Ginkgo Biloba

BonifaceVIII

I was recently asked if I knew where I could find a Gingko Biloba, well, I don't, this guy wants one for medicinal reasons, any idea where he could find one?

Advertisement

TreeBay

It's spelled Ginkgo (the only member of that genus). It's a pretty common street tree now, with separate male and female plants. Male trees are much more common because they don't drop the fruits that smell really rancid like fat gone bad.

Most nurseries that carry trees would have ginkgo, but the nuts will only be found on the female trees. I'm sure you could find them at bonsai stock places like http://www.evergreengardenworks.com but you might be paying more for "bonsai stock."

If it is for bonsai, the chi-chi Icho variety is preferred because of its interesting, warty bark.

Regards,

Matt

__________________

Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today!

bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

erubeck

Please excuse this apparent attempt to steal the thread but I have a Ginkgo in a grow box but at a complete loss as to how to go about training it. I have read that they will not heal after major pruning. If anyone has had experience styling one of these ancient specimens I would really appreciate hearing about it.

My apologies to you Boniface for horning in on your thread.

Ed

TreeBay

Ginkgo are usually styled in a special varient of the broom called "flame" or "torch," named after the spear shaped outline.

Ginkgo can also be successful in forests or clump plantings. You will find some in the ***MUSEUM*** here:

http://pictures.bonsaitalk.com/key/ginkgo

Getting branch density can be difficult. Small branches will heal over but large wounds tend not to heal well. Let young shoots grow out to a few nodes and then cut them back to one or two. You may find it more successful to leave a short stub at first. It will wither back and can then be pruned off flush.

Ginkgo roots are very strange if you haven't seen them. Almost like palm roots. Not a good idea to let them freeze, in my experience. I give my Ginkgo some protection in the hottest part of summer. The leaves have a waxy coating that repels water, so foliar feeding would probably be useless. I plant them in fairly deep pots and use organic fertilizer cake. Growth is at a measured pace, but you it will surprise you. This is a plant that is not in a hurry to develop.

Regards,

Matt

__________________

Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today!

bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

GaryS

Ginko Links:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/ginkgo.dm/

http://imaginatorium.org/sano/ginkgo.htm

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/seedpl...les/ginkgo.html

I have 2 Ginkgo Bonsai. One is a Chi-Chi Ginkgo and the other is an "Autumn Gold" Ginkgo.

Easy to grow, hard to prune(Strong apical dominance) but a lot of fun.

I also have one in my yard that's getting nice and big. They sell them at most nurseries. I see you are in Zone 9. I don't know how they do in that zone for they are a temperate zone tree.

Both of mine have proved to be very hardy and stay frozen all winter with no injury.

__________________
GaryS

erubeck

Matt and Gary:

Thank you for the information. If I have any success with this tree I will post a picture.