Ginkgo Survives Brutal Attack

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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FredL

Earthgirl, it is nice to hear from somebody close by in Oklahoma. Hi!

Anyway, I think the questions you raise in this thread and in the related one on J. Maples are very hard to deal with (at least by me) using this medium (the internet) and the format you're using. I'm finding it very hard to grasp your questions the way you've stated them and say something intelligent in response even though what you've asked seems very reasonable and is exactly why we're all here.

I have a whole bunch of material, myself, all about two or three years "in captivity" and I'm grappling with the same sorts of issues you are. Two or three years ago I was dealing with issues that seemed just as difficult (Where to find material; How to collect it without killing it; How to keep it alive and developing into something like decent material for Bonsai). Turned out none of the issues involved in getting seeds and other material to the "Bonsai Starter" stage were that monumental after all. Now I have LOTS of material and many issues very similar to yours.

I found during my first three years back into this wonderful activity that the main thing was to just get doing things. Trying them and seeing what happened. Observe cause and effect. Add what worked to my "bag-of-tricks" and try to avoid making the same mistake twice.

This meant that I came to belive that it is very wise to try to develop as many trees as possible and try to accept the failures along the way as the necessary price of success.

Now that I'm dealing with many of the same issues you are, I'm finding that I'm using the same set of assumptions: With what I DO know about wiring, wood carving, seasonal effects, branch development etc., just set about trying things. Hope the majority of things I try work; accept that some won't. I am finding it challenging, setting forth in a new period of bonsai development, requiring a very different skill set from the one I've developed up to now, trying to develop decent material into actual bonsai rather than trying to develop seeds and roadside material into Bonsai starters.

One of the things I'm working on now is improving my photographic skills. I'm starting to think that photography is almost as important to the hobby as horticultural skills. I've come to think that it's almost impossible to get good reponses to internet questions without BOTH good pictures and well phrased questions. I'm trying to improve on both.

I apologize for not being more directly responsive to your questions, but these are the thoughts that occurred to me when I read your threads. Hope they are in some way helpful.

Fred

EarthgirlOK

Hi, Fred;

Thanks for your thoughts. I think you're right about photography being an important part of bonsai. Who Knew? Taking before during, after pictures, front, back, and top pictures, and getting them in the right lighting and etcetera has become important in a way I never imagined.

I am glad and to an extent relieved to learn that there are others who, as they grow into the art of bonsai, enter into different stages. That's where I'm at; I don't know very much at all, but I'm afraid my current bonsai books don't answer some of my questions at this point.

I guess, like you said, I'll have to continue the "doing" of bonsai and learn as I go, still...

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JTriptow

Michelle (right??),

I am at the same stage in understanding that you seem to be. Thankfully, I got past the "twigs in pots" stage, but still have so many of the bonsai fundamentals to learn. And the books, though informative, are not cutting the mustard. The club helps, but sometimes I wish I had a hands-on teacher. I don't know that there are any teachers to be had in my area (and I couldn't afford one at the moment anyhow), but I dream of it. Watching someone apply their knowledge of even the most basic of tasks (watering, feeding) would open my eyes to all the things I am sure I am still doing wrong---let alone the things I KNOW that I DON'T KNOW.

Ah, well... perhaps some day.

I am sorry that I cannot aid in your Ginkgo dilemma. I have not owned a ginkgo (yet!). I do hope that someone will join in this thread and offer some advice. Certainly, as Fred mentioned, photos would help.

Best of luck with the beast,

Jennifer

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Who knew trees could become an obsession?

TreeBay

When I first saw this thread, I was expecting to read about the near fatality of one of Ron's geckos. I guess I am relieved.

Regards,

Matt

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EarthgirlOK

LOL!!! And here, I was feeling bad that maybe I had led people to believe that some malicious miscreant had attacked a priceless bonsai...that dawned on me late this afternoon...

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