My hornbeam.

[HotAction]

Ok so, according to the information upon purchase this was planted in a growing bed in 1996, and potted up in 2005. It hasn't been repotted since from what I can gather. I bought it last June. There were a couple large pruning scar that i figured would never heal (could have been dead wrong), especially w/o going back into the garden. So, I carved it a bit (more to come later) with the dremel i got for my b-day.
The stove pipe obviously needs to go. How should I attack this tree come spring? Should I leave the pipe for a bit to thicken, or chop it now? I plan on repotting into some good soil, but here the KHB can be finicky. I'm just a noob and could use your advice. My inspiration right now is from a tree i know at camp (i'll get pics this year) and from Grouper's post seen here: http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2654

Ok, so let me have it

Dave

[HotAction]

Here's a shot of it when i first got it, with leaves.

[rockm]

If by "stovepipe" you're referring to the leader extension at the top--NO, you do not need to cut it. If you do, you have wasted the last decade this tree has apparently spent growing it.

The future of the tree's image is in that extension. If you remove it, you have a stump that bears no resemblance to a tree. You would have to regrow it.

If this were mine, I'd find a place in the yard to plant it. Leave it alone for three or four years to thicken the leader to match the trunk underneath. In ground planting will also speed callusing of that big scar--it will be permanent if you continue to develop this tree in a container.

After the leader has developed the appropriate thickness, lift the tree out of the ground into a trainng container. In the ensuing years, work on reducing the root mass and on branching...

You can continue to try all of this while the tree is still in a pot, but in doing so, you will slow development to a crawl.

[HotAction]

I repotted this one today, and it was a mess. After racking and slopping through about 6 inches of potting soil/muck/crud off the bottom of the rootball, I encountered another surprise. I found a layer of bonsai soil, fully equipped with its own layer of yellow drywall mesh tape, YEAH!!! So I dug out that mess, and reduced the rootmass to (what I thought was) a reasonable amount. There was a nice flat base (probably due to the ill advised "slip-pot" maneuver) but the surface roots leave alot to be desired. I guess I'll have to address that in the future, for now I just want it to grow some healthy roots. Oh, and I sawed off the top portion of the tree. I left a bit extra for insurance. I'll work it down when the time comes.

Dave

p.s. Rock, that wound is never going to heal. I had already hollowed it out and carved a tunnel through to the hollow in the front. It's gonna take a long time and a lot of work, i imagine ,for this to ever begin to be a decent tree. But, I'll be happy so long as it is a LIVING tree for now.

[HotAction]

i was snapping some spring shots of my trees for my records, and thought i'd post a spring update on this one for all you nuts out there.

Dave

p.s. tried out some editing options in the photo program and it didn't quite work out as planned.

[Stimmie1]

If you irritate the wound, it will heal. Scrape the inside of the wound to expose a little bit of green, this causes more callus to form and will close. I did this with a Rock Elm Twin trunk that lost one of its trunks. It took 4 years to close a hole the size of a half dollar. Irritate it several times during the growing season with a sharpe knife.

[Brian Van Fleet]

Could be a long-lost cousin of your hornbeam?

It is different than the yamadori C. Koreana I have; bark is darker and leaves are different. It was an eBay mistake, and I cleaned it up, got it healthy, into decent soil, and passed it along the next spring. Decent base, and some potential, but required more time than I was willing to invest for what it was.

[HotAction]

They sure do look like cousins. Thanks for sharing.

Dave

[HotAction]

After attending a show this past weekend, I'm inclined to believe this is a Japanese Hornbeam. I saw severel mature Korean Hornbeams, and the foliage is not the same. It was however identical to the Japanese hornbeam that was on display.

Dave

[mcpesq817]

Japanese hornbeam has darker green leaves that seem more pleated compared to other hornbeams (at least the one I have). Here is what Brent says:

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/carpinus.htm