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14-Jun-2008
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#1 |
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bonsaiTALK Journeyman
Join Date: Jun-2008
Location: Vancouver, PNW
Posts: 40
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Because I had to.
I didn't quite have any intention of riding off into the sunset with a potted beauty but they always say "expect the unexpected".
I've been doing some reading about this species and willows in general. I hear they've made a reputation for themselves as unpredictable and prone to dieback, but have remarkable rooting qualities and vigorous growth. I'm in no hurry to do anything to this tree and wouldn't mind waiting three or more years for it to chunk up and mature. There was something that puzzled me while trying to find more info on this tree - is it true that these willows have a lifespan of ~40 years? Last edited by Flaxe : 14-Jun-2008 at 11:41 AM. |
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Because I had to. |
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14-Jun-2008
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#2 |
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Student of Life
 
Join Date: Mar-2006
Location: Castroville,Texas
Country: USA
USDA Zone: 8b-9a
AHS Heat Zone: 10
Posts: 1,754
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I have never allowed the lifespan of a tree to stop me from growing a tree for the joy of it. No matter the species or what is said about them.
Irene
__________________
Student of Life Student of Nature "From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We can also have the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai." "Saburo Kato" http://gongshi.freeforums.org/index.php http://bonsaivaultforum.freeforums.org/portal.php |
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14-Jun-2008
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#3 |
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bonsaiTALK Journeyman
Join Date: Jun-2008
Location: Vancouver, PNW
Posts: 40
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Well, I'm glad for you. I was wondering if anyone knows what the lifespan of these trees were for info's sake.
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15-Jun-2008
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#4 |
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bonsaiTALK Master
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I'm not sure how relevant natural lifespan is to bonsai. Trees don't age in the same way as mammals and when, in the wild, a tree collapses, it is more often due to mechanical failure, i.e. the root system has extended to such a degree that it cannot supply the demand of the tree, or from long term insect infestation or some infection.
It's a very hard life for trees in the wild. As with most other life forms on the planet, they live on a knife edge of survival; a fine balance between the energy it can get and the energy it has to expend in competition with other trees and plants, parasitic insects, plants and fungi, disease and reproducing itself as much as possible before it loses the battle (which it will, sooner or later). None of this applies in bonsai. Infection and infestation are dealt with immediately and bonsai are not in competition with other trees and plants for light water and nutrients. More importantly, the roots are regularly rejuvinated, as are the branches, and the soil is regularly refreshed. Trees don't really die of 'old age' per se. They usually die of factors accociated with being unable to move in search of nutrients (the soil becomes depleted, the roots become too long to move water & nutrients efficiently etc.), or to avoid local changes (e.g. drought or flooding or the proximal growth of more vigorous trees) and so-on. Where these factors are removed, most trees (bonsai) will outlive their owners as far as I know.
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Experience is knowledge gained immediately after it was needed. |
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15-Jun-2008
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#5 |
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bonsaiTALK Journeyman
Join Date: Jun-2008
Location: Vancouver, PNW
Posts: 40
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Thank you, Glider. There's so much more I still have to learn about trees and plants. To be honest, I'm often so caught up in growing young trees and/or sustaining established trees, that I forget to think so far ahead into the future. It was a passing comment by a horticulturalist on another message board, I believe, that caused me to wonder about how trees "age" and if there was actually certain lifespans of specific trees.
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16-Jun-2008
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#6 |
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bonsaiTALK Master
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Well, if you think about it, the vast proportion of the mass of any tree is already 'dead'. Aside from the leaves, the only living part of a tree is the cambium layer; a layer of cells that encloses the entire structure like a glove.
Throughout the growing season, this layer differentiates into xylem and phloem. The cells of these layers lignify to form transport tubules and effectively are dead once they have done so. The cells of the cambium are constantly renewing and so the cells of the cambium never really age as such. Trees in the wild do have different life expectancies, but this is due to factors such as their syle and rate of growth. For example, bristle cone pines grow extremely slowly and so place minimal demand on their environment. Valley larch however grow very quickly placing a huge demand on their environment and live for around 50 years (in the wild). Trees don't have aging built in at the genetic level as mammals do and so their lifespan is determined by external forces as I described above. A similar phenomenon can be seen in human history though. Whilst we do have aging programmed in at the genetic level, until comparatively recently, human mortality was determined more by external forces. For example, in the bronze age, the average human lifespan was around 25 years. Just enough time to breed and raise children. When we died it was usually down to poor nutrition, infection, parasitic infestation, disease (through poor sanitation) or any combination of these. Now, our average lifepsan (in the West) is over three times that. With humans, it took time to make the changes, but, if you could clone a bronze age child and raise them now, they would have the same life expectancy as anybody else due to current levels of sanitation, nutrition, medicine, etc.. The same applies in bonsai. Take a wild tree, put it in a pot, give it what it could not hope to get in the wild and it'll just keep going.
__________________
Experience is knowledge gained immediately after it was needed. |
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