Advice on forgotten about "planted out" trees

[Bart99]

A couple years ago, when I first got into bonsai, I bought a couple small trees and planted them out in the garden. I quickly forgot about them and took a few years off from bonsai but now I'm back. Earlier this spring I dug two of them up and stuck them in pots (I also hacked off much of the tops and sides), but what I was left with was a long, plain, boring trunk with nothing happening for the first 8 or 12 inches.

Can anything be done with these guys to save them? It looks like a couple small leaves may be sprouting on the acer palmatum a little lower down on the trunk.

Are they salvageable?

Thanks!

 

[aml1014]

I'd give them the year to recover and establish new roots. Next spring you'll be able to chop back to were you want and get new budds.

Aaron

 

[Bart99]

Very good, thanks!

So does that mean that by chopping it back below where any of the leaves are now it will force it to send out new growth below the cut? (if I cut it off at about the height of the whit tag on the final picture)

 

[aml1014]

Very good, thanks!

So does that mean that by chopping it back below where any of the leaves are now it will force it to send out new growth below the cut? (if I cut it off at about the height of the whit tag on the final picture)

That's it! When you chop a tree down you stop the flow of auxins, which build up at old nodes and will make dormant buds activate causing them to grow.

Aaron

 

[Potawatomi13]

These pots too small. Next(year)growing containers should be bigger, fairly shallow and wide with soil near top edge. These factors prepare root system for eventual Bonsai pot and elevates tree above pot edge so can be wired and worked on and receive sun on new lower branches.
Also chopping back beyond growing branch likely to kill most conifers except possibly true Cypress(taxodium), Spruce(?) and a couple of Pines.

 

[Bart99]

These pots too small. Next(year)growing containers should be bigger, fairly shallow and wide with soil near top edge. These factors prepare root system for eventual Bonsai pot and elevates tree above pot edge so can be wired and worked on and receive sun on new lower branches.
Also chopping back beyond growing branch likely to kill most conifers except possibly true Cypress(taxodium), Spruce(?) and a couple of Pines.

I just stuck them in what I had laying around after I dug them up, with a fair amount of soil in the bottom of the pot before I put the plants in.

Should I add more soil to the pots to raise the soil level and give the roots more room to grow? Or should I put them back into the ground until next spring to really give the roots a chance to grow, and the plant a better chance at recovery/survival?

 

[aml1014]

I just stuck them in what I had laying around after I dug them up, with a fair amount of soil in the bottom of the pot before I put the plants in.

Should I add more soil to the pots to raise the soil level and give the roots more room to grow? Or should I put them back into the ground until next spring to really give the roots a chance to grow, and the plant a better chance at recovery/survival?

Too late to do anything, I'd leave them alone this year. Water as needed and feed regularly once they show signs of new growth, feeding heavy should gear them up for a nice spring next year. Considering neither of these are conifers, your perfectly fine chopping next year without fear of losing either one.

Patience is necessary to develop trees from raw stock.

Aaron

 

[Bart99]

Too late to do anything, I'd leave them alone this year.

Thanks Aaron.

Just so I can understand better, what's the issue with popping them in the ground now? They've only been in those pots for a month or so. Wouldn't they do better and have less stress over the summer in the ground where the roots can really spread instead of a little pot?

 

[aml1014]

Thanks Aaron.

Just so I can understand better, what's the issue with popping them in the ground now? They've only been in those pots for a month or so. Wouldn't they do better and have less stress over the summer in the ground where the roots can really spread instead of a little pot?

In theory yes, but this would mean not disturbing the brand new roots it has grown since it was potted up which is nearly impossible. Movement at this time is not good, even a slight bump against the tree can break the new roots which the tree has spent a lot of energy growing.

Aaron

 

[Bart99]

Ah, I see. Sadly for me and the tree, there has been quite a bit of bumping and movement of the trunk lately.