Zach Smith
Omono
Heh, reminds me of our refrigerator magnet: "I only do what the voices in my wife's head tell her to tell me to do." Living a blame-free life over here.
Don't give up. Hornbeams are very easy to collect successfully (expect 80% success rate). Here's a quick guide (works with most deciduous species):
1. First of all, unless you're working in very rocky soil use either a hand-held saw or cordless reciprocating saw. Shovels are too much work.
2. Once you've selected your victim, go ahead and saw off the trunk at a spot a bit longer than what you want. You'll make a second cut when potting it up.
3. Saw around the circumference of the tree roughly 6-8 inches from the trunk. Again, you'll be making second cuts when potting up so this cut can be a bit long.
4. Get up under the trunk with your saw (if using a cordless saw get the 12" pruning blade) and cut the taproot.
5. The tree should either lift now or the taproot be sufficiently cut to allow you to push over the tree and snap the tap. Finish sawing through if it's not already free.
6. I always bring tubs of rough nursery soil with me. The newly lifted trees go into this and get watered. If you can lift a soil ball and wrap it, then by all means do so. I've never had this happen satisfactorily, and if it doesn't then the root area is in danger of drying out before you get the tree home which is a big no-no. Just be sure the root zone stays moist.
7. Once home, wash all native soil off the roots. Make another cut of the trunk and cut each lateral root closer to the trunk. The cuts should be roughly three diameters of the root at its base in length.
8. Dust the roots with rooting powder.
9. Pot in the soil of your choice. I use unsifted bonsai soil. Water thoroughly.
10. Seal the chop and any other cut 1/4" or more with cut seal. I don't recommend the putty type, as it tends to dry out and allow the cuts to do likewise.
Hornbeams should be collected in winter. I begin winter collecting right after the New Year.
Zach
When I trunk chop, the new shoots, if there are any, come up off
the surface roots.
I have a 6" specimen which I've been able to grow a pretty good transition on. I'll be repotting it next spring and will post a blog of it when I do.Print this out and take it with you when you dig a hornbeam. It is what I've been doing for years. It works.
Also, FWIW, I think this species loses vigor the further North it grows.
A big ALSO--NEVER trunk chop ANY hornbeam and leave it in the ground--even those in sun. You have essentially killed it if you do. I learned this the hard way about 15 years ago. I chopped about six really nice ones and left them in the hopes not disturbing their roots would push a strong new leader that could be grown quickly. Nope, no way. Every one of those trees died in a couple of weeks, almost no new growth.
Best is to get them out sawing six to eight inches out barerooting them and plunking them in regular bonsai soil. Sealing big cuts is a must. Also DON'T go after huge hornbeam trunks no matter how impressive they are. You will not be able to grow a leader out in your lifetime to make them look halfway decent.
How long did that take for you? It would be awesome to see some pics.I have a 6" specimen which I've been able to grow a pretty good transition on.
I have tried in vain to post photos; haven't been able to since the site changed. PM'ed BNut for help and haven't heard back. Maybe it's my browser, will have to try another.How long did that take for you? It would be awesome to see some pics.
Yeah, it'll get naked in a couple of months. I'll be posting a detailed blog on it next spring when it gets repotted. The tree was collected in 2010 and grown in a tub until a couple of years ago when it went into its training pot. Hornbeams grows roots like mad when containerized. Anyway, the tub growing got the transition close to where I needed it. There's some carving to do at the transition point that you can't see in the photo. I'll take care of that in spring as well. I'm figuring a couple more years to complete the basic work and then it'll just be refinement. We'll see how it turns out.Thanks for posting! Nice one. The transition is noticeable, but not that disturbing. Would love to see it naked.
There are always exceptions to the rule Growing out a leader on an eight inch diameter hornbeam from scratch is not an easy thing to do, well, it is--if you've got twenty years to do it.I have a 6" specimen which I've been able to grow a pretty good transition on. I'll be repotting it next spring and will post a blog of it when I do.
Generally speaking, though, 4" is a good upper limit.
Zach