Larch Forest, pruning advice, tips

[missionBonsai]

Good day and happy spring everyone!

I have acquired a nice little collection of larch over the last couple weeks and am looking to make a forest with 5 of them. I have some cool rocks to make a little cliffside and hill, and a pot is on its way. I am pretty excited and hoping to make a nice little landscape.



I was hoping to get some input on where to trim these trees and any other input would be valuable as well. Normally, I wouldn't ask people to tell me exactly where to prune because I worry people will think I'm lazy, but it is more out of concern that I make mistakes that are costly and ruin otherwise - potentially - good trees. They are just so unruly that I don't even know where to begin.

This is my first spring with trees, I am new as of last August and haven't had the opportunity to do much actual work on anything aside from some wiring.





The other two are going to be in their own pots. Trimming the first one seems obvious enough: I would assume I will just want to trim most of the crossing branches in the middle. I do not know what to do with branches growing upwards, I am afraid to cut them back... I am afraid to cut anything to far back really. If I am being honest, then my anxiety about it is taking some of the fun out it.



I understand that I should just let them grow for several more years before I go chopping away at them, or even plant them in the yard, but I do want them to look nice.

 

[sorce]

I think you can find a better container if the pictured one is the intention.

I would first find the bases that show best and figure your arrangement.

Then fully cut off any branches that will grow toward the middle or into other trees.

Then count buds and keep (12) on the lowest branch (10,9,8etc.) and (2) on the top one.

Sorce

 

[missionBonsai]

@sorce Hey thank you for your help. I think you are right about the pot... and after checking again, it isn't even close to being big enough, I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered it. Now I am in a scramble to find a pot -_-

 

[WNC Bonsai]

First, you did not say when plan on repotting them. If this year then I would say you’re too late. Larch are best repotted before the buds open and when you can just see green starting to appear under the gold caps on them. For this year I would suggest you spend time searching the internet for descriptions on how to care for larch and photos of larch forests so you can get a feeling for ideas on spacing and arrangement of trees in a forest. I repotted anout 15 this spring over a month ago All 10 of my American larch are doing well but a couple of my Japanese larch are starting to droop a bit so I may have over worked their roots. Hoping they hang on long enough for the roots to repair.

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

Agree that these are too late for a repot. Do some pruning, perhaps some wiring on them in the containers, watch them grow and take this year to observe, and dive into your repot next spring when the buds have changed from dark brown/black to golden brown.

you’ll have a full year to grab yourself that new hypothetical pot, too

really like the trees, all have a little shimmy in the trunk, solid movement. And you can wire some of these trunks this year as well to create more if desired.
Enjoy the extension of the foliage on these. For my money they are the most lovely thing going in my garden during spring.

 

[sorce]

scramble to find a

Rock..

Or make a tray out of plywood and 1x1's.

Sorce

 

[missionBonsai]

@Cofga @Brad in GR

Thank you guys! Everything in the plastic training pots was slip potted out of the nursery pots they came in a few weeks ago, none of them were showing much green yet. They all really came to life this past week. I didn't mess with the roots or prune anything, just sort of scooped them up and placed them in... My hope was - when I realized I needed two more (larger) trees - that I'd just be able to 'slip' them one more time, but I guess I should start working on my patience!

@sorce I like the idea of a rock, I will have to keep a lookout for some good ones this season. Thank you again for your help. Also, I just saw that you have a site and make your own pots, awesome work!

As far as any pruning I might do... I believe Sorce was referring to structural pruning that I would do at the end of the winter?... as far as maintenance pruning, this just means pruning young branches that have new growth, correct? If I clip small twigs with growth on them, then they will grow back? But if I cut old wood, it will not? Sorry, I feel like an idiot because I just don't know what to clip, what will regrow, what will not, etc...

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

@Cofga @Brad in GR

Thank you guys! Everything in the plastic training pots was slip potted out of the nursery pots they came in a few weeks ago, none of them were showing much green yet. They all really came to life this past week. I didn't mess with the roots or prune anything, just sort of scooped them up and placed them in... My hope was - when I realized I needed two more (larger) trees - that I'd just be able to 'slip' them one more time, but I guess I should start working on my patience!

@sorce I like the idea of a rock, I will have to keep a lookout for some good ones this season. Thank you again for your help. Also, I just saw that you have a site and make your own pots, awesome work!

As far as any pruning I might do... I believe Sorce was referring to structural pruning that I would do at the end of the winter?... as far as maintenance pruning, this just means pruning young branches that have new growth, correct? If I clip small twigs with growth on them, then they will grow back? But if I cut old wood, it will not? Sorry, I feel like an idiot because I just don't know what to clip, what will regrow, what will not, etc...

I’ve done structural work in spring without any issues, prior to bud break.
As far as in-season maintenance pruning, I’d suggest picking branches you know will not be part of the final design, and experiment with pruning those this season. This is what I did when I first got my larches a few seasons ago and it taught me a lot by “doing” and then observing the responses of the tree.
You could start toying with these eventually-will-be-removed branches this spring!

slip pots are minimally disturbing to the trees so pretty sure you’re good there! Those paintbrushes are just popping for me now in GR. So fun.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Be careful how much new growth you prune off during the summer. Larch keep cool by evapotranspiration through all the new green foliage and if it is removed they may overheat and croak. I lost 4 last year in an August heat wave after I did a mid-summer prune. However you may be able to get away with more pruning in Michigan than I can in western North Carolina. Nigel Saunders prunes his new foliage several times each summer but he is in Canada!