Growing in the ground

TreeBay

From time to time I thought it would be a good idea to feature questions that have been asked of the Dr.Bonsai smartbot. Feel free to add your comments



In my own experience, you would not expect in the first year, with most species, to see a huge difference between growing in the container or in the ground.

During the first years, the tree diverts a lot of its available energy to pushing out a root system that will enable it to grow more rapidly. It will need that root system to anchor it in the ground, and it will store a lot of energy in the roots for a spring push.

Ted Matson described this as a "sleep, creep, reap" situation where the first year, (the SLEEP year) not much is observed happening above ground. During the second year (CREEP) the root system expands quite a bit and the tree readies itself for growth. The third year (REAP) everything takes off like gangbusters.

Feel free to add your comments to "Growing in the Ground"

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Carl_Bergstrom

A few notes.

First, I agree wholeheartedly with Matt. There's a delayed gratification from growing in the ground or growning boxes. Maples are amazing that way. They typically do almost nothing the first year, and then go nuts the second year.

Second, juniper may not be the fastest-growing species around. Be patient with them.

Third, take pictures as you go along. Sometimes you don't think a tree has really changed much until you go back and look at the "before" picture...and then you see it's doubled in girth.

(Alternatively, you can wire the tree and then forget that you wired it, and measure the growth a year later by the depth of the wire scars - but I prefer the photographic method, myself.)

-Old Mister

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In love with trees

TreeBay

We need a thread just for wire scar pictures and the good excuses that go with them.

I'm thinking mine up now (the excuses).

Regards,

Matt

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craig

hi all i wonder if anyone can help me .i bought 6 juniperus chinesis xmedia blauws about 10 months ago they are 1 and a half feet tall and the trunk is about half an inch thick and they look very healthy the problem is they only seem to have grown a couple of milimetres if anything. is this normal speed of growth for this variety . i am trying to grow them on in large potsand a couple in the ground so i can make larger sized bonsai should i give up this idea .if so please advise on junipervariety with scale type foliage vigorous enoughto become a large size bonsai in my lifetimeor the next ten years any help or replies would be greatly appritated thanks byyyyyyyyyyeeeeee

Murat

Since I am newbee at bonsai, i wonder about "open ground" growing. I want to grow my seedlings in open ground for 1 or 2 years. I want to learn more about the soil in open ground. Is usually garden (clays,stones etc,) soil? or bonsai soil (mixing some loam, moss, akadama, granit etc)?

I prepared the ground frame by wood. But really don't know what kind a soil i must to use. Can anyone help me?

In adittion, I bought "RD HOME Bonsai hand book, Harry Tomlinson). In that book there is usefull advice for each plant about using soil mixing. This is very good. But i have a problem about it. As i am a Turkish living in Japan, i am having some problems about terms. i don't know what is "sphagnum moss" and "loam"? And if i cannot find these things (because of my language problem) Can you explain me what i can use as "sphagnum moss" or "loam". Or can you show me this things photos so may be i can understand

Cheers
Murat

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banzai

TreeBay

loam is soil with a fertile blend of organic and inorganic components of various sizes, which promote drainage and moisture retention. The source of the organics could be, composts or peat moss.

Loam: "Definition: [n] a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials"

Peat is "Keto tsuchi" but that is not the long moss.

Maybe you can find something here:

http://www.wafu.com/bd-192-32.htm

Another site has Sphagnum moss as "Mizu koke," which seems to be accurate as a back search on Mizu Koke comes up Bog moss.

Soil amendment really depends on what you're starting with. Some areas have very good soil, others are poor, still others are toxic, so I can't give you any guidance there. How about some neighborhood vegetable garden or garden center?


Good luck

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Murat

Thanks for your reply Matt. Can i ask 2 more questions?

1. Can i use "akadama" or "vermiculate" instead of sphagnum peat moss?

2. About my garden, it full of clay and some granit grits and earth. On this garden currently nothing planted flowers or etc. Just some wild grasses. In this case can i use it for growing may future seedlings >> maple, bald cypress, korean hornbean, monkey pod, japanese zelkova, dawn redwood, cotoneaster horizontalis. I bought these specimens seeds and now just waiting (and hoping) for seeing their leaves. I want to planning for my future seedlings. If the ground not good what i need to add in the part in that i will use. I made a wood frame and waiting for advice

Cheers
Murat

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banzai

TreeBay

There are many kinds of clay. Akadama itself is a clay. I can't really tell you what (if anything) you should do to amend your soil - for all I know your soil is perfect the way it is. Sorry, I think you would be best off inquiring locally at a nursery or garden center.

If you have a specific problem, say with drainage or compaction of the soil, pH, etc., there are solutions, but absent a problem, it would be like me saying that your soup needs more salt without ever tasting (or seeing) it.

Sorry,

Matt

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Murat

Thanks again Matt. I hope to see many baby trees from these seeds.

Cheers
Murat

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banzai