New to bonsai, olive question

[Newcastle]

I am completely new to bonsai and am really interested in collecting my own material to use. I realize it could take a long time before I actually have a "bonsai" tree. Can you trunk chop and mold prospects a few years before you dig them up? Would they mature more quickly? These all have suckers growing everywhere, can they be removed as well? (while still growing where they are)

 

[PaulH]

OLives are one of the easiest species to collect successfully and develop very quickly into bonsai. I wouldn't mess around with working on them in the ground but get them out while you have the opportunity. (I assume you have permission to dig the ones you showed)
Olives can be flat cut on the bottom with a chainsaw and will quickly grow new roots and branches. I've even dug large trees, up to 6 Ft. diameter, split them into separate stumps with a wood splitter, and grown the pieces into bonsai.
You didn't say where you are, but if you dig them this time of year you should try to provide some bottom heat the help with root growth after you dig them.
Paul

 

[Stan Kengai]

It's kind of hard to tell exactly from the pictures, but those look more like privet (ligustrum) than olive. Olives generally live in more arid environs. Privets, depending on the species can make good to great bonsai material. BTW, it is very helpful to put your location (general, like state or metropolitan area) because many aspects of bonsai are different depending on your climate.

With that said, the best way to develop stock is in the ground, especially trunk chopping and developing a new leader. They will develop much more quickly, particularly if you remove suckers and unwanted branches from time to time.

 

[nathanbs]

Look like olives to me

 

[rockm]

It would help greatly if you filled in the geographic location where you live.

These don't look like "real" olive species, could be privet, or Russian olive (which isn't an olive). It's important to know the specific species of trees you work on as care for each can differ tremendously. The chain saw technique mentioned above works very well on Olive (Olea) species, but can kill other plants outright, although privet and Russian olives are extremely tough plants.

 

[milehigh_7]

Yes please update your location in your profile. Also please do try to get larger pictures of the leaves and bark.

I have been following advice from two places on these. One from Doug Philips http://www.dugzbonsai.com/olivehead1.htm and two from our very own PaulH: http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?7699-Fat-Ollie&highlight=olive

It is too soon to know if my recent experiments have been successful but I say give it a go.

 

[Newcastle]

Thanks for all the responses. I am in zone 9b-10a, I am surrounded by fruit orchards, mostly mandarin oranges. 100 years ago someone planted an olive orchard. I am not sure of the variety. They don't seem to have the cool look of many other olives I have seen.They are all overgrown with suckers. Suckers are a good 12" in diameter (see the pics). We have cut some down that were in the way before I had an interest in bonsai. A few still have inches of trunk I might play with, most were cut down completely or ground level. I want to go in with a chain saw and trunk top a few of these and remove the suckers water them a few times during the summer maybe mulch them, kind of an experiment. I just wanted to know if anyone has left them in place for a few years to develop. The canopy is pretty high and dense. Maybe moving them makes more sense.

I grew up in the area Paul dug up fat ollie. I have also read olive head stuff and plan on finding a few candidates to work with. My wife and I are lame and buy are own presents for each other. I am getting a heat mat and a few bonsai tools that I have yet to purchase. I have access to a small unheated green house (with power for my heat mat). I plan on digging up a few and put in the greenhouse. The pictures I took were just what I saw real quick with my kids. I am sure if I took more time I could find better prospects. I plan around the holidays to take a little more time find some prospects and will upload to album. It would be great if I could get some virtual suggestions on a few to try the method listed on olive head link.

 

[Poink88]

Looks very nice. I am drooling here

As mentioned, olives cuttings root well so have at it! You can use either the heat mats or the (roof) deicing cables. I use deicing cables for my less cold hardy plants when temps dip below freezing here but they work great for rooting too.

 

[PaulH]

That's a ton of really great potential in your photos. Each of those big multi trunk trees could be split into a bunch of good bonsai starts. Let me know if you need help. (hint,hint)

 

[Stan Kengai]

. . . 100 years ago someone planted an olive orchard.

In that case, I'll have to defer to my left coast brethren.

 

[Newcastle]

Paul, when is a good time to get "help". April after things warm up? When would the ideal time be to to dig up a tree. When it is warmer could a olive stump go directly in the ground without any bottom heat.

 

[PaulH]

Paul, when is a good time to get "help". April after things warm up? When would the ideal time be to to dig up a tree. When it is warmer could a olive stump go directly in the ground without any bottom heat.

March and April are ideal.
Here are some quick photos of olives I dug last spring. They were flat - cut on the bottom and planted in the ground immediately. within a few weeks buds appeared and new branches started growing.

 

[Newcastle]

cool pictures Paul, I spent a little more time today exploring. Most the olives are smooth and straight they are not cool and gnarly like the ones in your pictures. I think it is because everything is so overgrown. I am sure at one time it looked like those you posted. Over the past 50ish years everything has just been allowed to grow. The suckers are long and straight. Everything is real leggy trying to find some light. The place is my folks. They have a couple guys working for them. When they get time they clear an area. Over the past couple of years they have slowly been cutting things back to allow light for the grass for cattle to graze and open it up for the oak trees. Thinning out some of the olives and around the olives is in the works. In many places there are six to ten inch trees in real close proximity and a few need to be thinned out. A grow mat should be here in a few days. I plan to bottom cut a few this winter. I will also get some tape out to mark some that look promising so they pass them up. When it warms up March/April maybe we can have a nor cal bonsai nut olive cutting party.