Thought processes when developing nursery stock ?

[apr]

Hi all

I wanted to ask some questions about developing these oak saplings but I figured a broader discussion around developing nursery stock would be more beneficial.

This may be an oversimplification but I understand that good bonsai must start with good nebari and a good trunk.

To get a good trunk you must grow a tree in the ground for many years or train in a suitable container environment for an even longer period of time. For a deciduous tree like an oak or maple, the trunk line is set with that first chop and subsequent leaders are trained and cut back to develop taper and movement.

When you have saplings such as these, how should you approach balancing allowing the tree to grow a solid trunk with preventing any structural flaws from developing over time ?

Would you start by letting these run another 5 years then re-evaluate/make any chops/adjustments ?





Would you immediately remove this boring long straight section, and regrow to develop better movement?





My gut is telling me to just let them grow this season, let them develop as much foliage as possible to fuel growth of the trunk - but is this wasted growth if all I am developing is a straight boring stick in a pot ?

(At minimum I expect I will repot them this year into pond baskets and try and tackle the taproot)

 Thanks !

 

[Joe Dupre']

The first question I always ask of someone in your situation is "How big do you want the trunk to get?". It really matters. In your case, if you are mostly happy with the trunk size, chop it at the appropriate height to mesh with that trunk size. If you want a trunk twice or three times as big, let it grow un-chopped and up-pot it often or put it in the ground for 2-3 years. Pruning and chopping a tree ALWAYS slows down the overall growth of the tree. You need plenty of "wasted growth" to get the tree up in size. Once you have the trunk you want, the branches come relatively quickly.

 

[apr]

The first question I always ask of someone in your situation is "How big do you want the trunk to get?". It really matters. In your case, if you are mostly happy with the trunk size, chop it at the appropriate height to mesh with that trunk size. If you want a trunk twice or three times as big, let it grow un-chopped and up-pot it often or put it in the ground for 2-3 years. Pruning and chopping a tree ALWAYS slows down the overall growth of the tree. You need plenty of "wasted growth" to get the tree up in size. Once you have the trunk you want, the branches come relatively quickly.

If you have a young tree that's too lignified to bend the trunk, but also not suitable as an informal upright, is this when it would be better to chop early, shape a new leader, and then allow that long interrupted growth to get the desired thickness ?

 

[Empty Mountain]

Both approaches have their merits, allowing the tree to thicken up more before making a chop will leave you with a bigger scar but might be a quicker path to get the size of tree you want. Chopping more often might be slower development but you'll have smaller scars to deal with. It depends on your tastes (and how well the species heals over). You have a few trees there maybe it would be best to test both approaches and see what you like better and what gets the best response out of the oaks.

 

[Joe Dupre']

If you have a young tree that's too lignified to bend the trunk, but also not suitable as an informal upright, is this when it would be better to chop early, shape a new leader, and then allow that long interrupted growth to get the desired thickness ?

You could do that. Be aware that the leader will probably change over the years. In my experience, you almost never end up with the leader you started with.