azcelt

I have been trying palo verde, palo brea, mexican palo verde, Foothills
paloverde , desert ironwood, honey mesquite and velvet mesquite. I do not
have anything worthwhile in a pot but I have been acquiring some skills with
these species. My main goal is to achieve bonsai 12" or less.

"Wisdoms"

1. Do not attempt to collect from the wild! Tap and related feeder roots
are closer to China than Arizona. You can try, I am just trying to save your
back, knees and hands. Also, some of trees listed are protected by state
law and cannot be collected. I have not found a state or federal agency
that will issue a permit for collection.

2. Nursery stock - For mediium to small specimens, nursery stock will be hard
to find. Most (if not all) are trimmed and pruned with one goal in mind - a
landscape specimen. The nurseries start pruning as soon as the seedlings
are transplanted to liners. I have seen some specimens of large size that
are developing as bonsai. Some not many. However, if you make the plant
sales at the Desert Botanical Gardens and the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum
you can find 1 and 5 gallon items that have not been touched. You must
get there before I do!

3. I grow from seed. Growth is moderate to slow. Use a well-draining
soil mix and fertilize heavily. To start the seeds of the species I listed
(except for the desert ironwood), they MUST be scarified. Soaking alone
will not penetrate their hard shell. There many techniques but I use chemical
scarification. I obtain sulphuric acid used to clean sewer pipes and septic
tanks ( ACE Hardware). I soak the seeds for about and hour in the acid,
and then an equal amount of time in water. I sow the seeds in Shutz's
Seed Starting Soil.

Ironwood is strange desert tree. It does not have a harden shell. In fact
(from my observations) if they are dried, they are dead. I have not been
successful re-hydrating the seeds. You must watch the trees in desert.
When the pods turn a pale yellow and about ready to drop, harvest and
plant straight into your starting soil.

4. Cuttings/layers. I have not been successful. However, trees such as the
patent plant "Desert Museum Palo Verde" are produce only from cuttings.

5. Roots Start working on the tap root as soon as possible. When
transplanting, I cut off the bottom third of the root until it removed.

Hope this helps.

Come join at the Phoenix Bonsai Society. Meetings are thr first three
Tuesdays of the month, at 7:30 PM. The meetings are held at
The Valley Garden Center, Fifteenth Ave between MsDowell and Thomas.

Richard