Pruning Japanese Larch

[DaveV]

Does anyone know of a good resource on pruning japanese larch?

 

[JudyB]

Bonsai Today Colin Lewis article, issue 79... Available thru Stone lantern...
Got a picture to share??? Always love seeing larch pics...

 

[crust]

The Lewis article is pretty good. Problem is nothing ever covers all the different kinds of pruning: Cut backs, major branch reduction, maintenance fine branch pruning, green extention pruning etc. Depending on the stage of development and your overall intentions pruning methodology for every specific tree will be different. Lenz's books have some good stuff about pruning as it applies to development especially. The American and Japanese larch are very very similar and the European is not far off. I don't know of a definitive essay on larch I guess. There has been some good articles now and then.

 

[crust]

oh and the book "the art of natural bonsai" discussed larch fairly well.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

I don't know of a definitive essay on larch I guess.

I think between you and the Ogre .... such a thing might be pretty possible.... you ought to give it a try... I for one would look forward to such a thing...

 

[JudyB]

I think between you and the Ogre .... such a thing might be pretty possible.... you ought to give it a try... I for one would look forward to such a thing...

Yeah, that is something much needed. Even if it was a shortee booklet just for larch. There really are not many resources around for larchees. (larchees are people obsessed with larches of course)

I have the Joyce book "art of natural bonsai" and it's actually where I found my first info about them, I was just in a rush when I posted the BT article. There is some decent info in there, the one really great nugget in there is not to do late season shoot pruning, repeated late pruning will give you knuckles,and weaker branches down the road.

If you want to collect larch (or really many upper midwest tree) there is no better resource than "Bonsai from the Wild" by Nick Lenz. This is a terrific book.
I wish there was more information in it about fertilization, as I've seen articles by Mr. Lenz, in which he critiques the care given to larch, as in the person does not know how to fertilize larch. I would assume (and we all know how that can turn out...) that he is meaning that people over fertilize larch. But I've not been able to find anything definitive.

I've been learning as I go.... not such a bad thing, as I believe growing conditions determine much.

 

[evmibo]

If you want to collect larch (or really many upper midwest tree) there is no better resource than "Bonsai from the Wild" by Nick Lenz. This is a terrific book.
I wish there was more information in it about fertilization, as I've seen articles by Mr. Lenz, in which he critiques the care given to larch, as in the person does not know how to fertilize larch. I would assume (and we all know how that can turn out...) that he is meaning that people over fertilize larch. But I've not been able to find anything definitive.

I've been learning as I go.... not such a bad thing, as I believe growing conditions determine much.

I have plans to move to Maine in the Fall. I have also become very interested in Larch and collecting them. Thank you for posting this, I hope Bonsai from the Wild will be some kind of guide for me as I've just ordered it

 

[DaveV]

I have two small to medium sized japanese larch that I acquired this winter and will need to know more detailed information on how to develop short internodes and fine branching.