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Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 24th, 2010, 12:53 pm
by brownegaz
Hi everyone
I am a new member to this site, I have bought a Chinese tallow to get started.
Can someone please have a look at the photos and give me an opinion on what to do with it, be as brutal as you like.
I was told that at some stage I have to defoliate it which I understand means to pluck all the leaves off it, is this done at the end of summer ?
I have read some posts here about thickening the trunk on plants by planting them in the ground or in larger pots to encourage faster growth should I consider doing this with my chinese tallow, what style of bonsai is best for these trees, informal upright ?
Garys Bonsai 24112010 001.jpg
Garys Bonsai 24112010 002.jpg
Garys Bonsai 24112010 007.jpg
thanks for any assistance
brownegaz
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 24th, 2010, 12:59 pm
by bodhidharma
G'day B.G, Informal upright is the style you should choose. I will watch with interest as C.T is prone to dieback and can kill off whole branches for no reason. I do not mean you shouldnt have a go but i wouldnt mind updates on this one
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 24th, 2010, 1:26 pm
by kcpoole
Welcome BG
I woud remove the weeds? or moss from around the trunk as I will hold too much moinsture there and can rot the wood if you let it
Keep the branches and foliage in check by Cutting back each shoots to the second set of leaves on each one. This will stop the branches from getting ling and spindly, and develop ticht branchine and foliage.
Defoliating is done During the growing season to reduce the size of leaves and to for a new set of leaves to be grown to reduce the saize of them, and also to give a "fresh Set" that have not been damaged by the summer sun and winds. A fresh set of leaves will look much nicer when they change colour coming in to winter
Ken
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 24th, 2010, 3:38 pm
by Pup
Defoliation is used for a number of reasons, the most common to reduce the size of the leaves, the next is to promote ramification. Another is used to thicken certain parts of the tree and branches. It is also used to slow down growth on certain parts of the tree.
For reducing foliage it is done on Boxing day 26th of December.
This has proven to be the best time, it is also recommended in Deborah Koreshoffs book, quoting from experiments done in Russia.
Cheers
Pup
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 24th, 2010, 5:52 pm
by 63pmp
26th December?
Hard to imagine deciduous trees with leaves in Russia at this time of the year.
But if Deborah says so, maybe they do.
Paul
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 24th, 2010, 6:58 pm
by Pup
63pmp wrote:26th December?
Hard to imagine deciduous trees with leaves in Russia at this time of the year.
But if Deborah says so, maybe they do.
Paul
Paul, Northern Hemisphere summer juxtaposed to ours, is 6 months different so theirs would be the middle of there summer 26 of June.
So I read her statement, in the book and that was what it said.
So when we read books from the Northern Hemisphere, we have to allow for that, do we not. Or maybe not.
Cheers
Pup
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: November 25th, 2010, 5:16 pm
by 63pmp
Pup,
Silly me, of course its out by 6 months up there,
Personally, I thought the only appropriate response to:
"Hard to imagine deciduous trees with leaves in Russia at this time of the year"
Is
ASSS!!!!
Paul
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 10:20 am
by Ron
Hi brownegaz,
I'm an admirer of these trees especially in Autumn and I'm wondering how you're going with it.
Cheers,
Ron
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 10:55 am
by Bretts
Yep I love Tallow too the ones around town here look so pretty with there delicate leaves anf palleted contrasting bark. My mate pol has a decent one but he also battles this branch die back and it almost looks worse every year. I am keen to try and solve this problem as my thinking is it can be solved.
The trees in the ground do not get this dieback so there is something missing in our pot care. I reckon if that can be found we can solve this issue.
I have not managed to get a decent trunk to experiment with yet but have started wondering if Pol will sell me his. Hmmmm! time to make a call
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 11:05 am
by Ron
Bretts wrote:...I have not managed to get a decent trunk to experiment with yet ...
They certainly don't like wire on the main trunk, Brett. I had minor wire grooves after just four weeks although they seem to fading after removing the wire two week ago.
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 11:15 am
by Bretts
Bugger Pol will not sell me his yet so looks like at least another couple of years before I get a decent trunk growing one myself. Will have to look harder for some decent nursery material to try with.
Pol said it is such a pity as they lend themselves to training in every other way. Wire can bite in quite quick on fast growing trees Ron. Even the best of us get caught out occasionally
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 11:38 am
by Ron
Bretts wrote: Bugger Pol will not sell me his yet so looks like at least another couple of years before I get a decent trunk growing one myself. Will have to look harder for some decent nursery material to try with.
Pol said it is such a pity as they lend themselves to training in every other way. Wire can bite in quite quick on fast growing trees Ron. Even the best of us get caught out occasionally
Hate it when people won't sell trees to you that they love!
Interesting that although the wire was only on the trunk and a branch for 4 weeks, they retained the shape after removing it.
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 1:49 pm
by bodhidharma
Bretts wrote:Yep I love Tallow too the ones around town here look so pretty with there delicate leaves anf palleted contrasting bark. My mate pol has a decent one but he also battles this branch die back and it almost looks worse every year. I am keen to try and solve this problem as my thinking is it can be solved.
The trees in the ground do not get this dieback so there is something missing in our pot care. I reckon if that can be found we can solve this issue.
I have not managed to get a decent trunk to experiment with yet but have started wondering if Pol will sell me his. Hmmmm! time to make a call
I have one in the ground and it suffers branch dieback. It throws a new one at the base but i have to say that this year it has never looked better.
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 2:42 pm
by Ron
Bretts wrote:.... Will have to look harder for some decent nursery material to try with.
It's nice to have stock on hand for the future
:
100_1678 (Small).jpg
And this is the trunk that was dead straight perpendicular. As I said it's holding the curves well despite just 4 weeks of wire:
100_1680 (Small).jpg
Re: Chinese Tallow Help
Posted: February 14th, 2011, 3:57 pm
by Petra
Bretts wrote: Bugger Pol will not sell me his yet so looks like at least another couple of years before I get a decent trunk growing one myself. Will have to look harder for some decent nursery material to try with.
Pol said it is such a pity as they lend themselves to training in every other way. Wire can bite in quite quick on fast growing trees Ron. Even the best of us get caught out occasionally
Just cut them down in the car parks over night , and never offer anyone if they would like them first. 
The Majority of the trunk sizes was about 18 to 30 cm wide.They'd been there for 8 years or so. I dont know even why it was done, not like they were adding more parking spaces 