AusBonsai

Its that time of year again. Seems to come around very quickly. I am have now started to lift my deciduous trees from the ground. All these trees will be root and top pruned then replanted. I do this every year with the field grown trees except for the chinese quince which are a bit slower to settle in. Heres some pics of my ash which I have been doing most of the day today.

Great stuff Craig! Nice bend in the trunk, and with some nice tapering, this will be a very nice tree.

btw, thanks for recommending the Orchid and Ferns place in Silvan. I was there on saturday and picked up some pots and diatomite.

Well that yearly work looks to really have paid off. What beautiful nebari and compact, shallow root systems you have developed! Congrats

That last one is very nice Craig. It reminds me of the one i posted recently. Very similar bark.

I hope you dont mind, Here is a big Ash a mate has field grown but it will be some time befor the roots come into line!

craigw60 wrote:I hate my trees having big lumps underneath them it restricts the type of pots I can choose

While I agree craigw60, I was wondering about those large areas of exposed timber when in contact with moist potting medium or soil (when ground growing). Do you use any sealant on them to prevent rot?

I recently asked much the same question regarding Prunus and was told that the wood was tough and not a problem; is this the case with ash?

Jan

anttal63 wrote:I hope you dont mind, Here is a big Ash a mate has field grown but it will be some time befor the roots come into line!

HAHAHAA!!!!!!!!....... YOU'RE VERY FUNNY,ANT!
Both ashes look great to me.

Jan wrote:

craigw60 wrote:I hate my trees having big lumps underneath them it restricts the type of pots I can choose

While I agree craigw60, I was wondering about those large areas of exposed timber when in contact with moist potting medium or soil (when ground growing). Do you use any sealant on them to prevent rot?

I recently asked much the same question regarding Prunus and was told that the wood was tough and not a problem; is this the case with ash?

Jan

Good question Jan, I've been wondering the same thing after digging up a couple of shrubs from my garden.
How about the wood from bougs - hibiscus and gardenias Would any of these rot in the pot???
Loretta

Once again ladies, if you have a well drained mix and your tree is growing healthy and vigorous most species will heal themselves and not rot. Having said that there are tar and concrete slurries that can seal over these cuts on the bottom.

Craig, the flare and nebari on these trees shows why correct root work while field growing is so important. Can't wait to see the tridents!

Thanks Neal and Ash, glad you like the orchid nursery they have some great stuff there.
Ant, of course I don't mind thats what this forum is all about. Your ash looks great but very big and hard to dig up. I like to be able to lift my trees with 6 spade cuts then just give them a shake to get the soil off. I plant them in very well worked soil with lots of spend potting mix from the nursery dug in.
Large cuts under bonsai are just part of the routine for preparing a tree for life in a pot. This should cause no harm at all the buried scars heal very quickly, in fact it can be an advantage as the wounds if large enough will encourage basal flare. The Japanese plane the underside of their palmatums to encourage those large flared bases seen on their old maples.
Loretta I have no idea about the species you mentioned as they are all warm climate plants but I would guess you will have no problems with scars under the soil level.
Hi Jarrod haven't seen you for ages I will be digging the tridents some time in the next couple of weeks. I might even pot a couple of them.
Craig

That last one is a ripper Criag. Though I can't see the scar I would imagine it would need no more that one more year in the ground just to give the scar a head start before it went into some pot. If at all?
You say you collected it last year what has happened since then I would love to see it in a pot.

I need a potting bench like yours

Hi Brett, the scar is pretty big but is sitting nicely at the back of the tree, it has started to roll over already. One more year in the ground and I will then pot it up.
My potting bench is a very ramshackle treated pine affair just cobbled together but it serves me very well and I spend a lot of time at it.
Craig

hi loretta,

boug wood can rot out quite easily, any deadwood will need treating, if you plan on cutting underneath the tree a good sealant would be a good idea, whatever you use will have to be resistant to moisture.

im not sure of hibiscus, i have some in the ground here and intend on getting my cousin over to get them out (he is gonna be a busy boy with all these trees i want out ).

gardenia i am not sure of either. as a rule of thumb seal anything you are not sure on that way you will be safe rather than sorry.

jamie