Are Cottonwoods Any Good For Bonsai?

Mittar

Latin name Populus deltoides.

Here's a link to what they look like including leaves, bark and such. They're a local favorite of mine in norther New Mexico and I would love to get some into a growing box if they are favorable material.

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TreeBay

I have never seen a bonsai Cottonwood. I think the leaf size may be an inhibition, but I don't know about other characteristics.

Good luck,

Matt

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Attila

I have a Populus fremontii. It will be interesting to see how it reacts to pot culture. So far it grows in a one gallon pot and doing good. I suspect that the major hurdle is getting it used to the shallow bonsai pot since the cottonwood is a very fast-growing tree. Leaf size is not a problem, it will reduce with time.

The reason why some trees are very hard to grow as bonsai is that they don't like their roots contained in shallow pots and don't react well to frequent /drastic rootpruning. I recommend that you use deeper pot and handle the roots with extra care.

jarq

Hi :
I've got also one Populus Alba, only one year old and about 1 meter heigth ( from a seed that came who-knows-where). Extremely fast grower. The pot is quite swallow, about 20cm / 8" depth and is doing fine. Completely up-straigth, like a rocket. Probably a chokkan candidate, but not sure. Next Feb i'll repot it and do a trimming of the roots, we'll see.

regards, José

Attila

Speaking of cottonwood, there is another tree almost non-existent in bonsai literature: the eucalyptus. The general consensus is that you can't make bonsai out of them.

I've just checked out a website (http://www.eucalyptus.co.uk/indepth...n&anchorme=cult) and it looks to me that the problems are similar to growing cottonwood as bonsai.

This website says that, although not easy, you CAN grow large bonsais from eucalyptus (at least 12 inch pot).

The problem is that the fast growth causes the tree to become rootbound in no time. This results in the tree weakening to the point where it takes several years to recover. The constant stress of being rootbound eventually does it to the tree.

So, the solution is to use a large pot and constantly monitor the roots to prevent the tree becoming rootbound.

I am pretty sure that the cottonwood falls in the same category.

I still think it's an interesting challenge (you may become the first to succeed) but don't bet the farm on it.

Mittar

Thanks for the info guys.

These things are all over my neighborhood so I owe it to myself to try. I'll be sure to document my attempt and pass it on to the rest of you.

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clrosner

Mittar:
Please document it with some photos to share with the group!!!

Best of luck.....

Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7
http://bmee.net/rosner
http://www.jamesbaird.com/cgi-bin/J...stid=0000006848

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Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7
arteacher3725@yahoo.com

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