Larch - club auction

[leatherback]

Last night saw a club auction. I dropped of 9 trees. Brought 2 new trees with me. Little projects.

This Larch has not been repotted in year, and last winter it lost a bunch of branches. As no takers were there, I got this for a steal (7 dollars).

I am thinking.. Rermoving all the dead & lower branches, leaving stumps, and working the 4 top living branches in a free-standing tall sparce tree.

Would love to hear your suggestions befor I start hacking, thinning, overpotting and wiring.

 

[aframe]

I suggest you pat your self on the back, 7 bucks? get out of here

 

[raydomz]

You've gotta love a deal like that!

Where the branches lost to the cold or some underlying issue? I ask because the overall health does not look too good but then again that could just be the photo.
Either way - have fun with this!

 

[leatherback]

The roots are massively overgrown. It is off in a bigger pot this weekend. Just slip potting, no work on the roots. But.. Water is not getting in. I guess it dried out over winter and/or got some frost.

Indeed: Not healthy. But hey.. At that price, bonsai DOES become a rescue mission.

 

[JoeR]

It sure is unhealthy, but SEVEN DOLLARS?

What club do you go to!

 

[leatherback]

An .. I bought a wholesale-imported bonsai and I like to clip - club And it has a few members that try to be better and build their own trees. But all in all.. People do not want trees that need work. So I was selling potentillas, 2 years in training and buying 25 year ol trees with die-back. For the same price

 

[GrimLore]

Slip pot it into good draining substrate, keep it in a shaded area, water 2 times a day during your growing season. Do not cut, prune this year. Fertilize next Spring normally and continue water 2 times a day. When it is dormant the second season prune and wire what is left.
You should be pleased as well as that plant

Grimmy

 

[zachkent29]

Let me buy it for $14, you will double your money...

 

[raydomz]

The roots are massively overgrown. It is off in a bigger pot this weekend. Just slip potting, no work on the roots. But.. Water is not getting in. I guess it dried out over winter and/or got some frost.

Indeed: Not healthy. But hey.. At that price, bonsai DOES become a rescue mission.

Yep, sounds like you found your problem! Larch bounce back really well here given diligent care like Grim has suggested.
Keep us updated!

 

[leatherback]

You should be pleased as well as that plant

I am. I know it is a bit rough, but it is heaps better than what I dropped of for the auction. So good deal all around.

you will double your money

I couldn't do that to you. It needs a good year to maybe two to become presentable again.. Let me do the rough chopping and talk again then about prices..

Keep us updated!

Will do

 

[JudyB]

Very cool, just be patient, and you will be rewarded with something outstanding in time.

 

[leatherback]

Some pictures after initial recovery and removing dead branches..

Wondering whether somone has suggestions for a direction? I feel the lowest branches should go.

Since the pics I have pulled the branches down a bit, and taken away double layers of secundairy branches, leaving a monoplain on each branch, hopefully strengthening th leftover branches with increased light.
Just before pulling branches down:

 

[JudyB]

I would get rid of the lower branches for sure. I'd use the first photo as the front, and I might be tempted to get rid of the second right branch as well. Big jin that one would become. Accentuate the movement up in the apex to the left maybe tip the planting angle a little. Would pot that sucker much deeper and try to spread out flat those roots, or get rid of them over time to a better rootage structure. Looks like it's recovering well.

 

[leatherback]

Thx Judy

 

[JoeR]

@leatherback I would cut one of the lowest branches off and notch the other one of them up into a mother/daughter style or father/son, idk what the difference is.

(first image) Cut off lowest one on left, then second to bottom on the right.

Oh dont forget the jins! I can do a quick virt but it will be crude....

 

[M. Frary]

I would cut everything off above the lowest branches and start the tree over. That's just me and I know most pepole won't agree. There is a lot of dead space above the bottom branches that no amount of bending,pulling,lifting or wiring can cover up.
Like I said just me.

 

[leatherback]

I would cut everything off above the lowest branches and start the tree over.

Thx for the suggestion. But ehr.. Hm.. nope. Not going to happen. This tree was grown from seed some 25 years ago and has no major cutmarks anywhere and very well developed bark. I prefer to make the best tree with the material available instead of regrowing the wole thing.

@JoeR Thx. Will look into that. If you do have time to do a crude virt, that would be great. Was looking at the tree this morning and I am not sure how I would make a twin out of this.

 

[M. Frary]

Just throwing a suggestion out. The deed would have already been done if it were here.

 

[JudyB]

What Joe was talking about is not really a twin style. Mother daughter or father son, can be less of a straight up angle on the secondary trunk. More like the one branch (primary, or Mother/Father) making a sort of umbrella over the secondary which is lower and sometimes angled out as well as up. The idea is the protective figure over the child.
I've been told to make sure the tree is growing strongly to do the notching on the branch.

 

[JoeR]

Yes Judy is right - there is a difference in a twin trunk and a mother daughter style. I think that in the twin trunk style, both of the trunks have nearly an equal visual weight in the composition whereas in a mother-daughter style the 'daughter' tree has a much smaller visual weight compared to the 'mother'. The 'mother' is, like Judy said, overshadowing the 'daughter' like a protective mother would.

I have no idea how to go about notching the branch but I do know that it can be done. At least by a very experienced individual.

Working on the virt.

EDIT: I actually believe it would be a father/son style tree after reading this. I never knew the difference.