Girdle Technique on Hornbeam

[Dryad]

In winter 2021, I purchased a couple of pencil-thin bareroot hornbeams (European) for very cheap from a local supplier, with the intention of practicing bonsai techniques on them. I found a spot in my garden to plant the trees, and put them through washers which were positioned above the roots (which were a mess).

Fast forward to today, I decided to dig one up as the buds were swelling. The tree gained a lot of vigour last summer, but unfortunately the new roots that formed above the washer weren't as healthy as I had hoped. Before realising this, I had chopped below the washer, separating the tree from its original roots. While some new radial roots had shot out, I realised they were soft and broke off rather easily.



Has anyone experienced 'soft' roots with European hornbeams before? Perhaps they were formed in the autumn and never had the chance to harden.

Regardless, I tried salvaging what I had by tidying up the base (removing the washer) and arranging the roots on a tile in the ground. The tree is just over 3 ft tall with a lot of branching, but I decided not to trunk chop yet as I'm hoping for a thicker diameter. As such, I had to place some bricks at the base to stop it from toppling over - not ideal, I know.

I can't imagine the roots are plentiful enough to maintain much vigour in the tree, so I do expect dieback. Ah well, it was an experiment after all.

 

[Shibui]

I expect you to be amazed at how well this tree grows this year, assuming reasonable care and conditions. I've seen plenty of layers and cuttings with less roots than this that take off no problems but 3' tall and lots of branches may test its stamina.
Nothing like a good root prune to stimulate more root production and there's plenty of roots there to get started. It is highly likely that more new roots will grow from the mass of callus around the base of that trunk so your nebari may improve without any further intervention.
New roots are very brittle. Any white root from either the trunk or another older root has very little wood to hold it on and they drop off easily. I see this regularly when potting on cuttings.
Bricks or rocks or similar to support a tree is fine. I use them regularly if a tree with few roots is wobbly after potting or tries to fall over. Can be removed after a few months usually.

Fingers crossed that my experiences translate to this tree.

 

[Gabler]

In my experience with Carpinus caroliniana, it’s pretty safe to remove virtually all of a tree’s roots, provided you pot the tree in water-retentive soil. I add a lot of organic matter (or sometimes plant in pure powdery peat potting soil) and dress the surface with moss. When I collect them, I tend to find my ironwood trees in swamps. They can’t handle standing water like a bald cypress, but they can handle intermittent flooding. I suspect your European counterparts will be similarly tolerant of excess moisture, if to a lesser degree. Use a slightly water-retentive soil, and it might help compensate for the small root mass.

 

[Dryad]

I expect you to be amazed at how well this tree grows this year, assuming reasonable care and conditions. I've seen plenty of layers and cuttings with less roots than this that take off no problems but 3' tall and lots of branches may test its stamina.

That's reassuring @Shibui , thank you for sharing your thoughts on this! Your advice is always appreciated.

 

[Dryad]

In my experience with Carpinus caroliniana, it’s pretty safe to remove virtually all of a tree’s roots, provided you pot the tree in water-retentive soil. I add a lot of organic matter (or sometimes plant in pure powdery peat potting soil) and dress the surface with moss.

That's good to know, the soil is a mix of peat moss, topsoil and a bit of compost - I've also mixed in some pumice around the base to encourage feeder roots. Hopefully it's water-retentive enough to stimulate more roots - here in Ireland we get plenty of rain, so that's a help.

 

[PA_Penjing]

As was said, new roots are very fragile. But dead roots will also be soft and mushy. I would leave the rest go until next year or the year after that. The washer method is working well for you but it’s a little bit early yet. They improve with time

 

[sorce]

Nice.

Sorce