Hoping for help in how to containerize a specimen(boxwood?) that I'm storing in a trash bag :P (pic)

[SU2]

I'm pretty sure this is a boxwood, anyways I took much more root & top than I expect I'd need but I don't want to risk it not taking to the transplant, right now I'm keeping it in the bag in hopes that, in the intervening hours before dark, someone can tell me how aggressive I can/should be to the roots & top when I containerize this thing!

I've got a very large root ball, it lost most of its dirt upon collection so it's mostly bare-rooted and I figure I'll finish that off before potting, it's got a ton of thick roots and a ton of fine/feeder roots, so will be trimming some but am unsure whether I should be more gentle or aggressive in how much I remove - same for the top, I'm unsure if I should leave that canopy as-is for now, or if I can cut-back all those shoots to the first leaves (ie leaving maybe 10-15 leaves total on it, once it's fully cut-back!)

The last picture is the bush it came from, I'd thought this was 1 large specimen but it was actually 90% one plant and 10% another, so what I have is that 10% - I included the pic of it in-ground (before I removed some of the excess shoots) in hopes of getting a precise ID, as I'd thought it was a boxwood but the pics online aren't looking exact...

Thanks for any help on this one guys

 

[Vin]

It's not a Boxwood, it is an Ilex of some sort. You can get pretty aggressive but I always leave some green on each branch. Good luck!

 

[SU2]

It's not a Boxwood, it is an Ilex of some sort. You can get pretty aggressive but I always leave some green on each branch. Good luck!

How about the roots? I figured that, if I didn't find-out in-time, I'd simply pot it and do the shoots tomorrow - but the roots, I've got wayyy more than I need (I think, I mean it's probably got a denser mat of feeders than I've ever collected in my life lol) but just don't want to root-prune too-hard and kill it!!

Thanks a ton for the prompt reply re species & pruning, both very helpful!!

 

[Vin]

You can get pretty aggressive with the roots as well. I'll assume you've not let them dry out. Keep as many of the fine feeder roots as can fit in an appropriate size nursery pot. Something like this will be fine:

 

[Lazylightningny]

You can get pretty aggressive with the roots as well. I'll assume you've not let them dry out. Keep as many of the fine feeder roots as can fit in an appropriate size nursery pot. Something like this will be fine:

View attachment 172381

That's a brute!

 

[Vin]

That's a brute!

A work in progress but it's getting there.

 

[JoeH]

yep, looks like Ilex schilling I've got more than a few.

DSCN6167

• JoeH
• Oct 8, 2017
• 5

Ilex schilling nursery stock

 

[SU2]

It's not a Boxwood, it is an Ilex of some sort. You can get pretty aggressive but I always leave some green on each branch. Good luck!

Thanks! Yeah seems to be an illex (yuapon holly?), am hoping you could tell me whether you'd clip the two branches (the thickest) that I've got my fingers on in this pic:


And for the remainder of the shoots, should I literally just cut-back to the first node that's got foliage? Honestly I'm really unsure WTH I'm going to do with this, I just couldn't turn up getting a new specimen when the opportunity presented itself!!

Here's some further-back angles to show what I'm working with here - I haven't touched the top yet....last night I rinsed the roots, removed some of the thicker ones, and then cut whatever didn't fit the colander (that's a colander inside a pot, I figured I'd leave the extra pot for insulation while it establishes....unfortunately we've got a cold week here, high's at ~mid-->low 50's this week, but yuopon hollies aren't as tropical so hoping it makes it!! Wish I'd known in advance so I could've watered&fertilized it a day or two before extraction..

 

[SU2]

You can get pretty aggressive with the roots as well. I'll assume you've not let them dry out. Keep as many of the fine feeder roots as can fit in an appropriate size nursery pot. Something like this will be fine

View attachment 172381

OMG I'm so jealous!! The person I got this from had a very large (~5' tall, 6' wide) one and it's trunk was similar (better actually, though that one is excellent obviously!) but they just weren't having it....I was going to (and still am) considering offering to buy it from them (or buy them a nice replacement plant) - what would be a reasonable price to pay for something like that? Have never bought a yamadori before..

[edit- oh and yes the roots were sprayed with a hose the second they came out-of-ground, then into a trash-bag to stay moist, then occasionally misted while out-of-bag getting ready for the container It's fine/feeder root % and density was almost identical to what you show, think it's the most feeders I've ever got from a yamma which is weird because I thought that was supposed to happen *right after* the rainy season, not months after!]

 

[SU2]

yep, looks like Ilex schilling I've got more than a few.

DSCN6167

• JoeH
• Oct 8, 2017
• 5

Ilex schilling nursery stock

Awesome specimen! Thanks for sharing

Do you have any guesses on cultivar of ilex? I've put more pics up-thread

 

[SU2]

That's a brute!

That's grade-A stock IMO!!

 

[JoeH]

Awesome specimen! Thanks for sharing

Do you have any guesses on cultivar of ilex? I've put more pics up-thread

sorry, I meant its Ilex vomitoria, schilling's dwarf is the cultivar I posted in my pic. Maybe yours is a different Youpon though, too with the growth habit yours seems to have. Reminds me of Pride of Houston

 

[Vin]

Thanks! Yeah seems to be an illex (yuapon holly?), am hoping you could tell me whether you'd clip the two branches (the thickest) that I've got my fingers on in this pic:

And for the remainder of the shoots, should I literally just cut-back to the first node that's got foliage? Honestly I'm really unsure WTH I'm going to do with this, I just couldn't turn up getting a new specimen when the opportunity presented itself!!

Here's some further-back angles to show what I'm working with here - I haven't touched the top yet....last night I rinsed the roots, removed some of the thicker ones, and then cut whatever didn't fit the colander (that's a colander inside a pot, I figured I'd leave the extra pot for insulation while it establishes....unfortunately we've got a cold week here, high's at ~mid-->low 50's this week, but yuopon hollies aren't as tropical so hoping it makes it!! Wish I'd known in advance so I could've watered&fertilized it a day or two before extraction..

I would probably leave the one at the base for now as a sacrifice branch. The other one can go. It's not the ideal time to be hacking away at it so I'd leave a little more than the first node. If it was Spring then I would go for it.

The one I have I planted in the ground 17 years ago and pulled it 4 years ago. Eventually, yours will get what's called Elephant Skin bark like mine has which is a good thing. I'll post some close up photos tonight if you like. There's a guy in my club that has one with about 10" base. It's massive and I'd like to try and get it from him if he'll let it go.

 

[Vin]

OMG I'm so jealous!! The person I got this from had a very large (~5' tall, 6' wide) one and it's trunk was similar (better actually, though that one is excellent obviously!) but they just weren't having it....I was going to (and still am) considering offering to buy it from them (or buy them a nice replacement plant) - what would be a reasonable price to pay for something like that? Have never bought a yamadori before..

[edit- oh and yes the roots were sprayed with a hose the second they came out-of-ground, then into a trash-bag to stay moist, then occasionally misted while out-of-bag getting ready for the container It's fine/feeder root % and density was almost identical to what you show, think it's the most feeders I've ever got from a yamma which is weird because I thought that was supposed to happen *right after* the rainy season, not months after!]

It's hard to say what to offer without seeing it. You have to collect it and take the chance on whether or not it survives so I wouldn't offer too much. Maybe somewhere around $25 - $50 off the top of my head. Ilex (as Bonsai) for the most part do not really demand high prices.

 

[SU2]

sorry, I meant its Ilex vomitoria, schilling's dwarf is the cultivar I posted in my pic. Maybe yours is a different Youpon though, too with the growth habit yours seems to have. Reminds me of Pride of Houston

I think I've got the nomenclature now- I've got a ilex vomitoria, also known as yaupon holly, although it's *not* the 'schillings'/dwarf cultivar...I wonder how well-suited my non-dwarf is for bonsai? Guess that's of little consequence given how low-quality the stock is, it's more for getting used to it because there's a *lot* of these in my area so if I know I can reliably transplant & work well with them then I can try buying/trading for established ones like this guy that I may be able to get:



That one looks like it could have epic potential! It's from the same area I just got the one this thread is about, like 10' away from it so almost identical growing-conditions, I just didn't want to make the move to offer to plant 'something nicer' or offer $ for it until I knew whether I could work with them, whether something like that ^ could be cut-back below where there's any foliage..

 

[Vin]

Well, just google Ilex Vomitoria Bonsai images and you'll see it is very well used and makes for a nice profile in bonsai. They are really kind of bullet proof but you'll need to come up with a good design.

 

[SU2]

Well, just google Ilex Vomitoria Bonsai images and you'll see it is very well used and makes for a nice profile in bonsai. They are really kind of bullet proof but you'll need to come up with a good design.

The problem is I've read of them *needing* viable buds to prevent losing a limb when cutting-back - are you saying that what I just pictured would take a full 'trunk-chop' (like, cutting it down so those main 7 trunks are ~8-12" long, and waiting for it to bud)? If it were a bougainvillea I know it'd handle it, when it comes to any other species except bougies&crapes I'm unsure!

 

[SU2]

I would probably leave the one at the base for now as a sacrifice branch. The other one can go. It's not the ideal time to be hacking away at it so I'd leave a little more than the first node. If it was Spring then I would go for it.

The one I have I planted in the ground 17 years ago and pulled it 4 years ago. Eventually, yours will get what's called Elephant Skin bark like mine has which is a good thing. I'll post some close up photos tonight if you like. There's a guy in my club that has one with about 10" base. It's massive and I'd like to try and get it from him if he'll let it go.

I would love to see if you wouldn't mind!!!

And re sacrifice branch / other-one-can-go, the two branches in reference are the two that my fingers are on in that earlier picture right? And you're saying to keep the lower of the two (for now) as a sacrifice branch, and to completely cut the other? Just want to be sure

Thanks a ton for all the help here it's truly appreciated!!

 

[Vin]

The problem is I've read of them *needing* viable buds to prevent losing a limb when cutting-back - are you saying that what I just pictured would take a full 'trunk-chop' (like, cutting it down so those main 7 trunks are ~8-12" long, and waiting for it to bud)? If it were a bougainvillea I know it'd handle it, when it comes to any other species except bougies&crapes I'm unsure!

I don't know about visible buds but I always cut back with some leaves left on each branch. There are some that say you can cut back leaving a bare branch but I'm not one of those. Either way, it's not really a problem as long as it back buds.

 

[SU2]

I don't know about visible buds but I always cut back with some leaves left on each branch. There are some that say you can cut back leaving a bare branch but I'm not one of those. Either way, it's not really a problem as long as it back buds.

I'd saved that ^ quote to come back to, just wrote a large reply why that wasn't on-point, almost submit it and realized this wasn't my crape myrtle thread

But yes I've heard that elsewhere, that pruning beneath the lowest leaf will kill that shoot..is that because there's no epicormal buds on the wood beneath the first true/leaf-bearing node? How frequently will it kill the shoot, is it for sure or just risky? Don't know what on earth I could do with this specimen, haven't touched it since planting it (except getting it into the patio at night- hope you've managed well, looks like tonight's the first I won't need to bring my bougies all indoors!) Figure I'll just wait (til spring / active growth, right?) til I get the clippers out and turn it into a wind-swept bushy thing, really the only possible shape I can picture for this type of stock :/ Will just be happy to finally have one, another species I know how to work with greatly broadens what I'm able to scour-up for 'yardadoris'