Carpinus caroliniana: American Hornbeam

twisted trees · Jun 23, 2018

just.wing.it said:
Use anything almost...
Elemers glue, duct seal, plumbers putty, nail polish, thumb gum....

Nice finds!

Not regular Elmer's it's water soluble. Use wood glue instead.

twisted trees · Jun 23, 2018

rockm said:
Pretty common collected tree for bonsai. Looong history of use. Bareroot at collection helps recovery. I hose off all the woodland soil before putting them into a pot. Typically collected not by digging, but by sawing around the root crown 5-6 inches out and then underneath. Trying to retain a lot of root mass usually doesn't give the tree much of an advantage in a pot.

Regular bonsai soil is fine for recovery. Your mix sounds a bit too lean. You will have to keep an eye on watering--which can be tricky with recently-collected trees, as they don't initially use alot of water, but progressively do. I would get some long fibered sphagnum moss at the nursery and spread it on the soil surface an inch or two deep. Wet it down. Watch the moss and keep it MOIST not soggy. The moss will help retain moisture in the top and mid-level of the soil in the pot.

Keep in semi-shade (but not full shade) in the spring. Sunlight can help the tree push new buds from the trunk.

If you don't seal the chop at the time of collection, the trunk can die back, sometimes a bit, sometimes a lot. The longer you wait, the great the chance the trunk will dry out beginning at the top and progressing down.

All good adbice. If not long fibered sphagnum then live moss collected around the yard and cut it up like sphaghnum

JoeR · Jun 25, 2018

TN_Jim said:
I think I need to adjust the trajectory of what I believe should be the best new leader on this one. I have never done this before. Was thinking of gradually bringing it up to a degree to an affixed chopstick or with wire? Any thoughts very welcome even beyond this question. @M. Frary / @rockm, you all and others have helped me tremendously in the past, any suggestions here?

Good news is this tree and its sibling(?) collected same day seem to be doing well, especially since altering or introducing new watering/pathogen treatment regimes. The new leader i'm thinking of is the highest branch (indicated with pencil). It is flexible to a degree, but not a lot of give, and I worry that it is just going to get more ridged if not acted on. Possibly, should I leave it alone?? @JoeR, any updates on yours? Much thanks.

Yup mine is just chuggin along, growing good again this year. I will say, so far It’s leaves look better under shade cloth than they did last year in full sun. I love their leaves and twigginess, they’re definitely a fine species for bonsai. I cut it back today actually. I want to push the two main trunks further away from each other but I’m not sure what to use to do so.

stevek · Jun 25, 2018

JoeR said:
Yup mine is just chuggin along, growing good again this year. I will say, so far It’s leaves look better under shade cloth than they did last year in full sun. I love their leaves and twigginess, they’re definitely a fine species for bonsai. I cut it back today actually. I want to push the two main trunks further away from each other but I’m not sure what to use to do so.

you can use a wedge of wood, but just take your time, you don't want to split the trunks. sk.

JoeR · Jun 25, 2018

stevek said:
you can use a wedge of wood, but just take your time, you don't want to split the trunks. sk.

Won’t that scar the trunks somehow? Are do you suggest a very small wedge that they will eventually grow over?

stevek · Jun 25, 2018

no, you don't leave it in place that long. cut a thin pc of wood in the shape of a double Y, length is up to you, place it between the two trunks, then over time ( I don't know how long, that's up to you and the tree )keep sliding it down till you get the spread you want, and it stays that way without the brace. sk.

TN_Jim · Jun 27, 2018

JoeR said:
Yup mine is just chuggin along, growing good again this year. I will say, so far It’s leaves look better under shade cloth than they did last year in full sun. I love their leaves and twigginess, they’re definitely a fine species for bonsai. I cut it back today actually. I want to push the two main trunks further away from each other but I’m not sure what to use to do so.

Looks super healthy @JoeR. Also looks to be much potential there indeed. I’m wondering, regarding new buds/branches, does yours consistently and predominantly have two adjacent coming off of the trunk at the same location?

Both of mine do, I’ve periodically cut them to one over the past couple of weeks, & wondering is this a bad idea so soon after collecting? I would not have done so if it were not for the idea of maintaining smooth continuity of bark.

I see where you are coming from with trunk proximity, they’re close. I’ve put some thought to this and seeking an alternative to a wedge...I have a lemon I’m caring for from a friend that moved to Michigan -successfully kept it alive inside throughout winter, he said I should ‘bonsai it’, I said no because it’s important to him

.

However, it has issues of close branches and I’ve thought about altering its shape and this issue with your tree and this lemon (from one aspect in a similar boat, close trunks), and thought of an alternative to separating trunks via wedge...

A regular bolt of any size could be used making this size-wise versatile because washers come in all sizes, as long as the head of the bolt fit through the pvc, pipe, whatever..

Also, could fashion a Y regular old tree branch to fit in the ends of cylinder or place a piece of rubber etc. between tree contact..

This gives adjustable control of bend over time is the thought...and could be refined in many ways, and lowered toward the fork over time hypothetically...does this seem viable?

TN_Jim · Jun 27, 2018

Close branching:

JoeR · Jun 28, 2018

TN_Jim said:
Looks super healthy @JoeR. Also looks to be much potential there indeed. I’m wondering, regarding new buds/branches, does yours consistently and predominantly have two adjacent coming off of the trunk at the same location?

Both of mine do, I’ve periodically cut them to one over the past couple of weeks, & wondering is this a bad idea so soon after collecting? I would not have done so if it were not for the idea of maintaining smooth continuity of bark.

I see where you are coming from with trunk proximity, they’re close. I’ve put some thought to this and seeking an alternative to a wedge...I have a lemon I’m caring for from a friend that moved to Michigan -successfully kept it alive inside throughout winter, he said I should ‘bonsai it’, I said no because it’s important to him.

However, it has issues of close branches and I’ve thought about altering its shape and this issue with your tree and this lemon (from one aspect in a similar boat, close trunks), and thought of an alternative to separating trunks via wedge...

A regular bolt of any size could be used making this size-wise versatile because washers come in all sizes, as long as the head of the bolt fit through the pvc, pipe, whatever..

Also, could fashion a Y regular old tree branch to fit in the ends of cylinder or place a piece of rubber etc. between tree contact..

This gives adjustable control of bend over time is the thought...and could be refined in many ways, and lowered toward the fork over time hypothetically...does this seem viable?

Yes mine definitely has the tendency to throw several shoots out of one spot specifically near the apex. I’m no expert though so I can’t give great advice concerning the species but if it were me I would remove all but one shoot. I do it throughout the growing season on mine.

Leo in N E Illinois · Jul 5, 2018

Yes, when e get multiple shoots from the same point, reduce the number to only one, keep the one with the shortest internodes or the one that is pointing in the right direction.

TN_Jim · Jul 22, 2022

Trim needed. Is blazing hot the worst time for a healthy cutback or too late?
we’ll see unless concerns are extreme I guess .

Pretty terrible at updates on the few threads I’ve started…tho think I have some images over the span of this ones progress since collected..organisational is the goal, gonna dig

For what it’s worth I love this tree.. guess it looks like a hot mess of green here and without a doubt is. Good things, appreciate ya
Thanks

Shogun610 · Jul 22, 2022

Nice progression. Love native Hornbeam, my favorite deciduous

TN_Jim · Aug 17, 2022

reduced wildness rather than let run.
was on the fence about this given mild transition from 5 gal pot to box this spring -have had oddly mild temps and consistent growth swayed decision to run wild a year following repot

Shogun610 · Aug 17, 2022

TN_Jim said:
reduced wildness rather than let run.
was on the fence about this given mild transition from 5 gal pot to box this spring -have had oddly mild temps and consistent growth swayed decision to run wild a year following repot
View attachment 452071 View attachment 452072

When did you collect this one?