Wasting time on a choke cherry

[berzerkules]

Most likely wasting my time here on a highly invasive species that doesn't make good bonsai but I need some trees I don't care about to hack away at to pass the time.

This thing was a mess when I found it. A birch had fallen on it and it was engulfed in vetch just the tips of the branches were exposed. Invasive species were battling each other.

Anyways, it grew well last year but I couldn't do anything with the top so gave it a quick chop chop.
5/8/22

5/8/22
There were a few buldges I though might sprout so I chopped a little high.

6/6/22
Not dead yet.

 

[nuttiest]

Even invasives are great in a pot, they can't spread their berries. I like the bark on this.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@berzerkules
In warmer parts of the states choke cherry is weedy, rapid growing thing. But you are in zone 2 Alaska, with a short growing season. It may tame down for you, many members of the cherry family make excellent bonsai. Do give it a try.

 

[berzerkules]

@berzerkules
In warmer parts of the states choke cherry is weedy, rapid growing thing. But you are in zone 2 Alaska, with a short growing season. It may tame down for you, many members of the cherry family make excellent bonsai. Do give it a try.

The young ones here grow quick, just tall and lanky. As they get older they seem to reach a certain size and fill out nicely with fat trunks and low branches. Some of the mature ones around town are some nice looking trees.

 

[nuttiest]

I would like to see one developed up higher, like the top of this had tertiary branches, just see what the buds do early on. I have little 1' cherry laurel seedlings in the yard occasionally but they don't make it through collecting. I need to try shorter and longer, I think.

 

[berzerkules]

Here is another one. Started it as an airlayer late last summer but someone was messing with it so I had to chop it before I got roots, it had started to callous though. Potted up last fall and packed it up with the rest of my trees. Was basically a big cutting. Leafed out a little this spring and I've got roots popping out the bottom of the basket. I think I got it.

I'd like to chop those branches back to a couple few inches but I'll let it get established in a pot and gain strength first. I left it long incase of dieback.

 

[KikurageOtomo]

Maybe I'm biased since I bought a Yamadori Chokecherry from Andy at Golden Arrow and didn't have to put much legwork in thus far thanks to mother nature. Personally I think its a pretty nice species for bonsai short of its extreme inclination to make suckers, I've probably lobbed off 20 new shoots from root mass this season. Good candidate for a self propagating forest perhaps?

 

[nuttiest]

It can't stay in the pot while the chop(s) heal?

 

[berzerkules]

Maybe I'm biased since I bought a Yamadori Chokecherry from Andy at Golden Arrow and didn't have to put much legwork in thus far thanks to mother nature. Personally I think its a pretty nice species for bonsai short of its extreme inclination to make suckers, I've probably lobbed off 20 new shoots from root mass this season. Good candidate for a self propagating forest perhaps?

I've heard that their leaves don't reduce as easily as other prunus species and the flowers aren't great either. They are tough as hell and prolific procreaters though. I just have access to a near endless chokecherry to dig. Think I'll dig some bigger stumps next spring, I was more focused on birch and alder this spring and didn't get and chokecherry.

I never considered a forest from suckers, that might be a cool project at some point. If you wanted to keep the suckers to a minimum I bet you could repot regularly and remove larger roots to try and maintain a finer root mass. I'm just guessing here but they seem to send up suckers from bigger longer roots.

 

[berzerkules]

One good thing about these choke cherries is they give me something to do when I get itchy scissor fingers.


Itch scratched.