Big purchase of 2017

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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The trees were also homed in Dallas, Texas after collection. Dallas is also extremely humid...

I'm going to assume for purposes of commenting, that they are similar to our scrub/live oaks here in Southern California. I consider these all "chameleon" trees in that they will look very different based on where they grow. In the desert, they will be multi-trunk shrubs. In the coastal valleys they can be quite large trees that look like big old southern oaks. In the mountains, you will typically only find them as trees on the north-facing slopes. Anywhere else they will be shrubs. In the deserts and the higher mountains, they can get regular temps well below freezing, including periodic snow cover.

They really don't like their roots to be messed with, at all, and need open rocky soil mix. However mine sit under an automatic sprinkler and get water twice a day throughout the summer and I have never had fungal issues. I am pretty close to the ocean, so my air is "relatively" humid - though nothing like Virginia. Also it is really important to not touch their spring growth until it elongates and hardens. Then you can trim back to two leaves and it will push new growth. But if you prune too early... not sure what happens but the whole branch can die. I have never thought about it, but it could perhaps be fungus related and the new growth might be especially susceptible to open cuts that fungus can penetrate(?)

They are completely different in strength and behavior versus one of our standard deciduous oak species - like Valley Oak which is probably even stronger than Chinese elm and can put up with unlimited abuse.
 
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rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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I'm going to assume for purposes of commenting, that they are similar to our scrub/live oaks here in Southern California. I consider these all "chameleon" trees in that they will look very different based on where they grow. In the desert, they will be multi-trunk shrubs. In the coastal valleys they can be quite large trees that look like big old southern oaks. In the mountains, you will typically only find them as trees on the north-facing slopes. Anywhere else they will be shrubs. In the deserts and the higher mountains, they can get regular temps well below freezing, including periodic snow cover.

They really don't like their roots to be messed with, at all, and need open rocky soil mix. However mine sit under an automatic sprinkler and get water twice a day throughout the summer and I have never had fungal issues. I am pretty close to the ocean, so my air is "relatively" humid - though nothing like Virginia. Also it is really important to not touch their spring growth until it elongates and hardens. Then you can trim back to two leaves and it will push new growth. But if you prune too early... not sure what happens but the whole branch can die.

They are completely different in strength and behavior versus one of our standard deciduous oak species - like Valley Oak which is probably even stronger than Chinese elm and can put up with unlimited abuse.

I assume this species is a high desert plant--high desert can mean pretty cold, snow on occasion, but arid mostly. In the high desert, there are no coastal breezes, there are flat out frigid winds in the winter...I lived near Flagstaff, AZ for some time back in the day--it got COLD.

Desert plants are mostly built to conserve water. This oak is no different. It's leaves have peach fuzz on their surfaces and aren't the glossy, hard shiny leave that Southern and Texas live oaks have. My collected Texas live oak (Quercus fusiformis) has the bare glossy leaf surface that California live oaks do. That fuzz traps water and holds in humidity against the leaves, which I think is a main contributor to the fungal problem.

From what I've heard, grey oak transplants relatively easily. This particular tree was fortunate in having its root mass trapped in a depression in a stone and was peeled off and put in a pot.

I have not pruned anything on this plant to conserve its resources.

FWIW, I regularly prune my live oak before growth hardens off if I want to keep a branch short. I wait until stems on elongating branches harden off to prune if I want a lot of backbudding. Quercus fusiformis is an extremely tough tree for bonsai, both drought and overwatering resistant, and freeze tolerant--I keep my tree at a cold greenhouse to avoid disasters. That option is too expensive for two oaks, however.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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The funny thing is I was supposed to be in the area of the nursery last year and planned to go in person. I was against mail order at that time but then my trip got cancelled. I would not be discouraged so I decided i'd consider mail order even though i knew what I knew. I'm sure most folks will think I'm crazy(and they aren't wrong!), but once in a while you just have to go for it.

I was intent on getting a big deciduous tree that will be a big project to try new things on over the next few years as a lot of my focus in the past few years has been conifers. I think i got what I was looking for. Whether it was a good decision or a dumpster fire will be determined during that time! Sure looks like a dumpster fire in it's current state!

Here's a pic.
View attachment 170406
I think it was a good decision ultimately. There's some pretty good potential in that trunk, once the big pruning scars close and get rid of that topknot of big ugly root stubs... Can't tell what's up with the nebari, could be good, could be weird...
 

Fonz

Chumono
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I only bought 1 real tree this year. Was at the Yume Bonsai closing sale last weekend. No idea what it is, that will be a surprise next spring. I'm guessing trident maple since there where some trident leaves in the pot, but those could be from another tree as well.. If anyone knows for sure, please share :)
IMG_20171204_165059.jpg
 
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