wooden/bamboo chopstick from any Asian takeout restaurant in the soil. Use it like a dipstick; pull it out check how wet it is, place it back in the same hole, water as needed. If there outside of the chopstick is just soaked, WAY too much water. Slightly damp, about right.

If you're unsure how to add your location to your profile; click on your avatar in the top right corner, then click "My Account." Fill in as needed.

Welcome aboard!
Thanks so much for the advice. But Yeah, I may have got a little ahead of myself... The soil is a mixture of bonsai soil and Coco coir which drains really well. It has a bit of perlite but not too much. It looks like just potting soil in the pic because I topped it off with the Coco coir to make sure the roots were completely covered (and I ran out of bonsai mix). Coco coir is nice because it doesn't break down like potting soil though it's definitely not inorganic. You can even rinse and reuse it in most cases. It also has little to no nutrients so it shouldn't damage the trimmed or new roots.

The cuts/trimming I did was mostly just with the goal to cut it back to a point the roots could handle. Would you suggest cutting more now or wait for it to recover for a bit?

And I did manage to add my location and grow zone after I made the original post. Didn't even occur to me to do it beforehand... total noob move lol 😆
 
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I dug up two from my yard last August and they are doing well. As long as you got a good portion of the fibrous roots they should survive. Since mine were from the north side of my house and in shade most of the time I have kept mine in part shade and misted them regularly. The good thing about boxwood is they backbud pretty well so you should be able to get them to fill in some. The wood is pretty hard so branches cannot be bent very well so you need to start training them while they are soft enough to take it. However as suggested I would wait until they have recovered and started to aggressively push out new growth. Also don’t attempt more than one aggressive move in the same year. Once it does start growing again then start fertilizing and start wiring the branches that can be moved. Mine put out new growth this spring but I have waited until next winter to begin the styling process. Also the cut ends and stubs will be good targets for some carving.
 
Thanks so much for the advice. But Yeah, I may have got a little ahead of myself... The soil is a mixture of bonsai soil and Coco coir which drains really well. It has a bit of perlite but not too much. It looks like just potting soil in the pic because I topped it off with the Coco coir to make sure the roots were completely covered (and I ran out of bonsai mix). Coco coir is nice because it doesn't break down like potting soil though it's definitely not inorganic. You can even rinse and reuse it in most cases. It also has little to no nutrients so it shouldn't damage the trimmed or new roots.

The cuts/trimming I did was mostly just with the goal to cut it back to a point the roots could handle. Would you suggest cutting more now or wait for it to recover for a bit?

And I did manage to add my location and grow zone after I made the original post. Didn't even occur to me to do it beforehand... total noob move lol 😆
Always best to let it recover. The foliage of a tree is where the growth hormones that develop roots is created, and the fine root tips is where the growth hormones that develop foliage are created. Seeing as how you've lost allot of root, let that catch up for a year, and re-establish a balance.

Full disclosure; I've killed 90% of the trees I've ever had over the two years I've been actively doing bonsai, mostly from impatience and experimentation. I just do allot of research and keep an extensive list of everything I've done wrong. LOL Most others here are much more knowledgeable than I am, but this is the base level tree biology stuff we all learn quickly, so I feel confident tossing my two cents in.
 
Always best to let it recover. The foliage of a tree is where the growth hormones that develop roots is created, and the fine root tips is where the growth hormones that develop foliage are created. Seeing as how you've lost allot of root, let that catch up for a year, and re-establish a balance.

Full disclosure; I've killed 90% of the trees I've ever had over the two years I've been actively doing bonsai, mostly from impatience and experimentation. I just do allot of research and keep an extensive list of everything I've done wrong. LOL Most others here are much more knowledgeable than I am, but this is the base level tree biology stuff we all learn quickly, so I feel confident tossing my two cents in.
I appreciate your candor! I have about 35 different house plants but zero knowledge on trees, especially when it comes to bonsai. I'm just hoping enough will translate for me to keep one alive! Haha
 
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