Neighbours’ eastern red cedar
- Thread starter brainfree
- Start date
bonsaichile
Omono
where do you see the bonsai in this tree? Or what isnyour vision for the tree? what do you like in it? What you dont?
brainfree
Mame
My first thought was a cascading style....though it's pretty long. Not sure. My second thought was air layering the top half. I'm going to dig it up on Saturday regardless.
JoeR
Masterpiece
Hmm. At best, you dig it up and graft foliage lower on the trunk and make an OK literati in several years. Airlayering wouldn't be of any benefit IMO, even if you could successfully layer it. While I think its a cool tree, I dont see much potential in it as a bonsai unfortunately- but you could probably train it into a cool landscape tree
brainfree
Mame
I think the top half has some good movement. With some wiring and pruning........you never know.
Never tried air layering before. I'm tempted to give it a go.
Never tried air layering before. I'm tempted to give it a go.
Last edited:
Potawatomi13
Imperial Masterpiece
Indeed. Good potential for Literati. AIr layering may defeat effort of collecting by killing tree
. Seems a shame to waste good aging and nice trunk in attempt to make shorter.
. Seems a shame to waste good aging and nice trunk in attempt to make shorter.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
. Air layering an ERC is not an easy proposition, if it works at all.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
It's gotta be chinensis of some sort.
There is a nice line in there.
Don't cut any foliage till next spring earliest.
Sorce
There is a nice line in there.
Don't cut any foliage till next spring earliest.
Sorce
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
- Messages
- 11,341
- Reaction score
- 23,294
- USDA Zone
- 5b
I doubt the tree is J. virginiana. It is much more likely something else. Could be J. chinensis. The reason is that with very few exceptions, ERC is a bolt upright tree. J. chinensis will do exactly what the tree in the photo will do without much human intervention. An eastern red cedar, J. virginiana,, would require yearly effort by the home owner to make it lay down like that. J. virginiana make telephone pole trunks.
So not being eastern red cedar is a plus for this tree.
IF you dig it up, let it establish in a pot for a year or two before starting your air layers. Start them too soon, and you risk killing the air layer and possibly the tree entirely.
This could be 'Blaauw' juniper which in many ways is similar to J. chinensis, it is a hybrid between J. chinensis and the european juniper. 'Blaauw' was a cultivar selected and planted very widely in landscapes through the 1960's thru 1980's before it fell out of fashion. It works reasonably well for bonsai.
So not being eastern red cedar is a plus for this tree.
IF you dig it up, let it establish in a pot for a year or two before starting your air layers. Start them too soon, and you risk killing the air layer and possibly the tree entirely.
This could be 'Blaauw' juniper which in many ways is similar to J. chinensis, it is a hybrid between J. chinensis and the european juniper. 'Blaauw' was a cultivar selected and planted very widely in landscapes through the 1960's thru 1980's before it fell out of fashion. It works reasonably well for bonsai.
Maloghurst
Chumono
I would say Go for it! Everything is a learning experience and I can see a literati in there. The two dead trunks and one live one might make a strange base but you might as well.
Especially if you are semi new to bonsai or collecting I say go for it.
Especially if you are semi new to bonsai or collecting I say go for it.
brainfree
Mame
Apparently my friends' ex had trimmed the tree regularly and wired it to give it some shape in the past. In fact if you look closely there are still wires on it. That's why it's not straight. It grows blue berries on it every year as well.
Also I was thinking the dead branches could be used for jin.
Have to have a look at the base. I'm going to have a closer look today, maybe post more pics.
And yes I will take it slow. Just put it in a pot for now and try to keep it alive.
Also I was thinking the dead branches could be used for jin.
Have to have a look at the base. I'm going to have a closer look today, maybe post more pics.
And yes I will take it slow. Just put it in a pot for now and try to keep it alive.
Last edited:
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
I'm expecting you to dig up a huge base. Trees like this usually have some weird stuff going on beneath the soil. Which is a good thing, but it makes digging harder.
Colorado
Masterpiece
Yep. Just dug up an old juniper from our “new” front yard last week.
I was VERY happy to have my sawzall handy
Jzack605
Chumono
Agreed on not ERC, foliage and habit look off for that.
Could be interesting, take a look at this video for a cool long trunked Spruce trained in a unique way.
Could be interesting, take a look at this video for a cool long trunked Spruce trained in a unique way.
brainfree
Mame
brainfree
Mame
Potawatomi 13, I think you have the right idea for this tree. Maybe along the lines of something like this?
brainfree
Mame
Updating my neighbors’ juniper, which is now my juniper.
When I dug it up I was very surprised to see there were very few roots. In fact I probably could have pulled it out without any digging whatsoever.
I brought it home and put it in a large pot. Sat down and looked at it for awhile and decided that it needed to be put back in the ground. I think I’ll let it grow there for a couple years and see how it does.
I’ll save the pruning for next year.
I think I made the right decision.
When I dug it up I was very surprised to see there were very few roots. In fact I probably could have pulled it out without any digging whatsoever.
I brought it home and put it in a large pot. Sat down and looked at it for awhile and decided that it needed to be put back in the ground. I think I’ll let it grow there for a couple years and see how it does.
I’ll save the pruning for next year.
I think I made the right decision.
