Silverbell (damage tree turned bonsai??)

[dr.tenebris]

Just had some wonderful luck at work noticing a damaged tree, the owner said he wouldn't be able to sell it but also "the tree is already dead it just doesn't know it" without tlc it's doomed but I have hopes of recovering it.

It's got some damage as previously stated on the trunk (and to the roots) I think it is a wonderful feature even if it won't last... Not much movement so it's potential may be not very high.

I can tell there aren't a ton of roots so I think a cutback is what the doctor ordered however I'm not certain if nows a good time for a cut back...

Opinions required on possible ways to get it to at least survive until fall when I can cut it back and make some back budding... Any help is greatly appreciated!!!
(Photos attached below including the damage photos I sent to my boss at the nursery)

I did trim off the dead branches I noticed on it

 

[Gabler]

It looks like it's healing from the damage. I'd just remove the flowers so it doesn't waste energy producing seeds. Wait to chop it until it regains its vigor.

 

[dr.tenebris]

It looks like it's healing from the damage. I'd just remove the flowers so it doesn't waste energy producing seeds. Wait to chop it until it regains its vigor.

Thank you for the help! Will do I was questioning how I could get it to conserve energy and was playing with the idea of pinching buds but it doesn't have a ton and will probably need those leaves for energy.

Your a miracle worker gabler!

 

[Gabler]

Thank you for the help! Will do I was questioning how I could get it to conserve energy and was playing with the idea of pinching buds but it doesn't have a ton and will probably need those leaves for energy.

Your a miracle worker gabler!

Definitely don't pinch the shoots. The leaves are the tree's source of energy.

 

[19Mateo83]

This tree just needs tlc. Get it vigorous , Do not chop it until winter. Proper watering and maybe a little fertilizer will help it recover. It needs all the leaves it can get right now.

 

[dr.tenebris]

Flowers are removed, and jeez does it reinforce my thought about it having far too little to consider pinching anything! I'll try to grab a photo in the morning with the light before I head to work

 

[nuttiest]

What a great opportunity for you to have a large tree to work on - congrats and hope there are more coming your way!

 

[dr.tenebris]

What a great opportunity for you to have a large tree to work on - congrats and hope there are more coming your way!

Yeah! Working at the nursery in a valley where high winds occur trees tend to fall over... If I where a braver man I'd take some stumps we have in the back that my boss says has fireblight... Not worth it in the long run tho.. especially with a good chance trees will get damage and he'll let me take some home

 

[dr.tenebris]

Photo of deadheaded silverbell

 

[JudyB]

Any chance you could plant this in the ground to speed up recovery? That will help also when you are ready to do the chop as well.

 

[Gabler]

Any chance you could plant this in the ground to speed up recovery? That will help also when you are ready to do the chop as well.

At a minimum, I would make sure the drainage holes are in contact with the ground (as opposed to a deck or patio), so the roots can run.

 

[dr.tenebris]

At a minimum, I would make sure the drainage holes are in contact with the ground (as opposed to a deck or patio), so the roots can run.

Pot has fantastic drainage, I'll move it to a better location here soon,

Any chance you could plant this in the ground to speed up recovery? That will help also when you are ready to do the chop as well.

As for in ground recovery.... It's better off in a pot my soil Is aweful (all of my states soil is) I'll be giving it some root stimulator when I get home should drive recovery. Might size up it's pot to a larger pot just to give it plenty of room but as of right now it's not even using 10% of it's smaller pot so first step is getting its roots ready for any repots.

 

[MHBonsai]

Pot has fantastic drainage, I'll move it to a better location here soon,

As for in ground recovery.... It's better off in a pot my soil Is aweful (all of my states soil is) I'll be giving it some root stimulator when I get home should drive recovery. Might size up it's pot to a larger pot just to give it plenty of room but as of right now it's not even using 10% of it's smaller pot so first step is getting its roots ready for any repots.

Even if your soil is terrible, it’s often times better in the ground. It regulates the root temperatures much better than a black plastic pot. And all the nutrients that it needs are probably in the soil already.

 

[Gabler]

Pot has fantastic drainage, I'll move it to a better location here soon,

As for in ground recovery.... It's better off in a pot my soil Is aweful (all of my states soil is) I'll be giving it some root stimulator when I get home should drive recovery. Might size up it's pot to a larger pot just to give it plenty of room but as of right now it's not even using 10% of it's smaller pot so first step is getting its roots ready for any repots.

What I mean is that you should let the roots grow out of the drainage holes into the ground.

Also, if the tree is not using the entirety of the pot that it is in, then you should definitely not put it in an even larger pot.

 

[dr.tenebris]

Also, if the tree is not using the entirety of the pot that it is in, then you should definitely not put it in an even larger pot.

That's kinda what I was getting at, that if I need more space for roots I can upscale pots but for the time being I need the poor thing to recover and fill this one.

Even if your soil is terrible, it’s often times better in the ground. It regulates the root temperatures much better than a black plastic pot. And all the nutrients that it needs are probably in the soil already.

Super alkaline soil with alkaline water that washes any nutrients out of the soil. The nursery I work at has to use thousands of dollars worth of chemical fertilizer.... I won't have to use that much but I'll be giving it plenty to work with

 

[BrightsideB]

I think the first question is what caused the dieback at it’s lower trunk. I also see damage on it’s mid trunk. I got a sumac like this and it was living with some sort of fungal/bacterial infection in the soil. Two year of ground growing recovery and it was doing much better. But when I went to work the roots and get it into training. The soil smelled foul and most the roots were soft and some even dead and mushy. So it was able to survive but who knows how long.

If I got this free. I’d want to know what I was really working with. I’d cut the trunk 10” from the base and apply sealant. Root prune and plant in something well draining preferably pumice. That way I don’t waste my time keeping a dead tree on life support for years with ideas and hopes for it’s future that will never come. I was really sad about the sumac. It had good signs above the soil but terrible in the soil.

I also understand people learn from experience and making their own mistakes (I am one lol) so I wish you luck with this.

 

[dr.tenebris]

I think the first question is what caused the dieback at it’s lower trunk. I also see damage on it’s mid trunk. I got a sumac like this and it was living with some sort of fungal/bacterial infection in the soil. Two year of ground growing recovery and it was doing much better. But when I went to work the roots and get it into training. The soil smelled foul and most the roots were soft and some even dead and mushy. So it was able to survive but who knows how long.

If I got this free. I’d want to know what I was really working with. I’d cut the trunk 10” from the base and apply sealant. Root prune and plant in something well draining preferably pumice. That way I don’t waste my time keeping a dead tree on life support for years with ideas and hopes for it’s future that will never come. I was really sad about the sumac. It had good signs above the soil but terrible in the soil.

I also understand people learn from experience and making their own mistakes (I am one lol) so I wish you luck with this.

Damage was caused by wind, at the nursery (my job) we get brutal winds and several trees get knocked over repeatedly.

If it was caused by diseases the boss would've cut it down before blooms. (There are several beautiful ones I kept fighting myself about grabbing that where chopped back due to different infections/damages)

Dan (the owner) is very cautious about disease spread and will warn us about any free trees and their particular damages!


This tree was just too much work for the nursery to turn a profit so he gave it to me knowing I've got the bonsai bug and can't stop considering trees.