My free ginkgo

aml1014

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While I was at work 2 days ago I had a gentleman come to me asking about fast growing shade trees. We got into a conversation about a ginkgo he had planted 4 years ago that he knew was slow growing, but wasn't expecting it to be as slow as it was. He told me he was tearing it out and replacing it with the tree he had chosen, so naturally I offered to buy it from him. Well he was a cool guy and said i could come over and take it for no charge. Since he was so generous I went ahead and planted his new tree for him.

Now to the tree. It was about 8ft tall when I got it and I chopped it to around 30", the trunk is about 1.5" and has decent fissuring bark begging on it. I went ahead and wired up a new leader. I'll leave it be for a year and see how I like it's height then, I definitely tend to like taller, more slender trunked trees but am debating chopping it way low or leaving as is.

Let me know what you nuts think, thanks.

Aaron

P.S. I love working at a nursery, there's so many opportunities.

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Brian Van Fleet

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I like the bark on the lower trunk, but I would be inclined to cut it back to the lowest bud emerging directly from the front of the trunk, just as soon as it starts growing. I understand appreciating a taller, slender trunk, but it needs a little more movement and taper to be an interesting bonsai, and it would still be tall and slender.
 

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aml1014

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I like the bark on the lower trunk, but I would be inclined to cut it back to the lowest bud emerging directly from the front of the trunk, just as soon as it starts growing. I understand appreciating a taller, slender trunk, but it needs a little more movement and taper to be an interesting bonsai, and it would still be tall and slender.
That is close to the lowest budd but there are a lot down there. Would you chop to the absolute lowest, or maybe a little high and have a few budds? Thanks for the advice, I really love your ginkgo from seed.

Aaron
 

GGB

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Hey man, I'm totally with you, i love tall and slender. Being that it's a deciduous tree though, I would definitely have chopped it lower. Unless you were going for some kind of literati look thos branches will keep it looking like a young tree. Even so, that trunk isn't doing a whole lot, like brian said. good score, I'd be happy to own that guy.

P.s. I always chop with a little "extra" left just to be safe. It can always be removed later
 

aml1014

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Hey man, I'm totally with you, i love tall and slender. Being that it's a deciduous tree though, I would definitely have chopped it lower. Unless you were going for some kind of literati look thos branches will keep it looking like a young tree. Even so, that trunk isn't doing a whole lot, like brian said. good score, I'd be happy to own that guy.

P.s. I always chop with a little "extra" left just to be safe. It can always be removed later
I agree I guess it's gut because the guy wanted it to grow so badly I wanted to be conservative, generally I go way lower and I probably still will.
I like the bark on the lower trunk, but I would be inclined to cut it back to the lowest bud emerging directly from the front of the trunk, just as soon as it starts growing. I understand appreciating a taller, slender trunk, but it needs a little more movement and taper to be an interesting bonsai, and it would still be tall and slender.
So I checked and here's the lowest budd which is about 2 inches from soil level. Would you go all the way or with what you already suggested?

Aaron
 
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AlainK

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Ginkgo can be air-layered, I got two for the price of one. On the left, the part I air-layered, on the right, the base:

20141024181711-15650a3a-me.jpg
 

sorce

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Nice!

I been thinking, (for the future), about Not cutting back to buds, but rather, strongly growing branches...

In an attempt to close wounds in one season, because any longer just seems like a "carving project to be". At least up here.

The way I figure it.....if you let that low bud\branch grow till it's about 1/4 size of the base, then chop to it, you can get a good quick heal before the next section needs to be chopped. (1/2 - 2/3rd the base?)

Basically.....buds don't heal chops, branches do!

By the time a bud is ready to heal a chop, the wound is too long exposed to the elements. Cut paste or not, a bud just doesn't have the growth to callous a 4in hole.

Anyway, sharing that here and now cuz it's applicable and you seem to understand my chitter chats!

I also been thinking about how I have seen a few giant gingkos, and none of them look like the "flamer" style of tree everyone grows them as.
Forgive me, but I love Gingko and hate that "style".
Maybe some pictures of these real "flamer" trees would help, but the ones I know all grow like an elm vase.

I hope you grow yours like a tree!

Sorce
 

aml1014

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Ginkgo can be air-layered, I got two for the price of one. On the left, the part I air-layered, on the right, the base:

20141024181711-15650a3a-me.jpg
I was wondering about how well they airlayered. I think I'm going to take this route so I can have another lol.

Aaron
 

rockm

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FWIW, "branching" on ginkgo is a relative term. As source pointed out, ginkgo bonsai don't have the network of finely twigged branches that most deciduous trees have.
 

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aml1014

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FWIW, "branching" on ginkgo is a relative term. As source pointed out, ginkgo bonsai don't have the network of finely twigged branches that most deciduous trees have.
I'd gree with this. Ginkgos have really coarse and random branching, some budds will extend into shoots where others will throw leaves for years but only grow half an inch. They're interesting trees for sure, that's probably why they are one of my favorites.

Aaron
 

aml1014

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Nice!

I been thinking, (for the future), about Not cutting back to buds, but rather, strongly growing branches...

In an attempt to close wounds in one season, because any longer just seems like a "carving project to be". At least up here.

The way I figure it.....if you let that low bud\branch grow till it's about 1/4 size of the base, then chop to it, you can get a good quick heal before the next section needs to be chopped. (1/2 - 2/3rd the base?)

Basically.....buds don't heal chops, branches do!

By the time a bud is ready to heal a chop, the wound is too long exposed to the elements. Cut paste or not, a bud just doesn't have the growth to callous a 4in hole.

Anyway, sharing that here and now cuz it's applicable and you seem to understand my chitter chats!

I also been thinking about how I have seen a few giant gingkos, and none of them look like the "flamer" style of tree everyone grows them as.
Forgive me, but I love Gingko and hate that "style".
Maybe some pictures of these real "flamer" trees would help, but the ones I know all grow like an elm vase.

I hope you grow yours like a tree!

Sorce
I've done experiments of the type you are speaking of at work, mainly with maples. I've noticed exactly what you are speaking of. If you cut back to a strong growing branch it'll heal far quicker then chopping to a budd. Also if you make your cuts shaped like this () and not this O they will even quicker. I've seen trees close half inch wounds in about a month when I make my cuts shaped like that.
Oh, and I enjoy your Chitter chats and understand most things you say, must be a stoner thing :p

Aaron
 

CWTurner

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I also been thinking about how I have seen a few giant gingkos,
Hey Sorce, have you seen the big Gingko outside of Frank Lloyd Wright's place in Oak Park? Looks like you could walk there.
Alas, its a female if my olfactory memory serves me right.
CW
 

sorce

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Hey Sorce, have you seen the big Gingko outside of Frank Lloyd Wright's place in Oak Park? Looks like you could walk there.
Alas, its a female if my olfactory memory serves me right.
CW

No...But I will check it out!
After a good wind storm!

Sorce

Sorce
 

AlainK

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I was wondering about how well they airlayered. I think I'm going to take this route so I can have another lol.

I only have an experience on this single tree. The air-layer produced roots but there weren't very many after leaf fall so I decided to wait for the following year. Unfortunately, they resent having too much moisture at the roots in the winter and the following spring, almost all the roots had rotten!

So I removed them and only left small white bumps at the base, planted it in garden soil and... a couple of months later, it had rooted.

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Three years later:

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aml1014

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I only have an experience on this single tree. The air-layer produced roots but there weren't very many after leaf fall so I decided to wait for the following year. Unfortunately, they resent having too much moisture at the roots in the winter and the following spring, almost all the roots had rotten!

So I removed them and only left small white bumps at the base, planted it in garden soil and... a couple of months later, it had rooted.

20140706143442-894cf01e.jpg


20140706143445-78205faa.jpg


Three years later:

20140706143447-f6d778c4-me.jpg
I'm planning on chopping per Brian's advice so why not give it a shot. I'll give it this year as is to recover, and next spring I'll start a layer, if I'm successful awesome, if not oh well.

Aaron
 

AlainK

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I'm planning on chopping per Brian's advice so why not give it a shot. I'll give it this year as is to recover, and next spring I'll start a layer, if I'm successful awesome, if not oh well.

Actually some of my friends, among them a gardener and very savvy bonsai enthusiast, told me that they take cuttings in late winter and put them under a cold frame with a good rate of success. So perhaps air-layering a Ginkgo could be made very early, before or just after budbreak. If this is the case, maybe the layer can be severed in autumn. I did mine in mid-June and it probably didn't have time to develop enough roots.

All right, that's a lot of ifs and buts, but I will have more time to devote to my trees this coming week, so I may try it, and keep you updated. Anyway, my garden is too small to let potted trees grow too tall, it's enough with my obsession for maples cultivars ^^
 

GGB

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Don't listen to sorce, the ginko industry pays him to say crap like that
 
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