Tall Hawthorne bounced back!

[johnbaz]

Hi all

Had this tree for a few years, It's quite tall, I repotted a few years ago but it hated whatever the compost was that I put it in, It was so unhappy that the foliage was dying and it even threw a branch so I lifted the whole tree with compost, Made a box and lined it with sphagnum moss and put it in, It was in the box for three years, Had to cover the Sphagnum moss with bits of wood as the birds were stripping it for nests!!!

It really started perking up in the moss!

Hmmm, I can't seem to find a pic of this tree after coming out of the box, It's fine now though by comparison!


Cheers, John

 

[Woocash]

Interesting. Did you remove any of the old compost or just slip pot it, if you like? Also how dense was the sphagnum in the box?

 

[fredman]

I trialed compost this past year on some trees...more trees than I should've actually. It just don't work. The compost dries out super fast and when it's dry it becomes hydrophobic. Miraculous that I didn't loose any.

 

[Shibui]

Note that some people have different definitions of 'compost'
I have seen some references where they are clearly using the word to describe what I would refer to as potting mix. Possibly left over from the old days when plants were potted into leaf mold and other composted materials.

 

[BobbyLane]

when i talk about compost im taking about John innes 3 or similar. ive used it in my mixes for years and it works for me.

 

[Woocash]

when i talk about compost im taking about John innes 3 or similar. ive used it in my mixes for years and it works for me.

Yup think bags of multi purpose compost and that’s what I assume most people mean. Otherwise I have to suffix it with “homemade” or the like. Can’t imagine too many people using homemade leaf mould in a tiny little pot. Anything else mixed is soil or substrate to me.

 

[johnbaz]

Interesting. Did you remove any of the old compost or just slip pot it, if you like? Also how dense was the sphagnum in the box?

I just lifted the heavy rootball out and plonked it straight in to the sphagnum moss, It was quite thick (I had a bagful around the size of a large Akadama bag) and hadn't broken down after three years, I was told it should have rotted away after a year!

I just went and looked at the moss, It's now like potting compost and full of worms!!

Seems I was lucky that it survived being in it for as long as it was!!

I took a pic earlier today, I can't recall that root sticking up before though!!

John

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Tree looks healthy. It has recovered nicely.

Are you looking for styling advice? The root sticking up may be because the "lean" of the slant is a little more severe in the current photo, that additional lean could have lifted up the root.

 

[fredman]

Note that some people have different definitions of 'compost'
I have seen some references where they are clearly using the word to describe what I would refer to as potting mix. Possibly left over from the old days when plants were potted into leaf mold and other composted materials.

Sorry don't mean to highjack the thread. Hopefully my experience will help someone...
A good potting soil would've worked better yes. I used my own homemade compost and worm castings I use for the vegetable garden...very good stuff for the ground. In a pot it's a different beast.
It'll work better if i play around with the mix...add more airation, but it'll still not be as good as a proper bonsai mix, so i'm going back to that...no more experimenting for me.

 

[johnbaz]

Tree looks healthy. It has recovered nicely.

Are you looking for styling advice? The root sticking up may be because the "lean" of the slant is a little more severe in the current photo, that additional lean could have lifted up the root.

I think you hit the nail on the head Leo

I'll try to make it not lean as much next time I repot it in a few years


John

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I think you hit the nail on the head Leo

I'll try to make it not lean as much next time I repot it in a few years


John

You are in the UK, relatively mild summer and winters, compared to central north america. Perhaps you can adjust the potting angle of the trunk sometime this summer. The longer you wait, the greater the chance that root will die. Then wire the tree into the pot. You should not be able to "wiggle" the trunk if it is properly tied down in the pot.

A number of bonsai blogs have detailed photo essays on how to do this. Jonas Dupuich of Bonsai Tonight, Michael Hagedorn's blog. I think even @Brian Van Fleet at Nebari Bonsai blog have essays on how to anchor a tree into a pot. You don't want to loose an important root in the nebari of a hawthorn. Because hawthorn do not make new roots as easily or profusely as say an elm or a Ficus.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

You are in the UK, relatively mild summer and winters, compared to central north america. Perhaps you can adjust the potting angle of the trunk sometime this summer. The longer you wait, the greater the chance that root will die. Then wire the tree into the pot. You should not be able to "wiggle" the trunk if it is properly tied down in the pot.

A number of bonsai blogs have detailed photo essays on how to do this. Jonas Dupuich of Bonsai Tonight, Michael Hagedorn's blog. I think even @Brian Van Fleet at Nebari Bonsai blog have essays on how to anchor a tree into a pot. You don't want to loose an important root in the nebari of a hawthorn. Because hawthorn do not make new roots as easily or profusely as say an elm or a Ficus.

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[Leo in N E Illinois]

If you could repot it as Brian van Fleet's blog suggests, without bare rooting it in the process, you should be able to correct the trunk angle and not loose that root in the process.