Newbie questions about growing seedlings for Bonsai

[tolstoy]

Hello all,

I am going to try my hand of developing some bonsai from seedlings next spring. I've been trying to read up as much as possible, but I can't seem to get a clear picture as to what exactly I need to do for success.

Assuming I will be purchasing some 1-year old seedlings for cultivation into future bonsai, I have the following questions (I will be growing these in pots, since I don't have the option of field planting them) --

• How large of a nursery pot do I need to start out in? How will I know when to repot?
• What kind of soil should I use?
• Do I do any kind of pruning at all in the first few years or just let the trees develop undisturbed?
• Is there anything I should do from the beginning to develop good nebari?

I've been reading up on bonsai in my spare time for the past year and am ready to give it a try.

Any help on the above, or links to good articles, would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully, I'm not asking for too much information in a single post.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cadillactaste]

For ones to better answer you...filling in your zone and such will allow ones to better grasp your location and such. You also have not mentioned the variety of seedlings you plan on growing. It might not hurt to just go to a nursery and pick up something a bit larger just to get your feet wet. For it will take a good long time before you can work on those seedlings. But don't let that scare you off...many do seedlings. Just know patience will come from doing such...but, if your serious about wanting to get started...you will want something more hands on for now.

 

[tolstoy]

My planting zone is 6B.

Seedlings I am planning on growing next spring are -- trident maple, European beech, bald cyprus and chinese wisteria. I am hoping I can over-winter these in my un-heated garage, if need be.

I was also planning on picking up some inexpensive nursery stock and to air-layer a piece of an old cherry I have in my yard, just to have something to work on while the seedlings develop.

I have been rose gardening for many years, so I'm not a complete newb to plants that require constant maintenance and care. But, aside from the umbrella plant bonsai I have at work, I'm completely new to bonsai.

I know growing from seedlings will be a LONG term project, but that's fine. I'm not necessarily looking for instant gratification. I have lots of other plants to care for in the meantime to keep me happy.

 

[bonsaiBlake]

I would plant them in 8-12" colanders in nice freedraining soil. You can wire some movement into the trunks, bend the apex's over to use as a sacrifice branch/leader. I would say lees work the better though for at least 4-6 years. As far as nebari. Comb out the roots into a radial shape with no roots croosing over eachother near the trunk, this will help to encourage better nebari.

Blake

 

[edprocoat]

Tolstoy, the Trident and the Bald Cypress you can and will need to work on every year as they grow like weeds. The vine, Chinese wisteria tend to die back to the roots when frozen. In a pot they may just die completely, I am fairly certain you will want to keep it indoors.

There are a few here who are experienced with and own nice Beech Bonsai who may chime in with tips on them, I am not familiar with them.

ed

 

[timetravel_0]

I'm in the same boat as you, just a year into your journey.

Cadillactaste's advice is sound. A $16 3g Boxwood is hard to beat. Some have up to ~1.5" trunks if you dig through them all at Home Depot or the like.

For my warmer climate- Wisteria, Bougainvillea, and a Yew have been my best/fastest growers.

 

[sorce]

Hey Tol.

If I recall, you can order bare rooted seedlings from the Arbor Day foundation...

It's actually ten free with a ten dollar membership.

You can aquire a lot of bare rooted seedlings for relativly cheap. I would order as many as you can and start culling for good Nebari beginnings. 10-30 of each?

At that stage, Nebari is really your only concern. Take a look at some threads on Nebari development. Adair has a good one with Zelkova.

Tile is good, but the wood underneath seems to make it much easier to "route" roots with screws or nails driven into the wood. (Not into the roots, but around them)

Soil depends largely on your available watering schedule. Im roughly 6b too. Chicago.
I just switched to Napa oil dry, and have gotten away with one morning water, but, it has been a cool summer, and some trees that have filled out take a lil watering in the evening now. Well, before this 45° weather recently. Now I can almost go 2 days. (Akadama,lava,pumice is superior, Im tryimg to get to there.)

If you go with colanders you'll know when to repot. If ever?

Do cut the taproot if it exists. And cut any larger roots back a little further, don't cut the smallest. Try to keep them balanced.

Sorry, back to Nebari cuz that is your biggest concern for now. You can start to get taper with sacrifice branches. Make sure to keep your low branches exposed to the sun. If you must prune, prune the tops more.

Sorce

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Assuming I will be purchasing some 1-year old seedlings for cultivation into future bonsai, I have the following questions

• How large of a nursery pot do I need to start out in? How will I know when to repot?

For seedlings, 1-gal cans is plenty big for fast-growing deciduous trees. Pines and junipers would need coarser soil to start in an over potted state. Year 1, spring; be sure to prune and spread out the roots radially, and so they're all emerging from the same height at the trunk. This, above all else, is the most important first step in developing a good future bonsai, more here. You should spread the roots out on a tile or board, and leave them to grow unattended for the first year. It may be necessary to repot in year 2. If you can sit the cans on the ground, let the roots escape into the ground for better growth.

• What kind of soil should I use?

Everyone has a different answer to this; it needs to drain, and hold air and water. Here is mine. Pine bark, Turface, and lava rock is a good, inexpensive mix.

• Do I do any kind of pruning at all in the first few years or just let the trees develop undisturbed?

Could be either or both. Depends on the type of tree and style you're going after. Once the roots are established in year 1, year 2 can be to establish some shape in the trunk. Here is a bit more on trident maple development.

• Is there anything I should do from the beginning to develop good nebari?

Covered above. Some more reading on what I have done with a japanese maple is here.

Good luck. Growing from seed/ling is fun and rewarding. It will take a few years to get the cause-effect down, so your efforts in '15 will start to pay dividends in your '18 crop.

 

[tolstoy]

Brian,

Great info, thanks!

One more question -- feeding developing trees. What? How much? How often?

Ok, one more question after that -- should I be concerned about pests and fungus?

I grow a lot of roses and these require a constant regimen of sprays to keep blackspot, mildew and rust at bay. I keep my yard pretty well stocked with ladybugs to keep the leaf-eaters at bay.

Do I need to know anything in these regards towards developing bonsai future trees?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Tolstoy, the Trident and the Bald Cypress you can and will need to work on every year as they grow like weeds. The vine, Chinese wisteria tend to die back to the roots when frozen. In a pot they may just die completely, I am fairly certain you will want to keep it indoors.

There are a few here who are experienced with and own nice Beech Bonsai who may chime in with tips on them, I am not familiar with them.

ed

Ed...I have no idea what variety wisteria I own... it came from California and I kept it indoors at the end of our winter here. That said...Steve with Plant City Bonsai had said that it would do okay in my area. So...I assumed it would be cold hardy. Now...reading your post...I am a bit concerned with wintering in my cold greenhouse. :/ I guess...it will be what it will be. And hope for the best.

 

[tolstoy]

Ok, so I will skip the wisteria. I'd rather focus on things that will be hardy in my planting zone.

 

[Txhorticulture]

Seedlings

You can do better than Arbor Day for tree seedlings in my opinion. Search around. One gallon cans are fine for most tree seedlings. I use band pots from Anderson and some tree pots from Stuwe and sons. Use what you have or what is easy to get. If money is no object i really like (but have not tried) the root accelerator series / setup. Some friends of mine have used the pots and say they are very good.

Bald cypress seedlings have a strong tendency to make one huge tap root that will quickly circle the container and become woody very fast. The tree itself can grow a meter or more in the first year.

If you're starting from seed montezuma cypress is the fastest and biggest of the taxodium complex. And the best tree in my opinion.