Anybody Ever Try One Of These?

Mellow Mullet · Jan 1, 2019

This little guy finally dropped all of its leaves, here's a look:

Top View:

The cambium is starting to roll over the epoxy, I will clean the edges up once we get closer to spring.

I think these might be flower buds, anyone have any experience?

It will get a hard cut - back come Spring, just wanna see if I get some flowers.

Orion_metalhead · Jan 1, 2019

The large Magnolia in front of my parent's house gets bud like those which become flowers. I believe the hairy ones are flower buds.

Love this tree. I am going to try to start one from seed from my parent's tree. I love the clean bark on these and the branches can get pretty twisty on them too.

Wires_Guy_wires · Jan 1, 2019

That's a bud, yes. I found magnolia to create hairy buds that don't always flower. They seem to be winter buds, summer buds stay smooth.
Sometimes the plant aborts the flowers, the can manualy be removed to preserve energy.
I found winter buds to be smaller after some late autumn rootwork. If that relates to the flower size, it might be a way to get them to scale down. But we'll see in spring!

0soyoung · Jan 2, 2019

Magnolia stellata makes fuzzy/hairy buds (period), but they come in two sizes. Small are still vegetative, big are flower buds. The flower buds also appear to be whiter or equivalently the smaller appear to be darker colored. Also, flower buds only occur at the branch tips as with azaleas. So, I think these are your flower buds @Mellow Mullet

Wires_Guy_wires · Jan 2, 2019

Magnolia stellata makes fuzzy/hairy buds (period)

This one disagrees. No fur on the buds that form after spring.

These are this years buds, on the same plant, just before winter.

0soyoung · Jan 2, 2019

Magnolia stellata vegetative and flower buds.

Looking closer at a vegetative bud, one can see it is fuzzy/hairy too

Possibly fuzzy/hairy is a trait of 'winter buds', but all magnolia stellata 'winter buds' are fuzzy/hairy.

Mellow Mullet · Apr 20, 2019

Update:

No flowers this year, but explosive growth, plenty of new branches to choose from:

akhater · Apr 20, 2019

Love these threads, so informative

A big thanks to you and lovely tree

KiwiPlantGuy · Apr 21, 2019

Mellow Mullet said:
Update:

No flowers this year, but explosive growth, plenty of new branches to choose from:

View attachment 238780

Hi John,
Just my thinking, and it may be wrong. I am wondering if the pruning in the spring is stopping the tree from forming flower buds. That would be a shame as it would look great in Spring but totally nothing for 11 months.
The other version is that the small growths that don’t extend much might give you flowers, and you can prune the long gangly ones like Azaleas.
Or it is an age and ramification thing? 5 years plus should be enough

.
Cool project all the same.
Charles

Lazylightningny · Apr 21, 2019

Mellow Mullet said:
Update:

No flowers this year, but explosive growth, plenty of new branches to choose from:

View attachment 238780

You've done an amazing job with this guy. Do you think the leaves will reduce? If so, what will be your technique to reduce them?

Mellow Mullet · Apr 21, 2019

Lazylightningny said:
You've done an amazing job with this guy. Do you think the leaves will reduce? If so, what will be your technique to reduce them?

Thanks! I have seen them smaller on examples on the 'net, I haven't figured it out yet. I will post if I ever do.

Mellow Mullet · Apr 21, 2019

KiwiPlantGuy said:
Hi John,
Just my thinking, and it may be wrong. I am wondering if the pruning in the spring is stopping the tree from forming flower buds. That would be a shame as it would look great in Spring but totally nothing for 11 months.
The other version is that the small growths that don’t extend much might give you flowers, and you can prune the long gangly ones like Azaleas.
Or it is an age and ramification thing? 5 years plus should be enough .
Cool project all the same.
Charles

I have thought about that. I plan on leaving some of the shorter stuff uncut and see what happens.

John

Mellow Mullet · Jul 1, 2019

UPDATE:

Well, this thing grew like it was on steroids! Wish I could get some, I miss the eighties.... But that is another story!

So back in May, the 11th, to be precise, I worked on this tree. There is not much info on these in bonsai culture, at least that I can find, so I am kinda using the "seat of my pants" method on this one. Yes, that is a valid method, if you have made it to "53", you know what I mean.

Anyway, I did not know how it would respond to defoliation, so I concentrated on removing about 50% of the leaves. I figured this would leave enough to keep it alive and maybe open it up for some budding in the interior.

I then put a little movement into all of the branches with some wire:

Looking at it now, I think my wiring is as good as, if not better, than @Adair M 's, lol. Whew, I gotta quit drinking this Dixie Voodoo Beer.

Mellow Mullet · Jul 1, 2019

This is what I have today, a little more than a month later.

I wasn't rewarded with smaller leaves, new branches, or really anything. There is, however a bud forming where the leaves where removed; time will tell if it amounts to anything.

I think, that these are flowers buds, what say you, @Osoyoung ?

They are different form these:

I don't know if these will be this year's or next year's buds, but one way or another, I hope to get some flowers! Then it will be time for a cut back, stay tuned, you nuts!

Adair M · Jul 2, 2019

Well... your wiring is pretty good. There are several places where the spirals are uneven. You tend to use wire a bit too thin. And the spirals should become closer together out near the tips. You tend to do the opposite. At the very tip, you wrap the end all the way back, almost encircling the branch. Just leave a fish hook pointing up. Still controls the tip, just looks “cleaner”.

But, I like the fact you’re doing a nice job of it!

KiwiPlantGuy · Jul 2, 2019

Mellow Mullet said:
This is what I have today, a little more than a month later.

I wasn't rewarded with smaller leaves, new branches, or really anything. There is, however a bud forming where the leaves where removed; time will tell if it amounts to anything.

View attachment 249888

View attachment 249890

I think, that these are flowers buds, what say you, @Osoyoung ?

View attachment 249891

They are different form these:

View attachment 249889

I don't know if these will be this year's or next year's buds, but one way or another, I hope to get some flowers! Then it will be time for a cut back, stay tuned, you nuts!

Hi John,
Yes to fluffy buds equal flower buds in my experience. They usually flower in late Winter/Early Spring prior to any leaves etc.
This is making me rethink my previous comments about flowering. Now makes me wonder if this tree needed to be of certain age before flowering.
Great progress too.
Charles

Mellow Mullet · Jul 2, 2019

KiwiPlantGuy said:
Hi John,
Yes to fluffy buds equal flower buds in my experience. They usually flower in late Winter/Early Spring prior to any leaves etc.
This is making me rethink my previous comments about flowering. Now makes me wonder if this tree needed to be of certain age before flowering.
Great progress too.
Charles

Charles, it had flowers on it when it when bought it years ago, it just hasn't bloomed since.

shinmai · Jul 2, 2019

For what it's worth, the guy who taught my beginner course has a stellata, and when he showed it to me he freely admitted that you can't get the leaves to reduce, but he had it because he loved the flowers. That's been my experience with mine, as well, thus far [two years].

Mellow Mullet · Jul 2, 2019

shinmai said:
For what it's worth, the guy who taught my beginner course has a stellata, and when he showed it to me he freely admitted that you can't get the leaves to reduce, but he had it because he loved the flowers. That's been my experience with mine, as well, thus far [two years].

Thanks, I didn't think they would get any smaller, just hoping, they are about a third smaller than they were when I first got it so I guess I will just have it for the flowers, too.

0soyoung · Jul 2, 2019

It amuses me to no end to have a little 6 inch tall pile of twigs with one 4 inch flower or the pile covered with them.
I love it as much as I covet @Shima's azlea.

Ridiculous elegance. Elegant ridiculousness

.

... whichever it is

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