Redbud session 2008!

Messages
226
Reaction score
6
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
USDA Zone
8
Hello all

Ok its finally going to happen a permanent commitment to pot culture or some might say bonsai.

A little history first:

I got this Western Redbud from an arbor day fest back in 1995 as a 1 yr. seedling, way before I even knew what bonsai was, but I am an arborist so I like trees. It went to a 5 gallon in 1997 and then a 10 gallon in 2000 and then in the ground in 2003. In 2004 my place sold and I dug it up into a 25 gallon in native California coastal loam mixed with rocks. There it lived untill now. With my new found root pruning passion and recent success I decided againsed planting it out in the landscape and built a screened bottom box for it 28" wide by 12" deep.

Chronology:

Pic one:

A half girdle SGR (stem girdling root) not good but to late to fix now. The interesting trunk shape happened after a night of much celebration. In my anebriated state and trying to unlock my door I fell over backwards into the tree and broke the trunk in half. I am now coining a term for this, "Drunken-eda".

Pic two:

The tree as it stands now is 9 feet tall. All top growth will be left for root growth this year and hopefully by next spring I will do chop at 2 feet. There is some good potential with existing branches.

Pic three:

One rootbound SOB

Pic 4 and 5:

A good lession in soil breakdown and root rot! Roots began to colonize the lower 1/3 of soil column early on but quickly this broke down to "Bay Clay". All root in this area died and rotted and the smell of anaerobic bacteria was very delightfull.
 

Attachments

  • S7300308.JPG
    S7300308.JPG
    93.5 KB · Views: 301
  • S7300310.JPG
    S7300310.JPG
    51.5 KB · Views: 296
  • S7300311.JPG
    S7300311.JPG
    80 KB · Views: 264
  • S7300315.JPG
    S7300315.JPG
    71 KB · Views: 270
  • S7300314.JPG
    S7300314.JPG
    78.1 KB · Views: 338
Messages
226
Reaction score
6
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
USDA Zone
8
Pic 6:

At 1400 hours I hit the inner core and it was time to call in airstrikes so out came the hose jet. I had put this tree through so much that I decided to leave some of those major circling roots that I could not detangle without feeling like I might set it back to much or kill it. I used the jet of water to clean out as much of the mud as possible from the inner core and the fixable root problems will have to wait. Redbud is one of the few trees that really do not like having their roots worked on for some reason.

Pic 7 and 8:

And there she sits in her new box! I did a 4 point guy wire and quickly realized I needed handles so I screwed in some 1 by 1 boards around all 4 sides for transport.

Conclusion:

Lets all pray for the tree now. The rumors going around are that Redbud does not like root work done and this kept me from doing this for a while. However, this tree would have probably died from root rot this year or I would have had to plant it on a rental property (not my house). Lots of things that I should have done before as prevention, but now I know to not let it happen again. I will post again in 2 months with either some firewood for sale or a flourishing beautiful tree.

One question: How well do these trees bud on old wood? I know the native americans used to copice and harvest the suckers from the stump, but I am hopping to not get lower stump suckers and have the trunk die back, I would like the suckers close to the cut instead.
 

Attachments

  • S7300317.JPG
    S7300317.JPG
    92.2 KB · Views: 230
  • S7300320.JPG
    S7300320.JPG
    89.6 KB · Views: 256
  • S7300321.JPG
    S7300321.JPG
    83.3 KB · Views: 303
Last edited:

grog

Shohin
Messages
385
Reaction score
22
Location
Iowa
USDA Zone
5
I don't know how much difference there is between the two but we have the Eastern Redbud -Cercis canadensis as opposed to the Western Redbud, C. occidentalis and I've seen them used in a fairly bizzare looking hedge so I assume they will bud back well on old wood.

From what I've read though there are a host of other problems using the redbud as bonsai. Coarse growth, long tap roots, tender bark tissue, etc. That lower trunk looks nice though, definitely worth a shot!
 

Smoke

Ignore-Amus
Messages
11,668
Reaction score
20,724
Location
Fresno, CA
USDA Zone
9
I also love this trunk. If this baby makes it and you belong to the Santa Cruz club, I will be there in Sept. again for a demo. Please bring this tree, I would love to see it and what you have done!
 
Messages
226
Reaction score
6
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
USDA Zone
8
Thanx for loving my trunk. As far as starting the above ground process I realistically don't think it is going to happen this year, I'll be happy if it lives let alone has a strong year.

As far as eastern vs. western I would not think there would be much difference with the exception of where it puts out its adventitious shoots, close to the cut, along the trunk, at the root crown or all of the above, or not at all. It seems to behave like beech or live oak during maintenace pruning in that it produces one flush of growth and then stops for the year. If you then do any moderate trimming on it then it will produce a second flush of growth and usually put out a new crop of flowers and pods. But getting any new growth in the basal areas of the branch does not happen. I have also never had any suckering so it just makes me wonder about doing a severe chop or just letting be a 5 to 6 foot "compact tree"

Smoke,

Can I just show up at the Santa Cruz Bonsai Club on the ?3rd. Sat. of the month? w/o being a member? Or how do I become a member?

Cheers

Marc
 
Last edited:
Messages
226
Reaction score
6
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
USDA Zone
8
update

This tree just wants to grow. I thought I would get 2 years out of this container and I am already almost rootbound again. It was getting way to big in June so I cut it way back and here it is in Aug. with another 3 feet of new growth.

The trunk has grown 50% larger this year. In fact, thanx to all the excellent advise on these forums and all of the Brent articles I have read over the last year I am getting out of control growth.

I plan on the big cutback to start the bonsai process in late Feb. will update again then. The large co-dominant stem in the back-round on pic 3 will also be removed for a single trunk.

Cheers

Marc
 

Attachments

  • S7300694.JPG
    S7300694.JPG
    92.9 KB · Views: 264
  • S7300695.JPG
    S7300695.JPG
    86.8 KB · Views: 284
  • S7300696.JPG
    S7300696.JPG
    86.7 KB · Views: 258
Messages
136
Reaction score
12
Location
IL
USDA Zone
6
do you have any updates on this redbud? i have one i planning to grow out and give it a try also.

Thanks
 

PaulH

Omono
Messages
1,807
Reaction score
4,432
Location
Rescue, CA
Hi Marc,

I'm co - chair of the 2012 GSBF convention to be held in Sacramento. Our theme will be "California Dreamin'" and will focus on California native species bonsai. Our plan is for the exhibit to be entirely composed of bonsai using indigenous species.
Is your tree show ready yet? I'm thinking it might be a great addition.

Paul
 

sparky

Seed
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Eastern Redbud pre bonsai

Yesterday I went to a local surplus and salvage business and found this pretty neat little tree. What's so great about it is the fact that I only paid $4 for it. The trunk was snapped off and has healed.unknown.jpg
I don't know yet what I'm going to do with it....suggestions?
 
Messages
226
Reaction score
6
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
USDA Zone
8
I air layered it and it almost died! It took all of last year to root and I ended up severing it just above the 2nd bend. The reason I did this was because the nebari was to far gone and would have never been good. So it is a little shorter now and sitting in its new container. It is growing fairly well but there was allot of die back. Maybe next year it will have recovered enough to style and chase back the branches closer to the trunk. Red bud branches will die if you cut back to nothing I have found, much like a conifer. It may be a while before it is show ready. I'll try and post some pics.
 

plant_dr

Chumono
Messages
926
Reaction score
902
Location
Orem, UT
USDA Zone
5
Is there an update for this tree?
 

pweifan

Shohin
Messages
456
Reaction score
378
Location
Cleveland, OH
USDA Zone
6a
"FourMileMarc was last seen: Jan 9, 2012"

We probably won't see an update :(
 
Top Bottom