Learning about Larch.

[bodhidharma]

What i now about Larch i could put on the back of a postage stamp but i am willing to give them a go. This Larch has been in this large growing on container for three years now and has put on very good growth. It lives out here without protection from our Australian sun and has done well. So far no scorching, even on the new growth. I did root work on it when it went in and planted it over a dinner plate to get root spread. The tree was only 15mm across when it first went in and has put on this growth in this time. It gets fed on a three week basis which consists of three large handfuls around its base and is watered daily. I feed it bettergrow organic's. I pruned it at this time of year last year and it responded with very good growth. the reason i tried this was because i pruned it in the middle of Spring and it stopped growing and even shed up to two buds back. This will need to be looked at when i start refining the tree. the tree has only had initial wiring for branch placement and movement through the trunk. I will repot it this August and address the extra roots and put it back for another three years. If people playing with Larch want to add to the thread please feel free.

[Andrew F]

Nice start Bodhi, i look forward to its progression. Always wanted a larch forest setting, so this will be a good thread to watch

[Craig]

jealous lovely movement in the trunk ,

[Barry1]

I see you have stuck some of the cuttings into the pot too ...hope they take for you

[bodhidharma]

Always wanted a larch forest setting, so this will be a good thread to watch

Thanks V.S. I know very little about these in Aussie conditions and i am hoping for input. Is still alive so that is good i reckon.

lovely movement in the trunk

I see you have stuck some of the cuttings into the pot too ...hope they take for you

A left over habit from my teacher Tom Cockram. After pruning try a couple of cuttings. Doesnt matter when or why.

[Matthew]

Bodhi,
I have 2 ,both japanese larch, one shohin size the other larger. They take to root pruning very well and can be root pruned hard. i havent bare rooted mine so i cant give any imput into pruning. Branch pruning is easy in winter just prune back to opposing buds. Im jelous of european countries which have access to wild contorted specimans something we dont and which take many years to replicate growing in the ground yourselfs.
Climate wise i keep mine moist and find they hate hot wind and high temps! watch them in summer. Autumn colour is amazing at my place with them, a golden yellow.
I know Mojo and Grant bowie have been growing them for sometime.

[Mojo Moyogi]

Hi Bodhi,
I love my Larix. Peter D Adams has always been a huge influence on me and I made a mission of getting hold of European and Japanese Larches early on in my bonsai journey. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find a copy of Adams' "Bonsai Design: Scots Pine, Common Juniper and Japanese Larch" online in a little bookstore in London and grabbed it for just over $90 including shipping. I had seen the book once before for several hundred dollars on Amazon, so I jumped at the chance to acquire it at a bargain price. It is the bonsai Larch bible, I hope to follow it more closely later this year when I start developing some Japanese Larch in the ground. Colin Lewis' "The Art of Bonsai Design" is another good source.

Most of the info below comes from practical work backed by theory from the above 2 books, as we have a warmer climate than the UK there have been some adjustments made to rootwork, feeding and placement.

Roots:
I'll add to what Matt has said, they can be root pruned quite liberally, this should be done as any of the buds begin to swell and the bud caps show a nice glossy sheen, before the green begins to emerge. Seal all large cuts with cut putty. Balance removal of root mass by removing some growth. Unless you have a tree that has been in structuring or refinement for a couple seasons, initial bud break is usually not uniform across the whole tree, apical and sacrificial branches will go first and there can be a lag time of a week or more before you see movement in middle and lower buds. By the time the majority of the buds have broken to the "shaving brush" stage and shoots are about to extend, all but the very weakest internal buds will have caught up. The roots if left to grow freely for a number of seasons without root pruning will form logs that have little taper or branching, I would recommend that trees young trees in containers be root pruned every 2 seasons. Mature trees in bonsai pots can be root pruned as needed by observation, to maintain a fibrous root pad. Retain a couple of tablespoons of the old soil, much as you would with Pine and Cedar to assist growth of beneficial soil bacteria.

Feeding:
While on the subject of promoting beneficial soil micro organisms, I would strongly recommend that Larch (or any tree from the Pinaceae family) be fed with organic fertiliser, not chemical.

Young trees/Trees in Development - In non repot years, Larch can explode away in spring, If you are building trunks or adding mass in the ground or in large containers go with a balanced liquid fertiliser on a weekly to 10 day cycle for the first half a dozen feeds or so, then settle into a fortnightly rotation. In repot years, wait the customary 4 weeks, then go to a fortnightly schedule. By December, when days are regularly in the high 20s to low 30s, back off to monthly liquid feeds. When autumn colour begins to show in Late March- Early April, lighten the liquid feeding or just go with the slow release organic feed. Throughout the season, light coverings of Dynamic Lifter or similar can be maintained, add the liquid feeds as specified and adjust dilution rates to suit the trees response.
Mature trees/Trees in refinement - Dynamic Lifter with monthly 1/2 strength liquid boosts, based on observation of each individual tree. Trace elements once a year in spring and add seasol to your liquid feeds if you like.

Soil:
Open, lightweight, water retaining soil with 4-7mm particles. A 50/50 mix of sieved high quality potting mix and Diatomite is my preferred basic formula. pH of slightly acid to slightly alkaline is fine.

Water:
Use tank or non chlorinated water. In a free draining mix as specified above, water lightly to maintain a damp soil during dormancy and increase to heavy watering as the tree grows strongly. In autumn as needles colour, revert to a damp soil. In the recommended mix, in a container with sensible drainage, it should be difficult to over-water. Try to avoid watering the foliage too often, especially at night, this can lead to needles rotting during humid conditions.

Pruning:
Trunk chop in and structural prune in early to mid winter as for other deciduous trees. Simplify heavily budded areas for good branch taper. Directional pruning in late spring to mid summer for branch development by observing dormant buds. Spring/summer pruning allows light to reach the interior buds which is also important. Avoid pruning after mid January to allow shoots to harden before winter. Sacrificial shoots on branches and trunks work particularly well to build mass.

Wiring:
Do all heavy and structural wiring in late autumn to mid winter, loose directional wiring can be done on new shoots in late spring and summer with care not to break needles. Larch has thick bark and branches can expand rapidly, watch out for wire cutting in and be very careful if you wish to unwind wires to remove during the growing season. Properly pruned and wired Larch can have delicate twigs that rival Elms and Maples.

Placement:
Protect from wind during the growing season.
Winter very important to give plenty of sun.
Spring - Full sun at the very least in the morning, full sun or dappled shade in the afternoon if you wish.
Late spring to late summer - Full sun in morning with some semi shade in the afternoon. In the right climate and with experience, Larch can be grown in full sun year round if precautions are taken (see below) and can ramify really well with beautiful aged bark as a result of plenty of sun.

General points to consider:
- If you want to retain good autumn colour, protect the tree from heavy rain and wind.
- Avoid exposing too many young roots too early, the roots can scorch, leading to leaf burn and or root rot then likely deterioration til death. By all means expose the nebari when there is one. Mulching with Pea straw in summer can be beneficial.
- Larch need to have winter dormancy of at least 2 months or more and prefer cool climates as a rule, but cold winters are a must. Protect needles from scorching in summer, if it is so warm that you have to leave Larch under shade cloth for the whole of the growing season to protect their leaves, then don't grow them. Tasmania, Southern Victoria, Ballaraat and surrounds, ACT, Mountain areas and Tablelands of NSW (eg. Orange) are ideal, Northeast Victoria (Shibui, Matthew and Alpineart's territory) are fine with some caution in summer.
- Larch trunks thicken very quickly and can suffer reverse or poor taper if they are left to grow unchecked. Avoid retaining opposite branches and allow adequate vertical space between branch tiers. For the same reason, wire lots of early movement into young trunks and branches as they tend to smooth out.
- Larch shoots in spring and summer will tell you when the tree really needs water by beginning to wilt, just like most deciduous trees. Water asap if this occurs, unless you want to risk die-back.
- Water in the morning and top up in the late afternoon only if required.
- Buy young trees and grow them up, get movement where you want it. 50mm + trunks are possible within 4-5 years in large containers (especially large colanders) and decent branching can be build to the refinement stage in 3 years on top of that. Young trees to show worthy shohin with nice trunks, taper and branching in 5- 6 years.
- Pest/disease control: again I prefer organic control, occasionally you will see scale and aphids, maybe the odd mite passing through, caterpillars can chew and distort new growth. I would never apply systemic fungicides, for reasons of encouraging soil bacteria and that I have never had to with decent soil as described above.

Folks, that was supposed to be brief..... Bodhi, I hope it is what you were looking for.

Cheers,
Mojo

[Mojo Moyogi]

Oh and propagate from up to pencil thick, wire shaped cuttings in mid-late winter. Bottom heat will speed up rooting but is not essential. Air Layering is said to be possible and in theory thread grafting could work too.



Cheers,
Mojo

[bodhidharma]

I know Mojo and Grant bowie have been growing them for sometime.

Thanks for the tipoff. And Moj responded.

Folks, that was supposed to be brief..... Bodhi, I hope it is what you were looking for.

Thanks for all that Moj and, yes, exactly what i was looking for. I am also sure other people will be bookmarking this as i have. I will read this again and fire a few questions. Thank you.

[Sno]

This thread is amazing. Thank you Bodhi for starting it. Mojo what you wrote is exactly the sort of information I'm looking for. I really appreciate the time and effort putting together that post.
Craig

[Mojo Moyogi]

Hi Craig,
Where is Crackenback NSW?

I know Mojo and Grant bowie have been growing them for sometime.

Thanks for the tipoff. And Moj responded.

Folks, that was supposed to be brief..... Bodhi, I hope it is what you were looking for.

Thanks for all that Moj and, yes, exactly what i was looking for. I am also sure other people will be bookmarking this as i have. I will read this again and fire a few questions. Thank you.

Fire away when you are ready, I've probably left some stuff out and after 12 months without doing anywhere near the bonsai work I would like to have done, I am quite rusty (and eager).

Cheers,
Mojo

[squizzy]

I have a standard larch weeping variety and I am going to attempt to grow it here on the northern beaches of sydney. I fear I might need more than advice with that sort of geographic disadvantage.

I will be watching closely though.

Thanks for posting I was too afraid too as I know exactly what people would say.

Squizz

[Mojo Moyogi]

... I am going to attempt to grow it here on the northern beaches of sydney...

Not sure about how Larch goes with coastal exposure... just make sure it is well above the waterline...

Cheers,
Mojo

[kcpoole]

Nice post Mojo and top info
I have taken the liberty to post it up on the Larch Wiki page here https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index.php?title=Larch

@squizz, Dunno how you will go in Sydney as we do not get enough cold time I reckon.

Mojo do you have any more info like this on other species?
Ken

[Jonden]

Thanks Mojo for that very informative post, I have had a Larch for 30 years, I started with 5 in a group and gradually lost them due to the hot climate that I lived in, I have now moved to a much cooler climate where the remaining 1 is thriving, despite a fungal decease about 5 years ago that caused black soft patches under the bark, successfully treated with systemic fungacide and some hail damage 2 years ago.The autumn colour is amazing, glowing golden yellow. The apex needs to be kept in check as they are very apically dominant and the lower branches will weaker and die back unless the apex is trimmed during the growth period. I have just purchased 8 while visiting Melbourne for the AABC convention, I hope to create a 7 tree forest.
Cheers, Jonden