Eastern Hemlock Advice

sfeagan

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I found this tree over the summer but decided to wait until last week to dig it up. I'm still very new to bonsai and have been getting free trees growing wild to learn on. I really like the look of hemlocks and have started playing with this a little bit. I'm just trying to get some advice on this tree. Opinions on the front of the tree and if I should keep the lower branch permanently or use it as a sacrificial branch. If this tree works out good I'm sure I can find more that are older. Thanks
 

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Nice find! If you just dug it out of the ground last week and then also wired it up, I would leave it to grow without touching it again for a good year. Hemlocks are lovely trees but they can react pretty adversely to being uprooted (or just being repotted), and with the wiring at the same time I'd let it start growing vigorously before doing any more styling. The lowest branch would probably be a sacrifice in most cases.
 

penumbra

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I'll concur with the above. Also keep in mind these do not back-bud so be careful what you remove.
 

sfeagan

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Nice find! If you just dug it out of the ground last week and then also wired it up, I would leave it to grow without touching it again for a good year. Hemlocks are lovely trees but they can react pretty adversely to being uprooted (or just being repotted), and with the wiring at the same time I'd let it start growing vigorously before doing any more styling. The lowest branch would probably be a sacrifice in most cases.
Should I leave to wire or take it off for now?
 
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I would probably carefully cut and remove the wire, but most of the stress of the wiring is probably in the initial bending, so I don't actually know if it would be more helpful to remove it or not at this point. Others might have better advice on that than I do.
 

sfeagan

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Should I continue letting this grow out without touching it or should I pull some of the branches down so it doesn't keep growing upward? Since hemlocks don't backbud I don't want it to get to long and lanky. It has put on quite a bit of growth so far this summer since digging it up in December. I pulled a couple of the branches down when I dug it. Also should I cover the roots more or let them stay exposed to spread out?
 

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The tree is healthy so you have some freedom to follow your artistic instincts. I have had good luck devolving these in Anderson flats, though a wider shallower training pot enhances nebari development. No need to cover it up the roots any more than they are.
No holds barred, here, hope you don’t mind, but yours is a little lanky for it’s thickness. You still have some options though. No matter what, I would take to a workshop to get some wire back on it. Just watch as it can cut in quickly in the growing season. Maybe, wire out the first branch as a new leader keeping only the end of the current trunk as sacrifice? Or, better yet, find the literati in there and get it into a small drum pot.
Tsuga c. develops a lot quicker than given credit for, with lots of sun and fertilizer and a few sacrifice branches. Give it fullish sun and you’ll have flakey bark in less than 10 years.

go gators!,
MFP
 
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