EarthgirlOK

Inspired by Jennifer of Jtriptow’s post “Let’s Talk About Brooms Baby,” (great thread, Jennifer) I got to thinking about a couple of things I’m working with. I think I’ll post my questions about the maples in another post.

Anyway. I have a Ginkgo Biloba and a couple of Japanese Maples that really need some work..

The GINKGO: It is a straight six foot tree that I bought for fifty dollars because I LOVE ginkgo’s, and this one was crowded by suckers in its pot. Two years ago, I tore off all the little suckers and successfully rooted them. They are now growing rather peacefully in their terra cotta pot. I’ll probably eventually turn them into a forest or group.

Now the “parent” tree has a whole new crop of suckers, which in spite of the nay-sayers, I think is cool. Here’s what I’m tempted to do; air layer a few branches off the top and then perform a severe trunk chop (to be carved out since ginkgo’s don’t callous over well). I’m playing with the idea of turning it into a stump (in spring of course), and allowing the current “suckers” to become a main feature as a clump style Bonsai. When I fooled with the root mass a couple of years ago, I discovered it is REALLY a mass…a fused, HARD ball of wood, with only a few small deformed roots coming out of it. Not knowing better, I tried to saw it in half. My little hand-saw couldn’t handle it. I got out the small axe. It could hardly cut through the woody roots. I panicked, and my husband decided to stay in the house until the axe was at rest and I was sitting on the porch with all sorts of tree pieces lying around me. In exhausted desperation, I repotted the big albatross back into its terra cotta can-shaped pot for another two years. UNBELIEVABLY, it thrives today. See, I did this in late autumn two years ago. I didn’t expect it to survive my ignorant brutality. But it did. So. Now I’m wondering what the solid ball of roots that underwent a violent root pruning, looks like today. I’m wondering, if exposed in the spring, would it be a fascinating feature or an ugly chopped up heap of dung? Only a springtime repot will tell. I’m wishing like crazy that I had taken a picture of it then.

So, what do some of you think? Does anybody have experience with ginkgo? Has anyone ever heard of a fused rock-hard mass of rootage? I’m thinking of starting to take some pictures, and chronicling the journey of the ginkgo to see how it ends up…

Other question; is it foolish to do an air-layer, trunk-chop and repot in the same season?

Any clever ideas?

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Sonlight NurseryGreen Country Bonsai Society

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