Desert Acacia ?

onlyrey

Mame
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I recently bought a nursery Desert Acacia, here in St. Pete. FL. I like it because of the small leaves. Anybody worked with these ? Can I chop it now, in FL, or is it too late im the season already ? Thank you very much.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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You shouldn't cut, just to cut. Think about what you want from the tree. Only cut if the response from the tree will get you to your goal.

Once you start chopping back a tree, the trunk slows or stops thickening. Even for small bonsai you want the trunk to be more than 1.5 inches in diameter, 2 inches (5 cm) is a better minimum diameter for a 8 inch tall (20 cm) bonsai. This means that to thicken the trunk, you need to let the tree get 5 to 10 times the height you want the final tree. Once the trunk is thick enough, only then do you chop the trunk.

So no immediate answer , post a picture and your an for what you want, then we can help you plan how to get there.
 

onlyrey

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Hi Leo, all, Here is a picture; it is about a 7 foot tree, the trunk at the bottom is around 1-1/2 inch, kind of leggy. The nursery label only says "desert acacia" which is not really very descriptive. I added a picture of the leaves in case anybody can recognize it. This acacia has no thorns, and the leaves kind of close up at night. Here are the pictures. I am not sure if now is a good time to chop down this Acacia. When I chop it, I will likely do it close to where the trunk splits. It will be a sleep tree still, but I am ok with that.

The reason I like acacia, is because one of the first bonsai I saw in person, and which was very inspirational was an Acacia in a restaurant in Merida, Venezuela, probably about 12 years ago, that one looked like an acacia, but likely a different species than this one; the leaves were a bit more greenish, the bark was dark as well, but I believe it had thorns.
 

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Leo in N E Illinois

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It is difficult distinguishing different acacia species. Knowing it is an acacia, may have to be enough. Flower photos would help but even then it will be difficult. However cultivation is similar for most.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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What is your plan? Do you have an image in mind? An African veld style flat top? A more informal Australian or USA desert tree image? A more abstract Japanese bonsai inage that is not related to the way acacia naturally occurr in the wild? Don't cut until you can visualize or better yet, draw out the future tree. Because each option changes where you would cut.
 

onlyrey

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Here’s a detail of the trunk, and the initial branching. It is long and thin, so if I take advantage of the inotial branching I might get something too slim. That initial branching may be at around 1-1/2 foot from the soil level.
 

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Leo in N E Illinois

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Acacia back bud easily, even on older wood. So your plan should not be limited to the current branches. If you want your first branch at 18 inches, most "styles" would suggest you plan on a tree 44 inches tall.

If it were mine, I would keep it growing vigorously, until the diameter of the trunk was 2 inches or greater, then I would do a trunk chop, possibly at 4 to 6 inches above the soil. The I would use the resulting back buds to create the branches for a tree that would finish near 8 to 18 inches tall.

Key is thicken up the trunk before chopping low, because once you start chopping and pruning, the trunk will not thicken to any degree.
 
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