Baby liquidambar help.

Chains · Post by **Chains** » November 26th, 2012, 12:58 am

Hey everyone. I'm new to this forum and I'm looking forward to learning lots. I have only in the last week decided to take on some trees, but I have loved them my whole life, just never been settled enough to look after trees.
I got my first tree, a liquidambar youngen, maybe 6 months old???

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I took lots of the leaves off, but I'm scared to take them all off? Can it handle it? And is it a good idea to work on this little baby at this time of year? Any advice would be awesome. I also have a tiger bark fig that is 7 that I bought. And a Fukien tea that is about 1???

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I'm not too worried about them at the moment, just enjoying them and will seek advice in the appropriate thread. Thanks everyone.

Chains

Damian Bee · Post by **Damian Bee** » November 26th, 2012, 6:05 am

Hi chain,
It will probably shoot from all of the nodes now that you have taken the tops out.
It looks like you have kept this one in some shade, am I right?
Liquid ambers usually make good mid size to large bonsai due to the size of the leaf but I did see a awesome mini Liquidambar at a recent meeting.
For now you will need to have a little bit of a think about what you envisage for the trees eventual size and shape and perhaps sketch it. Like a road map, you can follow it along and even take a detour or change destination (providing you have mapped out a new one

).
Every person will have a different idea to proceed with but for now if it were mine I would take it out of the ceramic and plonk it into a garden bed or if you are in an apartment a tomato box or similar to let it put on some weight. I can see in one pic a nice little pot belly at the base, for me that's as good a place to start thinking from as any

Have fun mate and welcome to Ausbonsai

Hackimoto · Post by **Hackimoto** » November 26th, 2012, 8:26 am

Welcome to the forum. Go and have a look at Red Dragon Bonsai Nursery in Currumbin Creek Rd if you haven't been already. Ask Chris, who owns it, about the Gold Coast Club.

Chains · Post by **Chains** » November 26th, 2012, 10:39 am

Thank you both,
I went and saw chris the other day and got my fig and Fukien tea from him. Spent about an hour and a half just cruzing round the garden, so cool.
With my liquidambar I just need to know if I can take all the leaves off since I have already taken most off, the remaining are wilted. Should I just take them off? And yes he has been in the shade a bit. Full sun?
Cheers

shibui · Post by **shibui** » November 26th, 2012, 7:38 pm

Yes Chains you can take all the leaves off your liquidamber if you want. the question is why would you want to? This tree is far too immature for defoliation to be of much benefit

. Personally I would just prune those long shoots back to 1 or 2 nodes and let it grow back then repeat as often as it grows long for the next few years. By the way, taking off the lower leaves and leaving the growing tip intact like you have done will just make the shoots grow longer. Take out the tip or prune long shoots back when defoliating to force the dormant buds to grow. You should also feed well before defoliating so the tree has enough strength to sprout new shoots.
The tree would do better in more sun as long as you can water it properly to cope with the extra drying in the sun but do not stick a tree with leaves used to shade into the sun or they will burn badly. You can change its position when you take the leaves off if you want. The new leaves will open in the stronger light and will adjust to it.

Chains · Post by **Chains** » November 26th, 2012, 7:48 pm

Thanks shibui, that's just what I needed to know.

AusBonsai