Help with prunus serrulata

[nickh]

Hi! I am fairly new to bonsai and have started a prunus serrulata from seed. I am looking for some advice on what to do next. I am heading into fall soon, and then winter. During winter I will store outside under cover of snow (I live in Canada BC). It has grown substantially and is over a foot tall now. I want to encourage trunk growth, I am also curious about wiring and when that is appropriate, and when or if I should chop it. Any suggestions on what I should do with my prunus serrulata before winter?

Thanks so much!
Nick

 

[Treefer]

Hi Nick, I see your post hasn't got any action so I thought I'd jump in. First, I would not be concerned about wiring for a at least a couple years. Your biggest challenge will be keeping it alive over winter. More trees die of wind than of cold. You will want to protect it from drying winds by placing it on the leeward side of a structure, building a "surround" and insulating it with leaves, etc. You can better protect the roots by planting it, pot and all, in the ground. Since it is from seed, I'm hoping it has been outside to climatize for a while.

 

[Treefer]

Oh, and don't chop it for a looooong time. Let it grow freely.

 

[Drewski]

Whereabouts in BC? I’m guessing you’re not down here in the Vancouver area if you’re expecting snow all winter.

 

[nickh]

Thanks Treefer! After posting this I found another post on a similar situation. There seemed to be two major suggestions with the prunus serrulata. One encouraged free growth then eventual chop after getting the desired length; the other encouraged chopping just above the bud right before late winter/early spring along with re-planting and root work. The poster River's edge said, ''this is done early each year with progressions of cut back and root work to establish trunk and root ball.'' They had also said this was a prunus serrulata specific method. Thoughts?

I will definitely mulch, bury in a larger pot or in the ground for further protection, place it where there is protection from the wind and or build a barrier of some sort. How much do I need to worry about watering and sunlight when it is dormant in the winter season?

Drewski, I am located in Vernon BC. We usually get a good amount of snow .

Thanks again!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

My prunus tend to snap when wiring if the wood is thicker than a pencil.
So I'm thinking to wire them young with soft aluminium wire.
You can chop them back hard to a bare trunk and they should produce new branches, so it might be wise to focus on the nebari while repotting, and go for maximum trunk growth by letting it run unpruned for a couple years. Then eventually rebuild it from an amazing trunk to a tree.

That's my plan at least. I'm not a deciduous type of guy, so there's probably another road to Rome that might work just as well.

 

[Treefer]

I always believed that the first chop should not be done until the thickness is 2/3 of the desired trunk diameter. Then every year or two to develop taper. Maybe someone else can advise. I tend to water lightly once per week when trees are dormant but I am zone 6b and don't have lengthy freezes. Sunlight will not be necessary while dormant. Good luck!

 

[nickh]

thanks for the info! I will probably do that and just let it grow then chop once a desired thickness. I think I have the winter protection all figured out now

 

[Haines' Trees]

@nickh i have had a couple p serrulata grown from seed for a couple years now. I don’t know what it’s worth but I can offer some of my thoughts and experiences.


Here are 2 that I planted a couple Septembers ago that managed to live through the winter. This is bud break the following spring.
This is one of those trees later that same year. Some impressive growth this year and I did some wiring to start to work toward the basic shape I wanted.

Same two trees from the original picture, taken a few days after I wired the one on the left. That one I will continue to shape with wire, while the other will be shaped by clip-and-grow.
The wired tree after digging it up following its second winter. I protected it simply by digging a hole in the ground and burying up to the rim of the pot. I’ve had great success with that method. This is what I took that tree down to on its first repot. I know it’s contrary to what we hear all the time about not performing early chops, but with a good feeding schedule I have gotten some really nice growth this year.

Same tree in mid June following spring repot. Plenty of vigor. I do plan to work the roots again this spring.

That tree in august, can see the beginnings of a nebari, and it has some new wire on it as well.
These trees are now in the ground again, buried for the winter. I’m not certain of the type of weather you get in BC but I get some winters that are very cold. Protecting the roots will be your biggest hurdle.

I plan on repotting these into a wider, shallower pot this spring to facilitate more ideal root structure for the future. These trees are by no means huge or beautiful at this point but I have found that they aren’t exceedingly difficult to manage. I have found that they are difficult to find, as seeds or otherwise.

Keep us updated!

 

[nickh]

Haines, that was helpful and fun to read!
It’s nice to see you went those two different ways and both are working out. It’s early spring now and I am still deciding which way I want to go, but I gotta go with one soon. Perhaps I will get more of these seeds as only one of mine took last time around, hence the reason I only have the one to experiment with. Anyways, I’ll post some spring or summer photos

 

[Frozentreehugger]

I like your pot bench . Cool
Makes it a little harder for the squirrels to knock them off . If you have a spare plant or 2 . I would plant them in the ground . Give them a good start . Wire them so there is movement . Down low . If there hardy enough where you live . Plant them in the ground and let them grow for a few years . When you get done trunk size . Cut them back hard . Let them sprout . Next year dig them up . Root prune and repeat or then put them in a pot . Don’t leave them in the ground to long . To keep the roots clos to the trunk . There are other options if you want

 

[Frozentreehugger]

You should put your location and USDA hardiness zone in your bio . To help people give you advice . So they are aware of your environmental situation When you start from seed . Or very young plants . Your in it for the long haul . But it gives you advantages that are achieved no other way . Take advantage of this . Example movement low on a trunk very hard or impossible latter . Unique styles . Something not done with that species . Because they don’t grow that way . Naturally for example . Have fun