Ground Growing... from a distance?

Dryad

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Hey all, I've just recently found out my mother has inherited a small field down the country by my grandmother's house (2 hour drive away). We are both very keen on planting trees in the field to create a small native woodland, so that should be a fun project to keep us busy.

Additionally, I've been told I can use a section of the field for growing pre-bonsai in the ground if I want. Seeing as I have very little space in my current garden for ground growing, I got excited at the possibility... but is it possible? If I am only able to visit the field a handful of times a year (haven't got my driver's license yet) I wonder would it be possible to develop trunks without them dying over the summer.

With the Irish climate it tends to rain all year round, but it's common for several weeks to go by without it in the spring and summer. Perhaps if I stuck to hardy species that are more drought resistant it might be worth the risk.

It's one thing leaving trees to grow freely untouched, but pre-bonsai which would be frequently chopped, roots meddled with etc. is a different story altogether. Not to mention the growth of tall weeds which would compete for water...

Anyway, rambling over. Does anyone have experience in this regard? Would love to hear some opinions!
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Ground growing, you really only have one or two maintenance sessions per year. The first year in particular, once planted, you forget about it until the following year. So your remote plot should not be a problem.

If you have had good frequent rain, in most soils a week long drought is not likely to dry out trees. Especially if the drought is late summer and they were planted in spring or the previous year. If you are planting seedlings, they will be cheap enough that if you loose a few it is no big deal.

What you do to each species and when you do it largely depends on the species. WHat species were you planning?

Remember, to look at what is available in the bonsai market near you. If it is easy to get 10 year old Japanese black pines ready to work on, then there is no need to plant Japanese black pines. Plant seed or seedlings of trees you can not get easily. Here in USA, Chinese elms are abundant and cheap, any size, any age, one can pick up chinese elms. I would never bother planting chinese elms. Princess persimmon, Prunus mume and Chaenomeles are all somewhat pricy, and not always available. I would plant them. It is up to you. If a species captures your imagination, plant it. There is always a need for Japanese white pine on their own roots. Or import seed of some of the exotic to Europe species of pine. The North American Pinus rigida, Pinus banksiana, and Pinus flexilis might be interesting. It is up to you.
 

Shibui

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In the ground trees can go for weeks without additional water once the roots have gone down a little. Even down here where it gets really hot and stays dry for months I only water grow beds every week or 2. Some form of mulch also helps extend the water for a few extra days. By mid summer most of the trees will be completely OK without any additional water.
A good layer of mulch can also go some way to suppressing weeds. I use glyphosate (roundup) spray a couple of times each year and plenty of mulch along with occasional hand weeding and the rows are pretty clean.
@Leo in N E Illinois is correct about maintenance. Roots are dealt with once in early spring at planting time then not touched until the next time you dig in 1-5 years. Tops are trimmed once a year for most species.
Do not try to grow branches and ramification while the trees are in the ground. They are developing far too quick and most branching on deciduous will be too coarse and thick for the final bonsai. Ground growing is for developing trunks and roots. Branches and ramification will be added later in grow boxes.

I find quick growing and hardy species more rewarding. It takes patience to wait 5-10 years while the pines and junipers grow but Trident maples will give you something to do every year as they grow and thicken real quick.
 

leatherback

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Same experience here. I have a small plot between my house and the office. Normally I try to stop by and check once a month, as I have some veggies there but also trees. I spent a day every 6 months properly cleaning things up and trimming stuff. Only in the first year, when the trees are seedlings, do they need water, else they might suffer (We have had 3 years where we went from winter into summer, without spring rains: Lots of losses).

I have planted out last years's seedlings in fall, as the leaves were turning to avoid that problem this year.

All in all: Absolutely possible.
 

Dryad

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What you do to each species and when you do it largely depends on the species. What species were you planning?
Thanks for the advice Leo, hugely appreciated!

Right now most of my seedlings are too young (~1-2 years old) to start ground growing so I would probably purchase a handful of native saplings, such as Hawthorn, Beech, Elm and some European Hornbeam to begin with.

Then in a year or two I'll have a dozen of each of the following 3 years from seeds/cuttings, ready to be transplanted: Trident Maple, Bloodgood maple, Chinese Elm, JBP, Scots Pine, Korean Hornbeam, Ginkgo, and Crab Apple.

Here in Ireland, most non-native species used for bonsai are not readily available to purchase so I can start with anything really.
 

ThornBc

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I live in Scotland, so our climates are reasonably similar. I started ground planting last spring at my allotment, which I can generally only visit once a week, two if strictly necessary, plus, last summer I had to be abroad for over 2 months: no losses. If you have a chance, before planting, try to learn more about the area of the field you'll be able to use, so that you can better match each species you'll plant with its position. For example, are any corners more shaded/exposed? presence of frost pockets? Differences in soil texture between a spot an another? Chance of debris from nearby trees damaging your plants? Wildlife presence (rabbits, deer...will you need to protect saplings?
 

Dryad

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Thanks for the tips @Shibui ! Mulch is a great idea I'll certainly look into it. What would you do with regards to insects?

As for refinement etc., I totally agree. I only hope to grow trunks and switch em to pond baskets for developing branches.
 

leatherback

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Bloodgood maple
not really great for bonsai, imho.

Put some larch in too. They are great for bonsai, bulk up fast and what I can find, most older specimens are unreasonably expensive (At least here).

Look into prunus mume, tridents, deshojo, arakawa maples
 

leatherback

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What would you do with regards to insects?
What concerns do you have? Besides potential borers when the trees get older, small schale insect damage adds to character. Random loss of leaders helps you get twists and turns.

(I have started clipping less, pulling off branches on conifers for the scarring and aging yins).
 

Dryad

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not really great for bonsai, imho.

Put some larch in too. They are great for bonsai, bulk up fast and what I can find, most older specimens are unreasonably expensive (At least here).

Look into prunus mume, tridents, deshojo, arakawa maples
Larch is a great idea!

Thanks for the heads up, I may just keep the Bloodgoods home with me for practice. I haven't seen many examples of Prunus Mume, I should look into them also.
 

Dryad

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I live in Scotland, so our climates are reasonably similar. I started ground planting last spring at my allotment, which I can generally only visit once a week, two if strictly necessary, plus, last summer I had to be abroad for over 2 months: no losses. If you have a chance, before planting, try to learn more about the area of the field you'll be able to use, so that you can better match each species you'll plant with its position. For example, are any corners more shaded/exposed? presence of frost pockets? Differences in soil texture between a spot an another? Chance of debris from nearby trees damaging your plants? Wildlife presence (rabbits, deer...will you need to protect saplings?
Thanks for this @ThornBc , those are some great points. The soil is stony and somewhat coarse, I believe it used to be used for growing oats several years back.

I'll definitely need to examine these factors especially when deciding on positioning. Are there any procedures I should consider for tilling the soil if it's not fertile?
 

Dryad

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What concerns do you have? Besides potential borers when the trees get older, small schale insect damage adds to character. Random loss of leaders helps you get twists and turns.

(I have started clipping less, pulling off branches on conifers for the scarring and aging yins).

I suppose I assumed insects and/or disease could inhibit their growth early on, but perhaps it wouldn't be as big a problem as I thought.
 

Shibui

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You can start young seedlings in the ground. Pines, gingko, crab apple and maples can go in the grow beds at 1 or 2 years old. Junipers are better with some trunk bends so they are generally 2-4 years old before planting out.

I presume there is water available somehow on the field? It is possible to instal timers and driplines or sprinklers to automate watering at relatively low cost if you think it may be needed.
Insects have never been a problem for my grow bed trees. They are generally very healthy and can cope with a few bugs. There may be some species that have pests. Here it is Cherry slug that defoliates cherry, hawthorn and sometimes plums but I don't grow any of those so no problem.

You may get some ideas from some of the posts on the Shibui Bonsai site - Shibui Bonsai Different climate and times of the year but the process will be similar everywhere.
I incorporated commercial compost into the soil when I first started cultivating. Any manures or composts should help improve your stony soil. Otherwise an application of fertilizer a couple of times each year will help growth rates and health of the trees.

I agree about Bloodgood. Internodes are long and growth too coarse for good bonsai. Seedlings of generic Japanese Maple are far better. Trident maple is far more forgiving. It can recover from 'mistakes' far quicker and better and will grow about twice the rate of JM.
Most plums can be good bonsai. We don't have to grow them down here as they are spread by birds and are a roadside and environmental weed so we just collect better ones.
 

Rivian

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Are there any procedures I should consider for tilling the soil if it's not fertile?
Rake out large stones and add compost or peat to supply nutrition and water holding ability
 

ThornBc

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Thanks for this @ThornBc , those are some great points. The soil is stony and somewhat coarse, I believe it used to be used for growing oats several years back.

I'll definitely need to examine these factors especially when deciding on positioning. Are there any procedures I should consider for tilling the soil if it's not fertile?
Most native species should be fine enough as it is, it's hard to tell without seeing the soil, but I wouldn't worry too much...just don't make the planting holes too comfortable by adding too much organic matter and/or slow release fertiliser. This is more of a general horticultural advice, you don't want to semi-abandon trees which mostly rely on what you've given them, they need to get established in the conditions they have :)
 

AJL

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Maybe consider spraying off the plot to kill perennial weeds with Glyphosate before planting, then use mulch mats or ground cover fabric or wood chip mulch 2 inches deep to discourage more weeds from germinating. If there are rabbits or hares or livestock nearby provide either protective fencing,tree shelters/ guards eg Netlon to prevent animal damage. You could also plant on top of tiles etc to promote shallow rooting and encourage development of good nebari
 

Dryad

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Really appreciate the advice folks, I'm taking notes! I have a few questions about the actually planting of the saplings. Should I bare root them before planting, or does it depend on the species? I'm guessing it's not a simple matter of slip-potting (without the pot part, lol). Also, thoughts on using growing medium such as perlite spread around the trunk base to promote a finer root spread?

Realistically I'll start small this spring with only a handful of trees as I'm very new to ground growing and need to get familiar with the process before I kill too many. Then next year once the pandemic subsides I can travel more and begin transplanting a helluva lot more.
 

leatherback

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Spending time organizing the roots pays out in a good start for a nebari. So yeah, for species that take it, bare-rooting is the way I go.

Last year I had to plant 150 or so trident seedlings. Time was insufficient & it was hot and dry as I was planting. I have decided to use a bunch of different types of washers this year (I think I bought some 100 washers all in) and layer them. The rest I will probably lift in fall and replant.
 

Rivian

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I'm guessing it's not a simple matter of slip-potting
Yeah dont do that. could get the native soil be so dense that it acts like a pot and the roots end up circling. And the soil should be homogenous for water distribution too. Perlite might not draw out the moisture from surrounding native soil
 

Forsoothe!

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For bonsai stock, growing well is more important than just growing-on. Compact roots and taper are very valuable, much more desirable than just big trunks. You should only grow that number that you can take care of in the available number of hours you can be there each visit. Half as many trees that are twice as valuable should be your goal. Trees growing in low plastic nursery pots retain more feeder roots close to the trunk, especially for the first two years after sinking. Some roots will escape through the holes in the second year and get long. These are easy to cut off at the pot and easier to dig out, too. In the 3rd year all the growth is outside the pot and fewer feeder roots remain close-in. So, sink the pots and grow for two summers, not three. Start with 2nd year saplings. Use low 1 gal for the first two year cycle, low 2 gal for the next two two-year cycles, low 2 1/2 gal for cycles 4 and 5. That gets you to 10 years with compact growth. It doesn't have to end there.

Each year you chop down to a twig that can be directed "up" as a new leader by wrapping it against the trunk with a paper cup that is scotch -taped in-place. It will hold the twig upright until it gets wet a couple times and then fall off. "Up" means in a direction that will make a new leader that gives the tree some movement. Trim the lower branches to keep foliage in close to the trunk instead of growing long. You want to keep as many low branches as possible with as much foliage on them as possible. You need to adhere to these principles in post #6.

Every second year you dig out the pots with a digging fork, cut off all roots outside the pot and as many anchor roots on the interior of the pot as appropriate, reposition nebari, repot & sink with an eye to maximum sun on the "bonsai front" of the tree. (215° for me)

Grow some number of trees that equals the number that you can repot & sink 50%, and trim the tops of 100% every year. I prefer spring repotting with tip pruning and autumn heavy pruning, others may differ. If you can visit in June, July & August and tip prune each time, you can grow really great trees. Walter Pall would tell you to hedge trim in June and August.

Plant them on 4 foot centers and mulch with 6 inches of leaves or 3 inches of wood chips on landscaping cloth. Don't enrich the whole area. You will only be using the 2 sq ft hole and will only need to supply the pot-full of superior organic media each cycle. Slower growth will net smaller, but superior stock.

We all agree that you should grow what you can't buy, and I would add that if you google Japanese trees with interesting bark, that would be a good starting point. Good Luck!
 
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