Roadside Cotoneaster

[Sn0W]

Here are the first 2 of my roadside collected Cotoneaster's. Ran out of soil and had to run out and grab a bigger tub for one so the other 4 will be posted up tomorrow.

First the tallest, it's sat on the bottom of the pot. I realise I should have put something in the picture for scale. Thinking of taking the top branches where it splits down a lot more. Ideas / suggestions welcome!





And the second, can't really see it in the picture but it has some white fungus growing on it which I need to try and get rid of. Again, it's sat on the bottom of the basket as it had some roots in odd places and I didn't want to take too many off. Wish I could have seen them when they were in the ground to see how they were growing naturally. Thinking of take the top off of this one too:

 

[Victorim]

Sound. Chop all the branches back to a few cm, seal the cuts and let them be this year, and next unless their super happy. Feed and stare at them

 

[Sn0W]

Round 2 of potting up. 3 more down, 1 more to go which I need to buy something bigger to put it in.

3:







4:

 

[Sn0W]

5:

 

[Sn0W]

And pictures of the first two with a bottle for size comparison:




The planting angles for 3 + 5 are to accommodate the roots that came with them. That was the easiest way I could get them all in the pots. I'll hopefully post the last one up tomorrow if I can get another tub to put it in as it's a monster.

 

[defra]

And pictures of the first two with a bottle for size comparison:
View attachment 181186

View attachment 181187

The planting angles for 3 + 5 are to accommodate the roots that came with them. That was the easiest way I could get them all in the pots. I'll hopefully post the last one up tomorrow if I can get another tub to put it in as it's a monster.

If you vant find a tub build a wooden training box!

 

[Sn0W]

I've got a box and 2 privet in wooden boxes but I don't have enough wood left lying around to build another one.

Also the one I have left to do is quite big so if I put it in a wooden box I'm not sure I'm going to be able to move it.

 

[defra]

I've got a box and 2 privet in wooden boxes but I don't have enough wood left lying around to build another one.
View attachment 181220
Also the one I have left to do is quite big so if I put it in a wooden box I'm not sure I'm going to be able to move it.

Looks like you could have build more!!
you only filled them up to the height of the first plank and the seccond is useless
so that would have saved wood for at least two boxes i think

 

[Sn0W]

Looks like you could have build more!!
you only filled them up to the height of the first plank and the seccond is useless
so that would have saved wood for at least two boxes i think

Haha, the second plank was to keep the dogs out!

 

[barrosinc]

Are these the small bush cotoneaster horizontalis??? These are masive!

 

[Sn0W]

I'm not sure to be honest. This is my initial thread when I was looking to collect them, there are pictures of the leaves and full bushes there.

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/plant-id-please.32448/

 

[R3x]

First 2 seem to have inverse taper - I'd say they are candidates for air layering. If that worked those would be fantastic trees.

 

[Victorim]

Or carving.. take look at Harry Harrington, Will Baddeley, and not forgetting @BobbyLane works for inspiration.

But by the time the material is ready, I'm sure you'll have a idea of where to go with it.

 

[Tieball]

Sound. Chop all the branches back to a few cm, seal the cuts and let them be this year, and next unless their super happy. Feed and stare at them

I like this advice. Mighty fine comment!

 

[R3x]

Or carving.. take look at Harry Harrington, Will Baddeley, and not forgetting @BobbyLane works for inspiration.

But by the time the material is ready, I'm sure you'll have a idea of where to go with it.

That is option as well. But I'd go with airlayer. Would result in more compact and more dramatic taper. Also the wider section has some interesting features - would be a pity to carve them out. Something along the lines:

 

[sorce]

That is option as well. But I'd go with airlayer. Would result in more compact and more dramatic taper. Also the wider section has some interesting features - would be a pity to carve them out. Something along the lines:
View attachment 181305View attachment 181306

+1!

This is the fastest path to excellence.

I would guess the site you got them from may provide some insight into how they layer.

Sorce

 

[Sn0W]

They do have inverse taper, so air layering is an option, but so is carving. There are huge dead chunks on all of these that will need to be carved out and treated. Gonna have to wait for them to recover and throw some roots out for a year or more before I can attempt an air layer I think. But as @Victorim said, it's gonna be a long time before I can do anything with these. May be able to snag a few more today as well as they've started working a little further up the road today

 

[R3x]

They do have inverse taper, so air layering is an option, but so is carving. There are huge dead chunks on all of these that will need to be carved out and treated. Gonna have to wait for them to recover and throw some roots out for a year or more before I can attempt an air layer I think. But as @Victorim said, it's gonna be a long time before I can do anything with these. May be able to snag a few more today as well as they've started working a little further up the road today

Carving is possible but far less superior in my opinion. I did a quick erase of the parts you'd have to carve out to at least get rid of reverse taper (still there is no taper at all). You'd a tree with nice bark, nice movement but no taper. Still think airlayering would be much better option. Also you'd get 2 trees at the end of the process - that remaining stump could be fun carving project.

 

[Sn0W]

Forgot to mention, that big one you're talking about is sitting on the bottom of the pot and the bottom is as big as the top part so there's another good base in the soil. I planted it deep, 1 to help keep it up right but also to bury as many of the roots that came with it as possible and I can sort those out later once it gets established. I picked up a couple more and I've potted the huge one, pictures to follow.

 

[Sn0W]

Again, inverse taper is a problem I can solve later on either with layering or carving or both