Started growing stuff in the ground today

[Fonz]

Today I started my bonsai field growing project.
Since my garden is mostly occupied by soccer playing kids I had to find another solution. Luckely for me my mother only lives 20 minutes away and has a huge piece of land. I asked her nicely if I could use a tiny bit of it and since I always was a good boy when I was young *cough* she couldn't refuse...

So I started by getting rid of all the grass and weeds that piled up over the past year.



An hour later I had cleared about 8m² or 90ft² so I could line up the tiles I would be using to get a flat root mass.



The tiles were buried 10cm/4" deep and the plants where put on top of it. I planted most under an angle to avoid straight trunks in the future.



Almost 2,5 hours after I started from scratch I had something that looked a bit like a little grow field. The backrow are Hedge Maples (Acer Campestre) and on the left and the right I got some Hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna). They will function as a hedge around the other trees that will be put in the center and at the same time they can grow out to be starter material in the future. As you can see I already put a Thuja Occ. in the ground too.



Next year I'll put in some other young trees like Japanese Maples, Tridents, Ginkgo Bilobas. When I run out of space there's still some ground in front of the grow bed I can confiscate
The toughest challenge will be to keep the "field" clean the next 10 years or so. We'll see how that goes.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Remember if she ever refuses you just use these two magic words “nursing home”.

 

[Fonz]

Remember if she ever refuses you just use these two magic words “nursing home”.

 

[Cadillactaste]

How close did you plant them? Looks like good elbow work.

 

[Fonz]

How close did you plant them? Looks like good elbow work.

About 40cm/15" apart, I might give the future additions a bit more space
I can always move them a bit in a few years when some rootwork will be done. Don't expect them all to survive, the field maples were potted with 3 in 1 pot (bought them like that. The roots were one big mess, had to use excessive force to seperate them.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

You can spread a generous layer of mulch on the ground there to help keep grass and weeds out. I’m wondering, how close are the “nebari” to the soil surface? Surely you want them slightly buried but they all look like small seedlings, i’m wondering if 4 inches was planting them too deep. When planting landscape trees and shrubs, you always want to plant them with the root ball very slightly above the soil surface and then mound the soil up around them. If the roots were planted too deep they may struggle. Nice start to your project, I’m probably going to start a ground growing plot next season.

 

[Fonz]

You can spread a generous layer of mulch on the ground there to help keep grass and weeds out. I’m wondering, how close are the “nebari” to the soil surface? Surely you want them slightly buried but they all look like small seedlings, i’m wondering if 4 inches was planting them too deep. When planting landscape trees and shrubs, you always want to plant them with the root ball very slightly above the soil surface and then mound the soil up around them. If the roots were planted too deep they may struggle. Nice start to your project, I’m probably going to start a ground growing plot next season.

I was told to put them that "deep". The idea is to thicken the trunk first, do a little rootwork and then focus on the nebari in a few years.

 

[Bananaman]

Your going to wish you had planted these at least two or three feet apart. I have dug lots of trees and growing these to suitable bonsai size will be a big tangled mess and no room to work digging them up. Roots will grow into each other and be a tangled mess below the ground also.

Good luck with your new trees. These tridents are grown three feet apart each way and even these were a pain in the ass to dig out without first pruning them back a lot to even get in there to dig. Field growing requires much growing and pruning and cutting back constantly in an effort to keep them tidy, defeats the purpose of field growing. See how large those cut end of those canes are, those branches were about seven feet long and intertwined with the row next to it three feet or more away.

Just something to think about.


oh....and the other thing....if this is not what you intend to do by growing in the ground and saying something like, ..."well I don't intend to let my stuff get that big"...

Just grow it in a large container. You can grow trunks to 3 inches in a five gallon nursery container.

 

[Cadillactaste]

About 40cm/15" apart, I might give the future additions a bit more space
I can always move them a bit in a few years when some rootwork will be done. Don't expect them all to survive, the field maples were potted with 3 in 1 pot (bought them like that. The roots were one big mess, had to use excessive force to seperate them.

Yikes, even landscape things I plant further apart to allow maturity and root spread. I agree with Al, that they could be a bugger to collect when the time comes. But wish you well.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I was told to put them that "deep". The idea is to thicken the trunk first, do a little rootwork and then focus on the nebari in a few years.

Yea, I wasn’t saying to develop the nebari, just for the overall health of the trees. If roots are buried too deep it causes problems. I think you’ll probably be fine though. If you start noticing ill health maybe consider this idea.

 

[TN_Jim]

Thanks Fonz.

This is indeed an interesting thread. I’m hoping you update it as your field progresses.

So often I’ve read, “..put it in the ground...”

There’s often not much after that. As if, the earth is a magic entity (sure yes) that automatically makes fat trunks for you...just give it to her & walk away!!?
Like...just plant it, the earth knows man..

I’m not suggesting that folks who say to plant trees are dirty hippies expounding one and done magic, there’s just not many (current(?)) threads I’ve seen addressing this approach, and the many associated details or proclivities (<-spell checked word). That dirt looks very healthy.

Thanks to you an Mom Fonz

 

[TN_Jim]

Your going to wish you had planted these at least two or three feet apart. I have dug lots of trees and growing these to suitable bonsai size will be a big tangled mess and no room to work digging them up. Roots will grow into each other and be a tangled mess below the ground also.

Good luck with your new trees. These tridents are grown three feet apart each way and even these were a pain in the ass to dig out without first pruning them back a lot to even get in there to dig. Field growing requires much growing and pruning and cutting back constantly in an effort to keep them tidy, defeats the purpose of field growing. See how large those cut end of those canes are, those branches were about seven feet long and intertwined with the row next to it three feet or more away.

Just something to think about.


oh....and the other thing....if this is not what you intend to do by growing in the ground and saying something like, ..."well I don't intend to let my stuff get that big"...

Just grow it in a large container. You can grow trunks to 3 inches in a five gallon nursery container.

View attachment 215739

I agree these are close, but do you think an alternative be to separate them by a vertical tile, like a 12” hoss right between, or is this funky...advise just spread them apart now before the ground settles and roots intertwine?

 

[Bananaman]

I agree these are close, but do you think an alternative be to separate them by a vertical tile, like a 12” hoss right between, or is this funky...advise just spread them apart now before the ground settles and roots intertwine?

I'm not an advocate of tiles in the ground. I have seen trees with roots ruined by growing around the tile and becoming a claw. Also I think that bonsai is a hobby that requires certain skills for certain things.

For instance.. ( OK some of you avert your eyes cause I'm gonna be a bully again). I tend to look at bonsai from a best there is POV. I feel that doing anything in life should be the best you can afford and the best you can do. Thats POV remember. Now, as far as ground growing, it takes as much or probably more skill as a bonsai artisan to grow something from nothing as it does to just buy a good piece of raw material and put branches and a canopy on it. If you can't make a "REAL BONSAI" with raw material, why grow something in the ground to become REAL BONSAI with out the skills to get it there.

Trust me, ground growing is not all that its cracked up to be. The picture I posted had twenty tridents in it and I only managed to find three that I wanted to waste my time on. The rest were not to par, you can see in the foto's. Anyone have any idea how much work is required to keep twenty tridents growing in the ground in full sun with branches growing to 1.5 inches thick and 7 to 9 feet long? Roots to match?

Now if you are good and a fast learner, your skills may develop faster than your material and what you thought you started 5 years ago is crap now. These are just things to chew on. I don't wish to change anyone's mind on growing material in the ground, I just want people to know what to expect and plan for the future. It's not as easy as it seems.

 

[Fonz]

Thanx for the input everybody. I love doing things wrong the first time. Reminds me how clueless I am
Worst case my mom has a new hedge in the middle of her yard in a few years. I also know not every tree I put in the ground will be a winner. But something good may come from this after all.

I'll leave more space between the next batch for sure.

Intersting point about the claw growing thing Al, I was wondering about that myself. I guess I better dig the trees up in a year or so sn make sure to trim back the roots so things don't get out of control. And then plant them back further apart.

As I said, it's a learning process.

 

[leatherback]

Nice project.

I agree, it is not as easy as it looks. I have gotten in the habit of pulling them up every 2-3 years to work the roots. And the do need work frequently else one or two can get away from yu and ruin everything in a matter of one or two years. (Hint, if you see one side branch exploding with growth and the rest stalls, you have a running root, most likely.

Yet, sometimes putting a tile below does help. This is a larch I have grown from seed (And killed this year by not watering in the extremely dry spring & summer). But look at the trunk.. Lots of potential bulges and reverse taper. It really is not easy. Which explains why really good material is somewhat expensive I suppose..

 

[Anthony]

Fonz,

we use two situations,

[ 1 ] Grow one plant several times and study

[ 2 ] Having grown the same plant several times, it is so
familiar, a design can be drawn to project the shape
wanted. A how to and where to cut.

This is why we say a trunk and 6 branches.
If the tree exhibits it; surface roots.

However we strarted doing this back in 1980, I was 17, and
just helped, was not serious, Brother-in - law was 18 and very
serious.
Plus his house has over a 100 feet [ 30.5 m ] of these.
See image.
Good Day
Anthony

Growing Trough

 

[barrosinc]

Listening to the mirai telperion podcast, they prepare all the trees in colander type containers two years before going in the ground.

 

[Anthony]

@barrosinc ,

we also pre-grow the tree in a colander and then plant
the tree and colander.

It ensures survival and afterwards. a few months of the colander when
out of the growing trough, allows safe removal of
thick roots. As the tree has an abundant supply of fine
feeder roots.
Good Day
Anthony

This was the first test.
Trunk size ------- took 8 feet [ 2.44 m ] height to produce the size.
Colander would have allowed safe removak of thick roots.
Sent onto another member, to save the cultivar.

Test 2 - in progress. To produce a change of angles in the tree,
and the 4 to six branches.
Also to observe the healing of large wound.

 

[leatherback]

I have gotten in the habit of pulling them up every 2-3 years to work the roots. And the do need work frequently else one or two can get away from you and ruin everything in a matter of one or two years.

Like nicely shown here, Thx for showing what you want to avoid when growing trees out for bonsai:

.

 

[Anthony]

@leatherback ,

I should also mention that is 6 months or so of growth.

And placing another Fustic, 18 inches away slows the growth
upwards dramatically.
Good Day
Anthony