Gabler
Masterpiece
I'll make it a Baker's dozen. One more potential contest entry. Another Fagus grandifolia. I found a really interesting Beech I couldn't pass up. I love the way the twin trunks twisted together naturally.
Five Year Native Tree Challenge: Gabler's American Beech #4
- Thread starter Gabler
- Start date
LittleDingus
Omono
I love this one!
You're a lot braver than I am! I don't think I would have chopped the roots so short on this one right away. At least I'm guessing you chopped them short to get them into that pot? I think I would have planted this one deeper and gradually shortened the roots until I knew for sure both trunks were on a good mass of root.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I'm still relatively new to bonsai, so I have no idea whether the tree will be able to handle it, but the tree had a lot of fine feeder roots very close to the trunk, and I've had other deciduous species survive harsher chops, so I figured I'd take the gamble to get the tree into a bonsai pot sooner. The weather is cool and rainy here in the spring, and there was some mycelium attached to the remaining roots, so I figure the tree has a decent chance.
Gabler
Masterpiece
Gabler
Masterpiece
Gabler
Masterpiece
Still healthy and growing next year’s buds.
Gabler
Masterpiece
Still healthy with huge, tender buds.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I slipped my mountain laurel into a grow bag, slipped beech #6 into the mountain laurel’s pot, and slipped beech #5 into #6’s former pot. I decided that #5’s former pot suited #4 better than #4’s previous pot, so I slipped #4 into #5’s pot. The new pot is the same width, but twice as deep as the old pot.
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Gabler
Masterpiece
As a side note, I think I’m gonna name this tree “Chong’s Lovers.” The trunks are intertwined and meet underground like the two lovers who meet in the secret tunnel in that Avatar episode.
Gabler
Masterpiece
A quick update.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I like big buds, and I cannot lie.
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
It’s nice to see this one is is still going strong, it gives me hope for some beech I want to collect in the spring. Well done!
Gabler
Masterpiece
Thanks. I’m finding they’re very sensitive when first collected, but they’re reasonably easy to care for after recovering. They generally seem to hate root work. Three of the ten-ish beeches that I collected at the same time had too few feeder roots, and they died. They grew from runners from nearby older trees, and they didn’t have many fine roots close to the trunk.
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
Out of the three larger ones I collected last year this one is still doing the best. I think because, like yours, it had a lot fine feeders and I didn’t have to do any real severe root work. The others didn’t really put on much new growth but this one is loaded with big fat buds just like yours is. I’ve always heard you can’t consider a collected beech a success until it’s second year.
Gabler
Masterpiece
That seems about right. The ones that died simply never woke up after their first winter.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I found a native pot, made by Steve Ittel of the Brandywine Bonsai Society. It turns out grow bags work okay-ish as an improvised backdrop. I plan to reduce the total foliage mass in the coming years, once this tree gets established in its new pot, to keep it closer to bunjin proportions. I’ll see how much ramification I can manage on a small Fagus grandifolia.
Gabler
Masterpiece
After debating in my head a while, I shortened two of the uppermost branches, cutting them back to active buds.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I pinched the buds back to two leaves before they opened. As a result, I am getting a second flush of growth.
As a side effect, some of the leaves were pinched in half before they even emerged.
As a side effect, some of the leaves were pinched in half before they even emerged.
Wulfskaar
Omono
The movement of the two together is elegant and beautiful and reminds me of love. Very nice!
Gabler
Masterpiece
Thanks!
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