When to trim Larch?

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Why pinch it when its like a paint brush? Why not let it grow extend and re-accumulate the energy and get it back into a energy positive
You wind up with more foliage by pinching which leads to greater energy production and better thickening of the branching.
 
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These videos from Ryan Neil are useful to explain some of the growing-season pruning techniques suitable for larches:



Last year I got three healthy flushes of growth from my larch that contributed to fine ramification of the canopy.
Are these particular videos free?
 

Vance Wood

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Pinch away. It would not be pushing vigorous growth if it wasn't recovered.
That's my oppinion and approach. We seem to get so many here and on this thread who are so passionate and convinced about their opinion who seem to know everything there is about Larch but don't seem to have one that proves their point. Look posting third hand information may or may not be accurate. There was a time when the world was flat.
 

Driver170

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This is my larch that i’ve planted in my garden to thicken it up.

However the bottom nebari thats in the ground curves off the left. Is it possible to air layer larches above this slant?
 

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Vance Wood

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This is my larch that i’ve planted in my garden to thicken it up.

However the bottom nebari thats in the ground curves off the left. Is it possible to air layer larches above this slant?
I have not done it but I know several people who have air layered it as you wish.
 

Paulpash

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Air layering Larch isn't reliable so it's a bit of a gamble. Remember they really throw out a lot of callus so make sure you cut a generous band of cambium away to avoid it bridging the gap. I'm 4 failures to 1 success with Larch and everything else except Hawthorn I've layered has a very high success rate. I go on a UK bonsai forum & from reports there over the years I think this is a typical pattern.
 

M. Frary

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Air layering Larch isn't reliable so it's a bit of a gamble. Remember they really throw out a lot of callus so make sure you cut a generous band of cambium away to avoid it bridging the gap. I'm 4 failures to 1 success with Larch and everything else except Hawthorn I've layered has a very high success rate. I go on a UK bonsai forum & from reports there over the years I think this is a typical pattern.
Are these Larch ,tamaracks? Our swamp larch?
They ground layer themselves as the sphagnum moss around the trunks gets deeper from growing. They can have lots of layers of roots. I've never tried it but I think tamaracks ought to layer pretty easily.
 

Vance Wood

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Are these Larch ,tamaracks? Our swamp larch?
They ground layer themselves as the sphagnum moss around the trunks gets deeper from growing. They can have lots of layers of roots. I've never tried it but I think tamaracks ought to layer pretty easily.
That too has been my experience; indirectly.
 

Paulpash

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Are these Larch ,tamaracks? Our swamp larch?
They ground layer themselves as the sphagnum moss around the trunks gets deeper from growing. They can have lots of layers of roots. I've never tried it but I think tamaracks ought to layer pretty easily.
Good point - I need to think more before I post (I flick between Nut & Weetrees and sometimes forget about location specifics). I made this observation based on larches common or native to the UK. I'd be interested to see if they react differently or not though if the OP decides to layer.
 

Vance Wood

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Good point - I need to think more before I post (I flick between Nut & Weetrees and sometimes forget about location specifics). I made this observation based on larches common or native to the UK. I'd be interested to see if they react differently or not though if the OP decides to layer.
The important thin to remember is to use Sphagnum moss, the fresh stuff, it has hormones in it that aid in the rooting process. I know someone (he who shall not be named) who used to do it successfully several times during the time I worked with him.
 

Driver170

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The important thin to remember is to use Sphagnum moss, the fresh stuff, it has hormones in it that aid in the rooting process. I know someone (he who shall not be named) who used to do it successfully several times during the time I worked with him.

Do you think adding hormones is absolutely unnecessary?
 

Vance Wood

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Do you think adding hormones is absolutely unnecessary?
I cannot add hormones when I don't know what the actual hormones are in Sphagnum moss that I might choose to add. Do I think adding hormones is unnecessary? With Larch what hormones available can you add if you knew what they were? So the answer to your question is: YES I do not add hormones and NO I think the natural hormones in raw Sphagnum moss are necessary to rooting Larch.
 

G-Hoppa

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Why pinch it when its like a paint brush? Why not let it grow extend and re-accumulate the energy and get it back into a energy positive
I believe earlier in this thread someone (Vance?) explained that letting it grow out and harden off would result in much longer internodes.
 
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