Larch Noob - first season advice please!

[MartyB]

The Montreal region is not especially swampy, but I'm always on the lookout.

But if you're willing to drive 15 hours or so, the Côte-Nord region is famous for its crazy larches: https://bonsaiquinn.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/the-north-shore-la-cote-nord/

Yes I have to do at least 200+ km to find crown land where I could try to collect one. I have zero contacts where a landowner would give me permission locally to collect one either as they are few and far between. And I am trying to keep one alive before graduating to yamadori level

Cosmos, I don’t know where you are in QC but Pepinière Jasmin, as well as having a extremely good collection of prebonsai material of various species, has a very large inventory currently of nursery-style potted larcinias and deciduas, from sharpie-marker diameter up starting at 19$ each. They have a few with lower branches that could probably survive into decent branching if the top is thinned.

Anyway I picked up a pre-bonsai larcinia today for 80$ that is already in substrate with decent movement and a good rootbase. So i keep it alive as-is till next spring is the plan. Hopefully my decidua survives as well but I am diversifying my chances of having a specimen next year

 

[Cosmos]

I'm in the Sud-Ouest burrough, I've been to Jardins Jasmin once last year, didn't spend as much time as I would've liked (was with the gf), but I did notice their very large offering of full-size trees as well as the pre-bonsai (though from a quick glance they looked underwhelming and a bit overpriced to me). I'm going to go back this month alone and spend a hours there. I'd like a to pick up a mugo or a spruce.

Same about collecting material, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Scouting the countryside and asking farmers the permission to check out their land could be an option I guess. I might join the Montreal Bonsai Society this year and ask about that, they might organize collection trips.

 

[MartyB]

sent you a conversation msg Cosmos. Their selection is very dependent on time of year as in may/june when the prebonsai material arrives (mostly from that supplier in Shawinigan I think) it gets raided by their customers. I picked up a bunch of olea europaea from them a couple years ago for cheap and they are thriving now. Anyway, back to larch.

anyone suggest some written literature on Larches, has there been any books focusing on their development?


edit: my googling tells me Nick Lenz' book, 'Bonsai from the Wild' is the go-to book for Larch and other conifers, going to start there

 

[twisted trees]

View attachment 190976

I don't know what's been said so far but trim those long branches back about 2/3 to force the inner buds to elongate. Do it now.

Larch will work towards putting all of their energy into the top of the tree and one shoot at the end of a branch. If these are not continually pruned then the top and branch ends secrete a hormone that forces the inner buds to stop growing.

 

[twisted trees]

well I took your advice and gathered my courage to cut back reasonably hard those last few branches at the top. I am just worried I did it too late in the season and wasted some energy with those buds, as they have been open for about 2 weeks now. hopefully this Larch is a vigorous grower. I had left them out of inexperience and after taking off 30% of the top of the tree I didnt want to deprive it too much

I've been growing latch for 25 years. That you cut those back in no way harms the tree. It takes 1-2 weeks for the inner buds to rid themselves of the stop growth hormone and start elongating.

 

[twisted trees]

Oh, I hope it does well for you! I love larches! I can never find any around here so I ordered European Larch seeds to get started. So I'm right with you in needing to learn everything I can about them.

What are your highest temps in the summer? Anything over about 90° stresses larch.

 

[twisted trees]

well I took your advice and gathered my courage to cut back reasonably hard those last few branches at the top. I am just worried I did it too late in the season and wasted some energy with those buds, as they have been open for about 2 weeks now. hopefully this Larch is a vigorous grower. I had left them out of inexperience and after taking off 30% of the top of the tree I didnt want to deprive it too much

Pics?

 

[twisted trees]

So here are some photos from today. I’m no expert clearly but he seems sparsely needled, and a bit droopy. Soil is not dry so not going to add water, its decently moist down there. View attachment 194940View attachment 194941View attachment 194942View attachment 194943

Overall it's ok. If you want to cut the seriously wilted back ok. Clearly the roots are not supporting it. When the shoots start elongating and showing vigor begin weekly fertilizings.

 

[Hyn Patty]

What are your highest temps in the summer? Anything over about 90° stresses larch.

Here in the Western North Carolina mountains at around 4,000 foot elevation I am told it will not commonly exceed 80 degrees for a high. Hot summers should not be an issue. Others in my local bonsai club do grow larches at lower elevations than ours.

 

[MartyB]

thanks for all the advice folks, getting many opinions is quite appreciated. here in Laval it can reach 90+F here (35 Celcius is not rare) a few days in the summer. I'll be sure to maybe shield the larches from scorching sun those days. I normal end of july-august day here is in the high 80s for sure.