Ngidm
Sapling
Ok, here goes me trying to wrap my head around too many parts.
Background: in the ground at my new house, I have a (very) old Euonymus that looks like it had been trunk chopped a decade ago (perhaps more), and amother time longer before that. Not pretty cuts, I doubt they were made with bonsai intentions, but they're low to the ground, leaving a lot of dead wood, and it lands me with an impressive trunk (over a foot in diameter) and sumo-style taper. There are four 3" branches coming off within the first foot of trunk, one of which is near-vertical. I plan to take off all of those lower branches completely except the near-vertical one (which will get chopped to only a few inches and become the new leader). The tricky thing is that there's a 6" trunk continuation, which comes off of the stump at a 45-degree angle (from what will be the back -- lucky!). This trunk has about a 2' straight shot, and then has three lovely curving branches that split off near to eachother (but not at the exact same level), each of which stretches without branches for at least three feet before branching out into large foliar masses. These upper branches are each about 3" thick.
Goal: end up with sumo-style jabba-the-hut bonsai, a 6" triple-trunk bonsai, and up to 7 3" plants for the yard. Those last 7 are less of a priority, but let's face it, they could end up as future bonsai, so... Maybe worth trying.
Problem: I have no idea what order to do things in. The suno hunk is obviously the biggest priority, but I don't mind taking time with it.
Tasks: 1) air-layer the lower branches
2) air-layer the upper branches
3) air-layer the triple-trunk
4) dig up the sumo.
Clearly item #4 is the last task, and clearly #2 has to happen before #3. But aside from that I'm lost.
For example, I can see the utility in doing all seven air layers this coming Spring (there is lots of foliage on each -- they're all 6' or longer with lots of branches), which presumably would force a TON of backbudding (and hopefully not kill the tree). Then I figure I'd wait til Spring of 2023 or 2024 to do air-layer the triple-trunk. Problem being that I'd be taking literally all the leaves off of a single-flush species, and I don't want to take away too much energy and have just a stump in my yard til 2023 Spring. Or worse kill the whole tree. Or might it actually bud out again this summer?
Another option would be to air layer the bottom branches this spring, and the top branches the following year. This would likely be less stress, but might not end up in as much backbudding, especially far down the trunk.
Third option I see would be to air layer the upper branches this spring, then the triple trunk the next Spring (if it develops some good shoots this coming summer, else wait another year). Then air layer the bottom branches the year after the triple-trunk is removed. This seems to me to have the best protection for the sumo (which is the highest priority), as it will always have some 3" branches with foliage feeding it while I mess with the top. It also gives me air layer experience with this species, which I have never air layered before.
Fourth option: perhaps it is better to just not worry about trying to air-layer branches at all, cut them late this winter, and force the backbuds on the trunk in the first flush this spring. This might also be safe, would mean that I have new shoots covering the chops until I'm ready to air-layer. It also might be the quickest timeline to a sumo in a pot. But if it is possible to have those additional plants, I'm happy to take my time.
Thoughts? Thanks for any advice!
--Nick
Background: in the ground at my new house, I have a (very) old Euonymus that looks like it had been trunk chopped a decade ago (perhaps more), and amother time longer before that. Not pretty cuts, I doubt they were made with bonsai intentions, but they're low to the ground, leaving a lot of dead wood, and it lands me with an impressive trunk (over a foot in diameter) and sumo-style taper. There are four 3" branches coming off within the first foot of trunk, one of which is near-vertical. I plan to take off all of those lower branches completely except the near-vertical one (which will get chopped to only a few inches and become the new leader). The tricky thing is that there's a 6" trunk continuation, which comes off of the stump at a 45-degree angle (from what will be the back -- lucky!). This trunk has about a 2' straight shot, and then has three lovely curving branches that split off near to eachother (but not at the exact same level), each of which stretches without branches for at least three feet before branching out into large foliar masses. These upper branches are each about 3" thick.
Goal: end up with sumo-style jabba-the-hut bonsai, a 6" triple-trunk bonsai, and up to 7 3" plants for the yard. Those last 7 are less of a priority, but let's face it, they could end up as future bonsai, so... Maybe worth trying.
Problem: I have no idea what order to do things in. The suno hunk is obviously the biggest priority, but I don't mind taking time with it.
Tasks: 1) air-layer the lower branches
2) air-layer the upper branches
3) air-layer the triple-trunk
4) dig up the sumo.
Clearly item #4 is the last task, and clearly #2 has to happen before #3. But aside from that I'm lost.
For example, I can see the utility in doing all seven air layers this coming Spring (there is lots of foliage on each -- they're all 6' or longer with lots of branches), which presumably would force a TON of backbudding (and hopefully not kill the tree). Then I figure I'd wait til Spring of 2023 or 2024 to do air-layer the triple-trunk. Problem being that I'd be taking literally all the leaves off of a single-flush species, and I don't want to take away too much energy and have just a stump in my yard til 2023 Spring. Or worse kill the whole tree. Or might it actually bud out again this summer?
Another option would be to air layer the bottom branches this spring, and the top branches the following year. This would likely be less stress, but might not end up in as much backbudding, especially far down the trunk.
Third option I see would be to air layer the upper branches this spring, then the triple trunk the next Spring (if it develops some good shoots this coming summer, else wait another year). Then air layer the bottom branches the year after the triple-trunk is removed. This seems to me to have the best protection for the sumo (which is the highest priority), as it will always have some 3" branches with foliage feeding it while I mess with the top. It also gives me air layer experience with this species, which I have never air layered before.
Fourth option: perhaps it is better to just not worry about trying to air-layer branches at all, cut them late this winter, and force the backbuds on the trunk in the first flush this spring. This might also be safe, would mean that I have new shoots covering the chops until I'm ready to air-layer. It also might be the quickest timeline to a sumo in a pot. But if it is possible to have those additional plants, I'm happy to take my time.
Thoughts? Thanks for any advice!
--Nick