AusBonsai

Hi All!

I'm looking for so advice with this PJ that I have recently hacked! I was too impatient for the Airlayers and wanted to open the space up for some more light so I could get some smaller trees in the ground around it.

This was a previous post for an ID.
viewtopic.php?f=134&t=16947
I've take few sections of the trunk that had aerial roots and laid them over in grow boxes. I'm quite amazed as they are already starting to throw some buds!


Anyway what I'm looking for is some advice on the Stump.

A few questions:

Removal -
The Tree is in quite heavy clay and I'm not sure how to approach the removal. Should I be digging around the tree and Mixing in some sand to promote more localised root growth?
Should I just dig it out and Clean it up and Drop in a grow box now. (I'm on the central coast NSW).

I'm also looking for Ideas on a direction to take this initially and thought that it might be a good time (while it's still in the ground) to start carving / chopping etc. to get a better base to work with.

so... If anyone has some thoughts on this I'd very much appreciate them.

Cheers,
Rick

Hi Rick,

Nice PJF stump, with your questions,

Duckbed wrote:Removal -
The Tree is in quite heavy clay and I'm not sure how to approach the removal. Should I be digging around the tree and Mixing in some sand to promote more localised root growth?
Should I just dig it out and Clean it up and Drop in a grow box now. (I'm on the central coast NSW).

Being a Port Jackson Fig, I would do as you suggested, dig it up and bareroot it, clean off any old soil/clay from it and even if you can't get a lot of roots, if you put it into some free draining soil it should be fine as there should be enough heat still about to let it recover after collection before things start to cool down in Autumn.

Duckbed wrote:I'm also looking for Ideas on a direction to take this initially and thought that it might be a good time (while it's still in the ground) to start carving / chopping etc. to get a better base to work with.

I wouldn't worry about direction at this stage, dig it up and let it go for a year to let the roots get strong. Then once it has recovered well, I would then consider options and a direction then.

Good luck with it and I will be keen to follow, make sure you take alot of photos when you dig it .

Cheers

David

Reduce the trunk down further then do everything dave said hahaha.

Thanks Guys. Chopping further maybe something like this?

The knuckle (in blue) has a lot of Aerial Roots and I might throw that in box too and see what happens.

Cheers
Rick

This is a PJ. They will survive transplant with almost no roots so don't be frightened to cut roots back short. Better to do it now than have to do them later when you try to get it into a bonsai pot. You should have no problem bare rooting and washing the clay off the roots as well.

The cuts you have shown are OK. I would consider cutting the thinner trunk back even further but that can be done later if you like.

Two green lines = Two options, stumpy or stumpy twin trunk!

Thanks Guys. Appreciate the advice. I'm going to chop and Start digging tomorrow. More pics to come.

Yep. If it were mine id chop at andrew's bottom green line. Good find by the way, I'm quite jealous.

DavidWilloughby wrote:
Good luck with it and I will be keen to follow, make sure you take alot of photos when you dig it .

David

Just a quick update... got it out of the ground... got too excited and forgot to take Photos of the Dig...

It's been in a box for a few months now and very slow to come back! Starting to Kick on finally now so lots of feeding and water and a good sunny spot.

I kept a lot of the trunk for now to see how it develops. I also want to get stuck into carving it once it takes off properly so figured this would give me more options.

Photo for the record.

Looking good
Keep up the progressions please

Ken

Repot for this one yesterday.. some new photos for the record. Just letting it grow. Have weighted some of the branches.

So after looking at these photos I'm thinking that i want to remove this root... Is this a good idea, bad idea? Tips?