Hackberry, Celtis africana, dug up and potted 2016

[Frojo]

I was lucky enough to be given a bunch of small Celtis in nursery bags and decided to make a few into bonsai.
I cut the nursery bags and put them around the taproot with a pipe clamp to force roots to the sides.

This was in 2008. I don't have pics of the individual trees, but did basically the same to all of them.


Dug up 2011, chopped and moved into a tyre standing on the ground.


2013


2014


Dug it up, put it into a cut down plastic tub and let it grow wild for a year.
2016


2018, cleaned out and trimmed back considerably.




In September I dug up a few more and they are now also in tubs and growing wild.

 

[BobbyLane]

Nice work

celtis do look like a great species to work with...

could see this one standing alone in a field...

 

[coh]

Really nice work, and gives people an idea of the kind of time frame required to develop basic material.

 

[jason biggs]

looking awesome !!
my big one looks like it may have pegged - our heat has been unbearable...
Are you up in Gauteng ?

 

[Frojo]

Thanks everyone.

Bobby, apart from them being very reluctant to close a wound, I think they are perfect. The roots are particularly fast growing and I would be more aggressive in pruning them in future. They did get away from me and they are a bit oversized.

Thanks, Coh. I thought this tree grew darn fast since the chop. It's much further along than I expected.

Jason, some kms outside Bloem, you?
Through Dec and Jan we hardly had a day not exceeding 35C with humidity in the high single figures and wind.
It was terrible. The winters are just as impossible, we have a few mornings below -10 every year, unbelievable.
Moved from Gauteng in 2011. Since then killed just about every tree in a bonsai mix or in a bonsai pot. It's impossible for me to keep something in a small pot or free draining mix alive here, never mind both. Everything that did not die went into tyres on the ground.
This tree has been mostly good in the big container with a finer mix, mostly organics. Even so, after a really hot day, by the late afternoon it's pretty dry and it did get a bit of leaf burn here and there.
They are very tough though.

 

[Anthony]

Yeah Celtis ------ growing since 1980 [ using Fridge Fu ]

Great family --- Bonsai in the middle name - Celtis Bonsai l.
Still looking for Celtis i,

Beautiful tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love it !!!!!!!
Go Frojo Go !!!!!!!

Good Day
Anthpny

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Great little tree. Of all the Celtis you posted I like this one better

 

[Frojo]

Mine too, also the reason it was the first one I took out. Couldn't wait to start with it.

My favourite shape of tree is a deciduous

... one standing alone in a field...

 

[ConorDash]

Thats some serious impressive base in such a short time!
Wow, really inspires me to do something like this too.
Great work.

 

[jason biggs]

trees waking up yet??
probably still too cold.

 

[SeanS]

@jason biggs I’m going to check on 2 in a nearby field that I want to dig up this weekend, I’ll report on leafing out status

 

[Vinnie Charity]

Amazing piece of material! I might have to get a Hackberry to play with now...
#inspired