Giant American Beech yamadori

[MaineBonsaiEnthusiast]

Hey Everyone,
I pulled this monster out yesterday and I'm looking for advice. I wasn't able to collect as many roots as I had hoped so I'm curious what you would do moving forward. Biggest questions are whether I should tent it, and should I reduce any of the small/less significant branching before bud push so the tree doesn't have as much foliage to support. One note is that the picture doesn't depict it well but I was able to save a decent amount of dirt and smaller/fine roots directly under the trunk. Thanks!

 

[atlarsenal]

I would not remove any branches or buds. Buds produce leaves which are your solar panels to produce roots.

 

[BobbyLane]

i would of mixed in a little chopped spagnum moss into the mix, since as you didnt really get much root.. you could sprinkle some on the surface though

 

[MaineBonsaiEnthusiast]

I did mix some sphagnum in. I'm going to make some sphagnum/moss top dressing in the coming week or so for repotting season so I'll give it a sprinkle. What is everyone's opinion about whether it needs to be tented or not?

 

[BobbyLane]

I did mix some sphagnum in. I'm going to make some sphagnum/moss top dressing in the coming week or so for repotting season so I'll give it a sprinkle. What is everyone's opinion about whether it needs to be tented or not?

i really dont see any need to put it in a tent. its spring, it needs sun and light. just keep out of strong winds

 

[JudyB]

In your environment, which I'm assuming is a humid one, I would not think tenting is necessary, but I would think about doing a heat mat under it for root stimulation, and as Bobby said, no wind.

 

[Silentrunning]

100% agree with the above. I only tent very small cuttings until they leaf out. I find on bigger plants that an occasional misting is very adequate. Plus you get the advantage of fresh air circulation and less chance of fungus.

 

[MaineBonsaiEnthusiast]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm definitely going to get a heat mat. It's in a spot now that's well protected from wind and has moderate shade so I guess all that's left to do is wait!

 

[Stormwater]

How long did that thing take to dig?

 

[MaineBonsaiEnthusiast]

In reality probably around 4hrs over a few days. The second day I bought a 5ft digging bar and the leverage helped a lot.

 

[Timbo]

Did this tree make it? Just curious, because I have access to land with some nice big( 5-8 inch trunks) American Beech trees that have lower branches and a nice root base. Thought about digging around one half of the tree between now and fall to maybe get roots closer to the trunk...or to help with survival when i dig it up in spring. I live it a sandy area, but they are in the shaded woods and not sure how far the feeder roots are. I will be putting it in the ground in a partially shaded area, hopefully out of the wind.

 

[MaineBonsaiEnthusiast]

Unfortunately not, it pushed a good flush of growth then slowly withered as it started getting warmer. I think if I were to do it again I would tent it with clear plastic to keep the humidity up and protect the leaves from dessication or at least put it in a much more humid environment. I should've went with my gut. If you have the time, I think digging half the roots in the spring and leaving it for a whole season before collecting the following year might give more favorable results when you're not sure how many fine feeder roots there are. Next time I'm going to collect a much larger root ball. I ended up collecting another beech thats thriving that I like better, helped me get over the loss of this one . Good luck collecting!

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

Thoughts from folks on whether digging a wedge around a tree, hornbeam for example, in fall to stimulate fine roots, before collecting the next spring, would be wise? Or is the trauma too recent?

 

[leatherback]

Ohw.. such a sad news!

 

[MaineBonsaiEnthusiast]

Thoughts from folks on whether digging a wedge around a tree, hornbeam for example, in fall to stimulate fine roots, before collecting the next spring, would be wise? Or is the trauma too recent?

I wouldn't do any root work in the fall based on what I've learned from Mirai and a couple other mentors.

 

[BobbyLane]

it wasnt the timing. the issue here was not enough root to sustain the tree. ive had a few beech die this slow death. they tend to put out long woody roots with all the feeders at the tips. next time youll need to get a larger root ball.

 

[Forsoothe!]

We all know that you start with the tree that you have, and that you reduce it over time, and that there are no short-cuts. Being clever by twice doesn't mean that the tree is going to be out-smarted. Big tree; big rootball; many cycles of reductions. This is not a new process.

 

[Timbo]

Unfortunately not, it pushed a good flush of growth then slowly withered as it started getting warmer. I think if I were to do it again I would tent it with clear plastic to keep the humidity up and protect the leaves from dessication or at least put it in a much more humid environment. I should've went with my gut. If you have the time, I think digging half the roots in the spring and leaving it for a whole season before collecting the following year might give more favorable results when you're not sure how many fine feeder roots there are. Next time I'm going to collect a much larger root ball. I ended up collecting another beech thats thriving that I like better, helped me get over the loss of this one . Good luck collecting!

I've had 2 bigger ones, maybe 4-5 inch that did this. One died in 2 years. The 2 trees up here I find the hardest to keep going are Beech and Hop-hornbeams. They seem to drag on the whole year. Although it looks like most of the smaller ones survived this year, they had a 2nd growth after many of the tips dried off and died. I keep them in shade or try to mimic their old environment. I do try to keep a branch with buds/leaves on them them I dig them up, I think it helps to jump start at least.

I wouldn't do any root work in the fall based on what I've learned from Mirai and a couple other mentors.

I don't see how it would hurt the tree. I know they are slow growers, but early fall before leaves fall they should grow some roots, Leaving one side to sustain it through the winter. It's so sandy here, if it doesn't have roots close to the trunk to hold the sand/soil in, it just falls off when you dig a rootball.

 

[Timbo]

it wasnt the timing. the issue here was not enough root to sustain the tree. ive had a few beech die this slow death. they tend to put out long woody roots with all the feeders at the tips. next time youll need to get a larger root ball.

Maybe, but if his area of Maine is sandy like here, getting a bigger rootball doesn't give you much but longer big roots. I've been trying to use the trench method, wrap it in plastic on either the whole thing, or half a trench. Obv, for trees like Maples this is pointless.

 

[BobbyLane]

Maybe, but if his area of Maine is sandy like here, getting a bigger rootball doesn't give you much but longer big roots. I've been trying to use the trench method, wrap it in plastic on either the whole thing, or half a trench. Obv, for trees like Maples this is pointless.

yes then get into a large container and reduce the rootball in stages.