Quaking Aspen / Populus tremuloides?

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I'm curious if anyone has worked with these before, and what it was / is like? They're very pretty trees, and I know a spot where I could get some free range ones, and wondering if it's an avenue worth pursuing.

The threads on aspens here don't sound promising.
 

HorseloverFat

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I'm curious if anyone has worked with these before, and what it was / is like? They're very pretty trees, and I know a spot where I could get some free range ones, and wondering if it's an avenue worth pursuing.

The threads on aspens here don't sound promising.
I’ve almost collected them... my observations and very brief work with similar species led me to believe that they are not too “promising” as you’ve said, but that’s just for me.. and that’s just “so far”....I’d still probably collect one if I end up running across a decent specimen.
 

JudyB

Queen of the Nuts
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Tried it, never could get anywhere with them. I tried to do a forest, and they just want to shoot straight up, even cutting back regularly didn’t really result in much branching. But good luck, maybe you can find a way that works.
 
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Tried it, never could get anywhere with them. I tried to do a forest, and they just want to shoot straight up, even cutting back regularly didn’t really result in much branching. But good luck, maybe you can find a way that works.

It's sounding like there are other species with fewer questions and stories of failure around them ;)

Figured it was worth a shot to ask.
 

HorseloverFat

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It's sounding like there are other species with fewer questions and stories of failure around them ;)

Figured it was worth a shot to ask.
Everyone is being very understanding.. and super careful in how they answer your question. 🤣

I can remember asking, first the nurses, if I was going to feel the actual “snapping” sensation of my abdominal cavity being perforated for my paracentesis.. to which they replied, “Well.. uhh.. you’ll be numb.. so you won’t feel any pain.” I tried explaining to them that I wasn’t CONCERNED about the “pain”.. I wanted to KNOW about the “snap” 🤦🏽‍♂️.. after asking the anesthesiologist AND directing phys., and receiving the same sort of “You’ll be numb”-sort of answer.. dancing around my actual question, I decided to call my mother whilst laying there(well I lived there at that time), a RN.. for some blatant, factual answers to my inquiry..
To which she responded, “...um.. well... they’ll numb you.. so there really wont be any PAIN..”
🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

Moral of the story...

Caring people will try their best to alleviate your anxiety..

....you could TOTALLY feel “the snap”

(..and they KNEW it!)

🤣🤣🤣
 

Forsoothe!

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I'm in the process of making a forest from saplings collected going on 3 years ago. They are kind of bulletproof, but that's all I can say right now. Mine are collected as runners in a grove that would have been impossible to dig in because of the crossing surface roots of all the constituents, so I started with pretty small stuff with no roots at all, -just runners. Most lived so I took that as a good sign. I'm doing this for the leaves which I have always loved. They don't normally grow this far south and the lot I took them from is now fitness club. That's as close to exercise as I'm going to get.
 

Colorado

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I think quaking aspen has a ton of untapped potential as bonsai. They grow quickly, they are extremely cold hardy, they have gorgeous fall color, beautiful white bark and craggly, gnarly black bark on the very old sections.

I have only been working with this species for a year but I have found it to respond very well to pruning. I’ll be repotting into bonsai soil (akadama) in the spring so we’ll how it responds to root work. From everything I’ve seen so far I think it will take it just fine. The species is extremely vigorous.

Of course, all of this is consistent with what Ryan Neil has reported on the species through Mirai. He seems to be very high on the species also.

Did I mention the pretty buds?

77207761-CF5B-4E5C-A7F4-8BDD9BD5CE2D.jpegF9A1BBE1-4624-4BCC-A09A-E3D368B64129.jpeg
 

HorseloverFat

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I think quaking aspen has a ton of untapped potential as bonsai. They grow quickly, they are extremely cold hardy, they have gorgeous fall color, beautiful white bark and craggly, gnarly black bark on the very old sections.

I have only been working with this species for a year but I have found it to respond very well to pruning. I’ll be repotting into bonsai soil (akadama) in the spring so we’ll how it responds to root work. From everything I’ve seen so far I think it will take it just fine. The species is extremely vigorous.

Of course, all of this is consistent with what Ryan Neil has reported on the species through Mirai. He seems to be very high on the species also.

Did I mention the pretty buds?

View attachment 350597View attachment 350598
Indeed! The buds are normally what make me notice them! (When walking with my shovel)
 

ghues

Omono
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I'm curious if anyone has worked with these before, and what it was / is like? They're very pretty trees, and I know a spot where I could get some free range ones, and wondering if it's an avenue worth pursuing.

The threads on aspens here don't sound promising.
That’s a thread you might check if you haven’t already.
My single Aspen (had it for many years) got root bound and sent up suckers as they do in nature.
There is a number of large ones close by so I’ve found some decent suckers and cut the root (from which they are attached) about 6” either side and left it for the 2020 season so soon I’ll check to see if they have lots of roots and if so collect a bunch.
Good luck.
 
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