New Here With a Question

Hunter_3

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Hi all. I am new to the forum and would call myself a beginner at bonsai. I have 2 pre-shaped bonsai and am excited to try creating my own. I found a pretty little locust tree on my property that has been cut down for a couple years. It has a thick base and 3 small stems branching out. Is there anything I could do without killing it? I will try to upload pictures. Thanks!
 

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bennybenben

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Hi welcome to the bonsai world, I would prune the 3 stems to make the tree smaller and cut back the branches but its your tree so you can do whatever you want with it. Oh and next year around early to late spring when the buds of the tree are beginning swell, repot the tree into better soil and a small training pot.
 
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Hunter_3

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Thank you. I know the pot is rather large, but the tree had an enormous main root that I cut back quite a bit and am waiting for more smaller roots to grow until I can cut it down to the size that will fit in a small pot. I think I will have to take your advice and cut the stems shorter or it will be tall and lanky with unproportional leaves.
 
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I have one if these too. I believe it is the same species. I would let it grow without trimming for now. They back bud on old wood, so no point in slowing it down. If you have root work ahead, you should let it store as much energy as possible in the meantime.
 

M. Frary

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Welcome to Bonsai Nut Hunter. I'm not sure about locust as bonsai. They have compound leaves instead of simple leaves like maples or elms. Now don't get me wrong but those leaves would look like palm fronds on a small tree?
 

Hunter_3

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I have one if these too. I believe it is the same species. I would let it grow without trimming for now. They back bud on old wood, so no point in slowing it down. If you have root work ahead, you should let it store as much energy as possible in the meantime.

That's a good point. Do you have any pictures of your tree for an example?
 

Hunter_3

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Welcome to Bonsai Nut Hunter. I'm not sure about locust as bonsai. They have compound leaves instead of simple leaves like maples or elms. Now don't get me wrong but those leaves would look like palm fronds on a small tree?

Thank you for the welcome. :) I have read that on a couple of threads. This isn't my only tree I'll try on. I just love the qualities of it. The small spines, and the ways the leaves look. Maybe there's a way to keep the leaves small? I have seen tamarind bonsai and they have the same basic structure. It will be pretty difficult, but fun to try. There are many more wild specimens on my property, of locust and all sorts of other trees. None tropical of course.
 

GrimLore

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I would "think" something like Locust could make a very nice literati bonsai style. I was working on one for two years and lost it over the Winter but I will definitely replace it someday. By the way if you update your profile so we know where you are located we can be more helpful. Enjoy and Welcome to B-Nut!

Grimmy
 

M. Frary

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There is a locust out there that doesn't have any thorns. It's called sunburst. The foliage is beautiful. Also they are cold tolerant. I know because they thrive here. Not sure how to get leaves to reduce. They build bonsai out of other compound leafed trees so why not try these? What kind is yours? Black locust, honey locust or yellow locust?
 

Hunter_3

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I would "think" something like Locust could make a very nice literati bonsai style. I was working on one for two years and lost it over the Winter but I will definitely replace it someday. By the way if you update your profile so we know where you are located we can be more helpful. Enjoy and Welcome to B-Nut!

Grimmy
Thank you and I will update it. :)
 

Hunter_3

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There is a locust out there that doesn't have any thorns. It's called sunburst. The foliage is beautiful. Also they are cold tolerant. I know because they thrive here. Not sure how to get leaves to reduce. They build bonsai out of other compound leafed trees so why not try these? What kind is yours? Black locust, honey locust or yellow locust?

I believe it is a honey locust. I'm located in Midwest USA so there are a couple of the species native here. If it's not a honey, then it's a black locust.
 

RKatzin

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Hi Hunter and welcome. Locusts are very peculiar trees. They have strange habits that make them a bit difficult to work with. The main item is the tendency to abort a branch that you are working on:mad:. Trimming must be done with care and over time. New growth can be tended to without much care, but when you start working on older established branches you can not whack off big chunks or the rest of the branch will die back. You have to sneak up on them and take little bits at a time and leave a sap sucker to keep the juices flowing. After the branch makes some new shoots the sap sucker can be removed. They are pretty hard to kill, but they will sure give you a run around.

Speaking of run around! The young trees are voracious rooters! I've had younguns push right out of their pots. Lesson learned, avoid small pots! Give lots of lateral space to spread out their roots in. It will take about three root replacements before the juvies settle in and calm down. Best to grow them in the ground or large box.

Due to the leaf structure you're best to be thinking rather large bonsai as even when reduced you're still looking at a rather large compound leaf. You can cut the fronds to shorten the leaves and shape the canopy. Try not to get to attached to any one look or design and be prepared to redesign on given notice. In other words, try to keep up and roll with the changes.

I am speaking of Black Locust which I have out the wazoo. There's an old four footer standing next to the house with kids and grandkids all over the yard. That and Enghlish Elm I got!

I have found one cultivar that is very well behaved. It is a Contorted Black Locust and she is the darling of the garden. It is called Lace Lady. The trunk twists and turns and the bark is thich and fissured. The leaf stems are not stiff so it makes a weeping tree. From away you see a delicate lady swaying in the breeze and when you get closer and see the stength and power of her twisted furrowed trunk you know she's not just another pretty face. It would top out at about eight to ten feet if left alone, but I reduced it for the first time, after three years growing. It was developing into a forked trunk and I didn't care for the look. Scared the crap out of me! It took so long to pop bud this spring I was beginning to think I'd jumped to soon. One of the freaky things about Locusts is the they don't hold bud like most deciduous trees that you can see all winter and watch to see when to move on them. Locusts look completely dead all winter and new buds pop along the stems as the sap rises. Waiting with bated breathe on that one this year, but she finally sprang to life and responded nicely with much new growth! Whew!

All said, the natives are a bit restless, but the cultivars are more user friendly. Best of luck taming that wild thing, Rick
 

Poink88

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I have several compound leaf trees I am working on; Campeche/Logwood/Bloodwood, Brazilian Rain Tree, and Cat's Claw acacia.

It is a bit more difficult but you can see lots of bonsai made out of these (compound leaf trees).
 

RKatzin

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There is one Locust I know of, but have not seen one, it is Robinia p. Unifolia. You guessed it! It has simple leaf instead of compound! Rick
 

M. Frary

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Honey locust is the one that grows 2' long thorns on the trunk isn't it?
 

RKatzin

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Gleditsia triacanthos, though not a true Locust (Robinina), the name answers the question,LOL
 

Hunter_3

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Hi Hunter and welcome. Locusts are very peculiar trees. They have strange habits that make them a bit difficult to work with. The main item is the tendency to abort a branch that you are working on:mad:. Trimming must be done with care and over time. New growth can be tended to without much care, but when you start working on older established branches you can not whack off big chunks or the rest of the branch will die back. You have to sneak up on them and take little bits at a time and leave a sap sucker to keep the juices flowing. After the branch makes some new shoots the sap sucker can be removed. They are pretty hard to kill, but they will sure give you a run around.

Speaking of run around! The young trees are voracious rooters! I've had younguns push right out of their pots. Lesson learned, avoid small pots! Give lots of lateral space to spread out their roots in. It will take about three root replacements before the juvies settle in and calm down. Best to grow them in the ground or large box.

Due to the leaf structure you're best to be thinking rather large bonsai as even when reduced you're still looking at a rather large compound leaf. You can cut the fronds to shorten the leaves and shape the canopy. Try not to get to attached to any one look or design and be prepared to redesign on given notice. In other words, try to keep up and roll with the changes.

I am speaking of Black Locust which I have out the wazoo. There's an old four footer standing next to the house with kids and grandkids all over the yard. That and Enghlish Elm I got!

I have found one cultivar that is very well behaved. It is a Contorted Black Locust and she is the darling of the garden. It is called Lace Lady. The trunk twists and turns and the bark is thich and fissured. The leaf stems are not stiff so it makes a weeping tree. From away you see a delicate lady swaying in the breeze and when you get closer and see the stength and power of her twisted furrowed trunk you know she's not just another pretty face. It would top out at about eight to ten feet if left alone, but I reduced it for the first time, after three years growing. It was developing into a forked trunk and I didn't care for the look. Scared the crap out of me! It took so long to pop bud this spring I was beginning to think I'd jumped to soon. One of the freaky things about Locusts is the they don't hold bud like most deciduous trees that you can see all winter and watch to see when to move on them. Locusts look completely dead all winter and new buds pop along the stems as the sap rises. Waiting with bated breathe on that one this year, but she finally sprang to life and responded nicely with much new growth! Whew!

All said, the natives are a bit restless, but the cultivars are more user friendly. Best of luck taming that wild thing, Rick

I will have to remember that. No big cuts. I would've hacked away at it. I think a larger bonsai would be nice. Honestly, that thought didn't even run through my mind, but I like it. Your tree sounds less harsh than mine. I think I would rather have that variety growing on my property. Less thorns.
 

Hunter_3

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I have several compound leaf trees I am working on; Campeche/Logwood/Bloodwood, Brazilian Rain Tree, and Cat's Claw acacia.

It is a bit more difficult but you can see lots of bonsai made out of these (compound leaf trees).

I was hoping that was the case. This is one of the first types of trees I am working on that isn't store-bought and YouTube is my mentor, so it might not look as pretty as most. Lol
 

Hunter_3

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There is one Locust I know of, but have not seen one, it is Robinia p. Unifolia. You guessed it! It has simple leaf instead of compound! Rick

I've never heard of it. Sounds interesting.
 
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