How many insults?

Ceijay

Ceijay

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So I have this bush in my new yard and I've decided to collect it. It's not great material I'm sure but it will give me something to play with.

image.jpg

My first question is if I chop it to a stump can I also collect it too or is it much better to allow it to recover? I know there is the rule of one insult per season but I always like to pot things when I'm able because as I've said in past threads I move a lot and keeping things in the ground is not ideal.

Second question...what is it? It has these cute little blooms that smell very sweet like a sweet olive but I not sure that's what it is.

image.jpg

image.jpg
Thanks
 
Some sort of privet I think...

Otherwise, unless you plan to move really quick, I'll chop it and let it in the ground to see if it buds back before spending energy digging it out.
But if you chop/dig and plant in the same time it should be ok too (anyway worse case scenario you will have sweat for peanuts)
 
I was leaning towards chopping and leaving it the ground but I was hoping it would turn out to be some unkillable tree I could deal some abuse to.

Are we sure it's a privet?
 
Dav4 said:
Take this for what it's worth, but rumor has it that privets can't be killed, so a chop and collect at one go might be in order.
Click to expand...

^ that's the word... I've too many privet to count.. And the rumor is more fact than fiction.

Hope your hand muscles are ready for the task...Be ready to trim not once, twice, thrice, but four to five times a season..

Get it in good soil, and seal your chop and it will reward you with buds'o plenty!
 
Ceijay said:
I was leaning towards chopping and leaving it the ground but I was hoping it would turn out to be some unkillable tree I could deal some abuse to.

Are we sure it's a privet?
Click to expand...

Yes, most certainly a privet. Leaves and flowers are dead giveaway
 
Wonderful!

So I may chop it and collect it tomorrow then if it's safe to do so.

I have started using wide shallow pots for "training" things, is this what you would recommend I place it in? I have nothing to seal cuts with either, is there something I can substitute for a sealer?
 
Choice of training pot really depends on the roots and what you are trying to accomplish. Granted, I've collected privet with little to no roots but you want to be careful.

Wood glue can work, but not nearly as effective as cut paste. If the cut dries out, there will be dieback and you won't be able to get a bud close to the chop... If you do a "safety" cut, then you are more likely to produces options to work with down the road.

Just things to think about..

Post pictures when u get it in a pot or of the roots!
 
k all done!

IMG_0877[1].JPG IMG_0878[1].JPG IMG_0879[1].JPGIMG_0880[1].JPG

It has lots of good feeders and they were mostly on the top soil. It had a very large taproot anchoring it to the ground so once i freed the top I just cut the tap root off at the base.

I made at least two mistakes:

1.) I broke that nice large root while digging it up. It just sorta snapped like a dead branch which was unexpected. Sorta of a shame but it wouldn't have fit in my box if it hadn't so...

2.) I didn't have a pot big enough so I had to use this grow box ( it's not a grow box ).

I was suppose to have bonsai soil this year too but stuff happens.


The internets says it's a Chinese Privet (Chinese Ligustrum ) or Ligustrum sinense. Its an invasive weed plant that grows all over the south, suggesting that it's hardy, and fast growing. I put it next to my Chinese tallow "stick" so they can strike up conversation.

Oh, and I left it mostly unchopped. I cut it down to the last little bit of foliage the day before so technically I haven't chopped it yet. I haven't really done this before so I was gonna wait for more suggestions and feedback before moving forward.

thanks for helping out.
 
This thing will live....

I wouldn't worry about cut paste....
It is said to not bother Trying to heal them..

Ceijay.....you know I'm with you..... it is high time you start finding some better material!

I see a lot of talent, passion, and creativity coming from there....
Use it on something worth your time!

That said....rock this thing....and learn from it too!

Sorce
 
Yea, it's kinda hard getting good material when your on a budget of $0. I've been collecting a lot of really small trees here and there whenever I can, and if all I learn from them is how to keep them alive then that's pretty worth it I think.

I think I still need to get better at determining what's good material to collect too. I'm really into those cute little bonsai so I think that screws me up when finding a tree the correct size.

Thanks for the encouragement as always source! I'll keep posting sticks till I get it right.
 
@Ceijay - quick, before the tree starts to respond, chop this long boring trunk to no more than 5 inches tall, If it were mine I would have chopped it to 2 or 3 inches tall if I had cut paste and 4 inches tall if I wasn't going to bother with cut paste. Now, at this point in the tree's life it will give you its best back budding response. It will need years to pick up vigor to give a strong back budding response again.

As it is the back buds will be focused at the top of the tree. The trunk is less than 3 inches in diameter, I'd guss around 2 inches, That means it should make a bonsai that is less than 12 inches tall. You need to create a second segment of trunk for taper. Cut it low so you will get low branching. 3 inches is not too low.

As others have said, this is common material, you have nothing to loose by chopping low. Do it now and save yourself a couple years of time.

The resemblance to sweet olive is not accidental. Privet is in the Olive family, along with true olives Olea, and Osmanthus, aka sweet olive.

One insult rule, is not so much a one task, but rather a calendar guideline. Its a ''task rule'' for most pines and many conifers, it is more a ''calendar guideline'' for deciduous. Vigorous, rapidly growing trees you can get away with doing more. This privet will tolerate both a trunk chop and collecting all at once. Key will be to let it recover without repeated pruning for at least one growing season. Then you can begin regular pruning and other tasks.
 
@Leo in N E Illinois :
I measured it real fast today it's exactly 1 inch in diameter. I had planned like you said to cut it very very short and now I know exactly how short, thank you. I would like to chop it down closer to 2 or 3 and I have no cut paste, would 3.5 be to short?

That bit about the tree's life span and budding is also really interesting, I'd never thought about it like that before. Thank you for posting all this great info!

@source :
Isn't that little guy great?! I may even have elms around my new house that I could use.

I really like that scene, I'm not sure though if it would be something I would want in my collection (if i had one). When I think about what I'd want my collection of bonsai to look like I image lots of small and simple trees. There is a post on here of a man with a HUGE collection of bonsai just like this, I was even gonna hyperlink it in my last post but I had trouble finding it, I'm sure that you've seen it too if you remember.
 
Your mama's so fat she leaves a ring around the ocean!
Your mama's so ugly that if my dog had a face like hers I'd shave his ass and teach him to walk backwards.
Your mama's so fat the post office gave her her own zip code.
That's 3 for now. Too much at one time can kill a tree.
 
I forgot to ask but do I chop is straight or at an angle?
 
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