Fatten Tamarind trunk

[Pixar]

Anyway I can fatten my Tamarind tree trunk ? The tree's about 3 years old and it needs to thicken etc...
Any trick or tips ?

 

[leatherback]

Sun, fertilizer, water. Let it groowwww

 

[Pixar]

It's thick as my finger but struggles to gain any thickness ( it's got Sun , fertilizer and water ) maybe I need to change the fertilizer any suggestion ?

 

[just.wing.it]

How long has it been struggling to gain thickness?

 

[Pixar]

Only 3 years old

 

[Pixar]

Does anybody know idea Fertilizer to feed this tree - with NPK rating ?

 

[Shogun610]

Sun, fertilizer, water. Let it groowwww

Let it grow
let it grow
can’t trim it back any mooooreee
let it grow
let it grow
Set it down , and set on ground

I don’t care what Bnut’s say
Let the buds elongate
Lack of ramification never bothered me anyway

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

It's spring in Auckland, NZ, put it outside, it can be in full sun. When warm, over 15 C, it might need water as much as daily.

Tamarind is a legume, chances are fair that it has bacterial and mycorrhizal symbionts that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, for the tree. When you repot, if you see nodules along the roots, these are the structures the tamarind makes to house the symbiotic bacteria, and eventually the mycorrhiza.

Keep your fertilizer dilute. You do not need to use a high nitrogen fertilizer. But do provide fertilizer at least once a month. Organic fertilizers work well with legume species as they are not very high in nitrogen.

To get it to develop girth, increase trunk diameter, you need the tree to grow. Stop pruning the tree, just let it grow wild for 2 or 3 years. If you want a 5 to 10 cm diameter trunk, you will need to allow the tree to grow to 4 or more meters tall. Tamarinds are quick, they can reach 3 to 4 meters in 2 growing seasons or less. You let it grow out until the trunk is about 75% to 90% of the final size you want. Say 10 cm. Then once the trunk is 10 cm in diameter, you chop the tamarind down to about 1/3rd the final height you want. For a 10 cm trunk a 50 cm final height would be good. Chop the 4 meter tall tree down to 16 cm. Do the chop in early spring. The stubby little trunk left will explode with growth. Let them grow for half the season, then select keepers and remove the rest.

So key to understand, almost all bonsai spend a period of several growing seasons growing considerably larger than their desired final height. To get a fat trunk, let this puppy grow BIG, 3 or 4 or more meters tall is not unreasonable. Once the trunk is the diameter you want, chop.

That is really the easiest way to do it. You could "hedge prune", Key is, the more leaf surface the trunk supports the larger the caliper it will need to grow to. Read articles by Walter Pall for a better explanation.

Whether you let it grow tall, as I initially recommended, or let it become bushy, as the "hedge prune" method would require, it is the total leaf surface area that determines the size (caliper or diameter) of the trunk. More leaves = fatter trunk.

In a mild climate like NZ, you should be able to get the caliper trunk you want in less than 5 years.

 

[Pixar]

Might switch to liquid fertilizer ( any suggestions ? )

 

[leatherback]

Might switch to liquid fertilizer ( any suggestions ? )

The fertilizer is not the problem. Any general fertilizer will do the job.

 

[Pixar]

Thanks , I'll try some different fertilisers and see if thing's change ( hopefully this year's the one )

 

[Potawatomi13]

Time and PATIENCE

 

[sorce]

Can't search @Anthony by name anymore , but I managed to find a good old thread.

Post in thread 'My freebee tamarind' https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/my-freebee-tamarind.24839/post-492142

You may be able to find more by searching "Tamarind" and "good day", maybe "trunk" too, or just Tamarind and look for Anthony's Avatar pic to find good info.

Sorce

 

[Pixar]

Thanks , i know that Anthony the "King of Tamarind " I've been reading his post with great interest

 

[Cajunrider]

So how big is it now? I am curious because that growth is slow compared to mine and I didn't do any thing special.

 

[Clicio]

So how big is it now? I am curious because that growth is slow compared to mine and I didn't do any thing special.

I am curious also. Got some seeds from @Anthony that took and mine grows well but... No fattening of the trunk.

 

[Cajunrider]

I am curious also. Got some seeds from @Anthony that took and mine grows well but... No fattening of the trunk.

Mine is 1.5 year old and the trunk is 3/4". It's about a little bit slower than what I saw tamarind grew in the old country. Not adapted for winter, the tamarinds go into deep sleep in the winter and wake up really late. One awake, they grow about as fast as I remember them. However, in the tropic they continue with that growth almost year round. Here, we are lucky to get 6 months of growth.

 

[Clicio]

Mine is 1.5 year old and the trunk is 3/4". It's about a little bit slower than what I saw tamarind grew in the old country. Not adapted for winter, the tamarinds go into deep sleep in the winter and wake up really late. One awake, they grow about as fast as I remember them. However, in the tropic they continue with that growth almost year round. Here, we are lucky to get 6 months of growth.

It´s winter here now.
So I am seriously thinking about grounding it for a season or two, I am sure it will grow faster and thicker.
I will do it in the Spring.

 

[nuttiest]

Mine is 1.5 year old and the trunk is 3/4". It's about a little bit slower than what I saw tamarind grew in the old country. Not adapted for winter, the tamarinds go into deep sleep in the winter and wake up really late. One awake, they grow about as fast as I remember them. However, in the tropic they continue with that growth almost year round. Here, we are lucky to get 6 months of growth.

What? and you planted the seed in winter?