Ginkgo from Leo

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Picked this ginkgo up in 2014. It had been dug and chopped from a backyard in Milwaukee in 2010. When dug it was probably 15 feet tall. This backyard in Milwaukee had a huge 70+ year old female ginkgo, and the whole lot was covered with seedlings ranging from a few inches tall to 20 feet tall. The entire lot was clear cut with the mother tree and all its seedlings removed about a week after the Milwaukee Bonsai Society club dig. Initially it was sawn flat, and put in a pond basket by the previous owner. In 2017 I moved it to an Anderson flat because growth was not very vigorous. I figured the pond basket was too dry to get much root growth, and it proved true. There were a good number of roots, but they were very short, and really were not enough to support much more foliage than it had.

Second summer after the move to the Anderson flat growth seems more robust. It is starting to pick up vigor. Hopefully next year will be better yet. Branches need to run out for a distance, to get better taper and transition from the stump to the branches. Long term, I hope to do some carving, to make the transition make more sense. I'll probably stick to a ''flame form'', though I am not certain yet. A work in progress.

2018


2014

 

[JudyB]

So is this a seedling from the mother tree? Big old ginkgo are amazing.

 

[Underdog]

Great trunk Leo. I have only a small cutting of "Chase Manhattan" recently acquired to keep alive over winter. I;ve been interested in them ever since I heard this story on the only mature one I have seen.

We have a huge old one in town I've been meaning to share the history and possibly confirm.
In 1764 Colonel Henry Bouquet’s march from Fort Pitt to what is present-day Coshocton, my hometown.
Story is a gift of 10 Ginkgo trees from Japan were givin to Bouquet to be planted in the United States. One of which planted at the home of a friend of his here. It is HUGE, healthy and amazing that I so want to get cuttings.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

So is this a seedling from the mother tree? Big old ginkgo are amazing.

I think this seedling is about 25 - 30 years old. It was quite tall before being chopped and dug.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Great trunk Leo. I have only a small cutting of "Chase Manhattan" recently acquired to keep alive over winter. I;ve been interested in them ever since I heard this story on the only mature one I have seen.

We have a huge old one in town I've been meaning to share the history and possibly confirm.
In 1764 Colonel Henry Bouquet’s march from Fort Pitt to what is present-day Coshocton, my hometown.
Story is a gift of 10 Ginkgo trees from Japan were givin to Bouquet to be planted in the United States. One of which planted at the home of a friend of his here. It is HUGE, healthy and amazing that I so want to get cuttings.

Cuttings will work, I have not had luck rooting cuttings. They say it is not difficult, but has not worked for me.