Western cottonwood for free

aml1014

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I work at a local nursery and on my day off in may a cottonwood that hadn't leafed out was dug up and tossed in a corner. When I returned to work a couple days later I had noticed budds on the lower end of the trunk so I chopped it potted it in a 15 gallon pot and took it home. The pictures show the progression up until yesterday .
 

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Janson

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Thats quite a bit of growth for such a short period of time - nice! And you can't beat free!
 

aml1014

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It really does grow fast before shortening the branches they were about 6 ft long. I'm still unsure as to what direction I want to take this so any suggestions are welcome.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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What ever direction you take this tree, go big. Cottonwood has big leaves, & coarse branching. Think in terms of a tree over 3 feet tall. If you design for a small tree you may end up with a tree that only looks convincing in winter with no leaves.

Nice bark on a young tree. This is a positive trait for cottonwood. I am curious as to how short you can keep the internodes between leaves. You have a challenge ahead of you.
 

aml1014

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I do plan on I large sized tree considering the trunk is already 2 ft tall I'd like to go a naturalistic direction with it and try to style it off of local cottonwoods.
 

aml1014

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Started carving today to establish a living vein and this is where I ended up. Thinking possibly of creating a hollow trunk
 

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aml1014

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Did the fall cutback today, most likely just gonna hedge prune for a few years.

Edit : I just noticed after posting these pics that the trunk has gained some girth since the very first picture. Lol hard to notice these things when you spend hours everyday with them.
 

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sorce

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Nice.

Another looked-down-upon species I like!

I had one over a rock. It didn't come through springs root pruning.
Maybe to much off?
Maybe too much exposure.

Sorce
 

Potawatomi13

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Leaves look more like poplar. West Oregon Cottonwood I have with leaves more elongate but pretty small. Perhaps keep lowest branch, change angle maybe make Cascade. Less preferred informal upright.;)
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I think your tree is the first branch. But I would keep this as an upright. I'd do a diagonal cut just above the first branch. Then when it is repotted, tilt the lowest section of trunk so the first branch is near vertical. Build the tree from there. That's my thought, of course I am only looking at a photo, so use your judgement.
 

aml1014

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I think your tree is the first branch. But I would keep this as an upright. I'd do a diagonal cut just above the first branch. Then when it is repotted, tilt the lowest section of trunk so the first branch is near vertical. Build the tree from there. That's my thought, of course I am only looking at a photo, so use your judgement.
I like the idea your meaning sort of a slanting upright correct?

Aaron
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Not actual "slanting style", rather informal upright. Normally bonsai trees "bow" to the viewer. If the tree leans toward the viewer it can add to the illusion of height. So the bottom side of the first branch would become the front of the tree. You could turn it a little one way or the other, so it is not dead arrow straight from the front. Wire the branch up some, and it should end up looking pretty natural.
 

aml1014

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Not actual "slanting style", rather informal upright. Normally bonsai trees "bow" to the viewer. If the tree leans toward the viewer it can add to the illusion of height. So the bottom side of the first branch would become the front of the tree. You could turn it a little one way or the other, so it is not dead arrow straight from the front. Wire the branch up some, and it should end up looking pretty natural.
Awsome idea you just gave me a way forward with this tree, Ill chop it and repot into a large training pot I have for it in spring, thanks for the advice.
 

aml1014

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@Leo in N E Illinois thanks for the advice again. I went ahead and put a guy wire on the lowest branch to begin pulling it more upright, I wouldn't been able to chop now if I wanted to bend that up. Once the branch sets in place I'll do the chop. I also got this beast repotted into a 7gl grow bag form it's 15gl pot, boy, that was one hell of a fun time.
Again thanks Leo I'm happy I have a direction for this tree now.

Aaron20160310_075006.jpg 20160310_075026.jpg
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Now let the low branch that will be the new trunk grow wild for a couple years. You want it to become at least 1/2 to 2/3rds the diameter of the trunk below. This will give you believable taper, a logical transition from one trunk segment to the next. By letting it run wild, I mean let it grow. If it grows to 6 feet tall, don't worry, that is exactly what you want. Once or twice a summer measure the diameter of the main trunk and the diameter of the low branch and when it is in the right size range, you are ready for the next step.

The back branch can go at any time. You could leave it this year if you want, but certainly next spring get rid of the back branch. Or if you are set on keeping it don't let it extend much. Let it grow maybe 6 leaves worth of extension, then chop it back to just one new leaf. You will have to repeat prune several times over the summer to keep it subordinate to the new trunk. If you keep it eventually after the tree has had a chance to heal, maybe 2 years from now you will carve the old trunk stub to look like it was hit by lightning or wind or some other disaster. My personal inclination today would be to take it off entirely, but that is my personal taste, you may want to keep it and I think it is possible to incorporate it into the design. You can always remove it later.
 

aml1014

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Now let the low branch that will be the new trunk grow wild for a couple years. You want it to become at least 1/2 to 2/3rds the diameter of the trunk below. This will give you believable taper, a logical transition from one trunk segment to the next. By letting it run wild, I mean let it grow. If it grows to 6 feet tall, don't worry, that is exactly what you want. Once or twice a summer measure the diameter of the main trunk and the diameter of the low branch and when it is in the right size range, you are ready for the next step.

The back branch can go at any time. You could leave it this year if you want, but certainly next spring get rid of the back branch. Or if you are set on keeping it don't let it extend much. Let it grow maybe 6 leaves worth of extension, then chop it back to just one new leaf. You will have to repeat prune several times over the summer to keep it subordinate to the new trunk. If you keep it eventually after the tree has had a chance to heal, maybe 2 years from now you will carve the old trunk stub to look like it was hit by lightning or wind or some other disaster. My personal inclination today would be to take it off entirely, but that is my personal taste, you may want to keep it and I think it is possible to incorporate it into the design. You can always remove it later.
Chop, and chop, now the top and back are gone, I like this angle somewhat with the trunk going to the left a little. Also all the growth on this tree is one seasons worth, so I think the new trunk will be of the right thickness either this year or the next.


Aaron 20160316_184434.jpg
 

aml1014

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Well I got this trees sibling today. It came from the same batch as the original tree in this thread. This batch of cottonwoods have been at my work since 2013 and last fall we had to move them to make space for new ones. Well, this spring all of them budded as usual except one. I chopped the top tossed it into a 20 gallon container and took it home.

Whole tree20160422_181543.jpg
And the top chop, lots of budds all around.20160422_181551.jpg

This tree has around a 4" trunk and stands around 18" tall.

I think this is going to be a fun one!
Let's hear your thoughts.

Aaron
 

Borg

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This reminds me of the awesome looking cottonwood I left in the ditch where I found it outside of Alamogordo.... Next time I visit the in laws, I'll need to see how it's surviving... If it hasn't already been washed away by flooding. The little guy was almost too perfect not to take, but I already had to climb a 25ft slope with my prospecting gear and a 5 gallon bucket full of soil to pan out.
 
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