Rooftop Birch

[DirkvanDreven]

In 2012 I collected an old Birch that was growing on a roof that was being renovated. It grew with its roots between insulation and bitumen roofing membrane. I collected it with about 4 m2 of fibrous roots. BTW, it was middle of July and hot.
I got it home and potted it in a big plastic pot.


During the years it was regularly pruned. There were several stumpsin the centre front of this tree, new growth was smal, and behind all former trunks.

 

[0soyoung]

You know, the scientists have been telling us for many years that growth rate increases with increasing temperature, up to about 35C at which point, the carbon burned by metabolic activities outpaces the rate that it is fixed by photosynthesis. The recent 40C highs were bad, but weren't around in the middle of July, IIRC.

Nice find!

 

[DirkvanDreven]

It grew surprisingly well, rest of that first summer, much to my surprise. I got a little worries about all the roots that I folded into the plastic pot.
That first winter showed already some thickening of the branches, that were to become trunks.


Makes a decent winter shot also.

 

[DirkvanDreven]

In 2015 it was taken out of the pot to work te roots for the first time. Roots were combed out and it it's repotted in the same pot. I was surprised about the way the roots developed in a few years. I expected a tangled mess of roots, in stead there was a good mass of roots, that was combed out easy .


All stumps of former trunks had disappeared, leaving an attractive hollow of deadwood.

 

[DirkvanDreven]

Spring 2018 it was repotted into a ceramic training pot. Earlier this year I started to develop branches, wich with birch can go quickly, if you can can it to backbud in places you want.
I'm not puning it anymore this year, maybe that will prevent it from shedding branches or even trunks. I' m happy with how this tree is going!

May 2019


End off July '19, back, left, right and front


Hope you enjoy as much as I do

 

[Lazylightningny]

Spring 2018 it was repotted into a ceramic training pot. Earlier this year I started to develop branches, wich with birch can go quickly, if you can can it to backbud in places you want.
I'm not puning it anymore this year, maybe that will prevent it from shedding branches or even trunks. I' m happy with how this tree is going!

May 2019
View attachment 254461

End off July '19, back, left, right and front
View attachment 254462 View attachment 254463 View attachment 254464 View attachment 254465

Hope you enjoy as much as I do

Very nice raft. Well done!

 

[Paulpash]

You did the very best you could do with a challenging beginning - good stuff - this will make a cracking raft. Birch do grow very quickly if they get enough moisture. Did you initially chop it that low or did you experience any die back?

 

[DirkvanDreven]

You did the very best you could do with a challenging beginning - good stuff - this will make a cracking raft. Birch do grow very quickly if they get enough moisture. Did you initially chop it that low or did you experience any die back?

No, the way it is potted in the first post, is the way it came of the roof. And yes, I had die-back of trunks, started several of them over.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Excellent work