Sweet! Gum

VAFisher

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This sweetgum was growing about 4 feet behind the bench where I keep my azaleas - right next to a big sycamore. The 2 trees combined were keeping that bench in pretty much complete shade. I wanted a little more dappled light for the azaleas so one of them had to go. Since @Zach Smith recommends collecting sweetgum in summer, I decided to give it a shot. This was about 3 weeks ago and it's just starting to bud out. It remains to be seen whether it's just using stored reserves or if it's still alive and well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because it's nice and fat with decent roots and low movement.

Coors Light included for scale...

2017-08-01 07.20.06.jpg
 

Giga

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I have a really old big one - I just updated it. They are pretty tough once established, and I love the star leaves -especially in fall! it should pull though as we have a good amount of growing season left. I would have planted it in a flat or something with a little more room but that can always be done in spring. Also if you repot, more of just a slip potting, you can cut down to a new leader, getting rid of that top straight section and getting a awesome transition and taper. If your seeing growth now I would fertilize with organics.
 

StoneCloud

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I like it, looks like it has potential and i'm looking forward to seeing how it responds to bonsai techniques!!

Why don't you chop it now? just not sure yet?
 

VAFisher

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I like it, looks like it has potential and i'm looking forward to seeing how it responds to bonsai techniques!!

Why don't you chop it now? just not sure yet?

Thanks man. They respond pretty well to bonsai techniques. It remains to be seen how this one will respond to MY bonsai techniques. As for the chop, I don't want to shake it around too much right now in case it's growing new fine roots that might be broken in the chopping process. And I wouldn't mind a slightly taller tree so maybe it'll throw some buds a little further up.
 

StoneCloud

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" MY bonsai techniques....." LOLOL Definitely know what you mean there!!! but that is good means you push the envelope, only way to make new discoveries!!!!
 

VAFisher

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Deader than fried chicken. It never recovered from collection. It pushed out some weak growth which never extended, and finally just wilted and died.

I have another much smaller one that I've been working on for a couple years though. Maybe I'll continue this thread with that tree and continue to update.
 

Darth Masiah

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lol. so far im 0-4 with the sweetgum collecting. im going to try airlayering a couple different size branches this year, though.
 

rockm

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:(


….must not have been feelin' the Coors Light love!;):D:D:D:D:D:D......we are in the golden age for home brewing, getcha' some!!! Just sayin'...:cool::D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Love the irony...For the young here. Back in the day (70's, 80's) Coors WAS THE craft beer if you lived east of the Mississippi. Getting it on the east coast was damn near impossible and illegal since they didn't pay the liquor tax. Guess how much a case of bootlegged Coors cost us inbred Appalachian redneck ridgerunners? Let's just say a gallon of shine was a lot less... They made a movie about all of this--Burt and Jerry Lee weren't lying. ;)
 

VAFisher

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Love the irony...For the young here. Back in the day (70's, 80's) Coors WAS THE craft beer if you lived east of the Mississippi. Getting it on the east coast was damn near impossible and illegal since they didn't pay the liquor tax. Guess how much a case of bootlegged Coors cost us inbred Appalachian redneck ridgerunners? Let's just say a gallon of shine was a lot less... They made a movie about all of this--Burt and Jerry Lee weren't lying. ;)

Haha. One of my faves. "First thing I'm gonna do when I get home is slap yo momma right in the mouth. There is no way you come from my loins." Not very PC these days but funny as hell.
 

theta

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Too bad it died. I have a nice old sweetgum in our backyard, I'm looking into the best way to try to air layer some branches off it. They have such a cool bark and branch texture.
 

theta

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There’s a phrase I have said never. As much as I’d like one in a Bonsai pot, I cannot stand them in the yard.

Oh really? We just moved houses, so this is my first season with one in the landscape, is there something I need to be worried about?! The wings on all the contorted twiggy branches are pretty cool. Ours is flowering right now.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Oh really? We just moved houses, so this is my first season with one in the landscape, is there something I need to be worried about?! The wings on all the contorted twiggy branches are pretty cool. Ours is flowering right now.
This:
We had a couple at our old house, good shade trees but not so nice when you step on one of the sticky balls barefoot. Or in the fall, when you have to rake them up.
They are messy, and in the fall, it’s like walking across a bucket full of spilled spiked marbles. I think it cost me $1000 to have one cut down and hoisted over the house from the back corner of the lot to the street. Worth every penny. I still have probably a cubic yard of sweet gum balls laying in that corner, 2 years later, and more seedlings still sprouting!
 
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