|
| I just bought a Ginkgo tree at local nursery. I think it's from a cutting but not sure, it's 26" tall with no side branching yet but has a descent root structure. I think I obviously need to top this plant for bonsai.
So my question is, is it to early to top it? Should I wait for side branches to appear? And if any one has experience with ginkgo trees what would be a good height to chop it too? I would like it to be a rather large plant, I heard that Ginkgos do better bigger. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Most ginkos are grown in the 'flame' style. You might want to research that style while you're letting your tree grow tall to gain caliper in preparation for the chop. Al |
|
- Posted by head_cutter Vietnam (My Page) on Thu, Apr 29, 10 at 20:01
| Due to the 'look' of the bark and foliage most Ginko appear better as larger Bonsai, normally 24" or more. Growing in the ground for a number of years will speed the process of both trunk girth and surface root display. Most of us who field grow allow the tree to attain as much vertical growth as is needed to fatten the trunk to the desired size then cut it back to the size wanted for the finished tree. This is done (normally) with a slanting cut, hidden at the back of the tree, allowing a central leader to take over near the front or side to help hide the cut. Most are grown as Al suggested out of convenience. I have seen many older trees with a strong central trunk and a nice broad head of foliage much like the old examples in China. Bob |
|
- Posted by supermario (My Page) on Thu, Apr 29, 10 at 20:39
| Is there any thing you can do to promote branching? And thanks for the input. |
|
| Pinching or hard pruning forces back-budding and more branching. If you mean a multi-trunked style, chopping very close to the ground once the trunk caliper you want is reached will produce multiple breaks from the stump and you can select the number you want. Al |
|
- Posted by supermario (My Page) on Thu, Apr 29, 10 at 21:25
| No I'm talking about the first one back budding and branching. My tree is straight up for 28" with leaves on the thin "trunk" in many places but no actual branches. |
|
| Google "The Gingko Pages" for a wonderful site all about them, plus lots of info about bonsai-ing them. |
|
| Trees growing normally have a continual 'battle' between two growth regulators - auxin and cytokinin. Cytokinin wants to make the tree grow bushy with branches everywhere - shrubs. Auxin makes the plant want to grow tall and long, like maples and oaks. In the very upright, apical dominant trees, auxin wins the battle, in shrubs and low growing plants, cytokinin gets the nod. At the tip of every branch, there is a region where growth (extension) originates called the apical meristem. Within that region, one of the growth regulators (hormones) called auxin is produced. Auxin moves downward to the roots and as it does, it inhibits lateral growth - the branching you're looking for. If you remove the apical meristem (this is called pinching) it permanently stops extension of that branch. The reduced flow of auxin also allows cytokinin to become dominant in that branch, and if you prune hard enough, in other parts of the tree. The dominance of cytokinin can temporarily force branching from dormant buds, most often in leaf axils, but sometimes adventitious buds pop all over the tree if you pinch hard enough. An other way of looking at it is like this. Energy is going to flow to all living branches. If you eliminate the point that growth occurs from (the apical meristem or growing tip of the branch) the energy that still flows to the branch cannot go into branch extension, so the tree directs the energy toward activating dormant buds that form new branches so it CAN extend. There are a few ways to go about pruning to force the type of growth you're seeking, but having an idea what your vision for tree is would be helpful. IOW - if you're going to grow the tree to a certain trunk caliper and then chop it - you don't want to cut off any growth. If you envision a tree with a 3" trunk and an upright style, you might want to perform a series of chops, starting when your trunk is 2/3 of the caliper you envision it being. If you don't give a hoot about taper or trunk caliper, there are things you can do right now so you can put it in a pot and start working on it to make it look like a bonsai. Al
|
|
- Posted by supermario (My Page) on Fri, Apr 30, 10 at 9:31
| Thanks Tapla that's some great info. Is it safe to cut off the top couple inches of my plant, I think that it's a year or maybe 2 year old cutting. |
|
| You only need to remove (pinch) the very tip of the leader to force secondary branching from the main stem if none appears now. Al |
|
- Posted by supermario (My Page) on Fri, Apr 30, 10 at 17:41
| cool I'll try that once the first set of leaves harden off thanks. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Bonsai Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.