Collected American Hornbeam

[Zach Smith]

This tree was collected early in 2010. The trunk base measures 6" above the root crown and the surface root spread is almost 12". The original chop was at 18", and I let a new leader grow for the past two seasons. It reached 1" at the transition last year, so I cut it back and will repeat the process over the next two seasons to build the appropriate taper and make the transition smooth. As you can see, the branch development is coming along. The final height should be 26-30".

Comments welcome.

Zach

 

[JudyB]

Looks like a nice trunk, I really love hornbeams. Mine went back into the ground this year, better taper is the goal.
will be nice to see it progress. Thanks for posting!

 

[QuintinBonsai]

Nice hornbeam. It's already got good nebari going on.

 

[Zach Smith]

Thank you for the nice comments. Collected hornbeams usually have good to great nebari, and the older ones have the nice "muscling" of the trunk. Given the size of this specimen I think it'll take another few years to really get it where I want it.

Zach

 

[pjkatich]

Hi Zach,

That's a good start on the hornbeam.

Personally, I have found the American hornbeam a rewarding bonsai subject.

I look forward to seeing how your tree progresses.

Regards,
Paul

 

[crust]

Nice one. Every time I find a cool one. I dig it up. It dies or sprouts weakly from the lowest exposed wood. Sigh.

Do you pot up your collected hornbeams directly or put them in a growing bed?

 

[Zach Smith]

You shouldn't have any problem collecting hornbeam. My survival rate is roughly 90%. Always be sure to seal cuts over 1/2", this seems to help keep the wood from drying out near the chops and promote budding closer to them. I collect in winter, starting in January. You might have to wait longer, as I imagine your ground must be rock solid at that time. I don't put larger trees in growing beds, but rather straight into nursery pots. They root very well in a year's time.

Zach

 

[evmibo]

Did you have any plans on doing some carving? Looks like a fun tree to work with.

 

[rockm]

Nice tree Zach. I got one similar to this in March, only the nebari isn't quite as good.

"I collect in winter, starting in January. You might have to wait longer, as I imagine your ground must be rock solid at that time. I don't put larger trees in growing beds, but rather straight into nursery pots. They root very well in a year's time."

I collect in early March here in Va. I have collected big Carolina hornbeam -- 6-7 inch nebari-- with only a had trowel and a pruning saw. I saw all roots off about eight inches from the trunk (there are usually some, or a few, feeder roots in that area) then just lift out, hose off all the field soil and plunk in a bonsai training pot with bonsai soil. I seal the bigger chop wounds and put chopped long-fibered sphagnum moss on the surface to keep the top of the nebari moist and alive. They usually have growth by mid April. The big one I collected in March already has shoots coming from the trunk now.

One thing I have noted here in Va. is that collected Carolina hornbeam have to be more protected from extreme winters than one would think for a native species. Long cold winters in containers weaken and kill them over time.

I have a feeling crusts' experience is his more northerly latitude and shorter, cooler summers.

 

[tanlu]

Zach, your tree looks fantastic! I have two Korean hornbeams in growing beds. I've always wanted to collect native hornbeams, but I can't ever seem to find them. What kind of terrain to they tend to live in? Are they more winter hardy than Korean hornbeams?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Zach, your tree looks fantastic! I have two Korean hornbeams in growing beds. I've always wanted to collect native hornbeams, but I can't ever seem to find them. What kind of terrain to they tend to live in? Are they more winter hardy than Korean hornbeams?

I find them more often along river banks around here...understory, wet soil. I'd also guess that the American hornbeam is close to or maybe slightly less hardy than a KH.

 

[JudyB]

I always thought that the American hornbeam was more hardy than Korean. I know that American is listed down to zone 3, and thought Korean was a 5. I've always protected my Korean in the winter...

 

[Zach Smith]

I'm not sure how hardy Korean hornbeam is, but American hornbeam ranges through the Central U.S. east of the Mississippi north to Canada and east to Central Maine. They're understory trees but will take full sun, and like moist soils. They produce a nice, fibrous root system very quickly after collection (usually in a year).

Zach

 

[tanlu]

I asked because I go hiking often and have never seen them on NY trails. I'm always looking to have more native species in my humble collection Bonsai sources say KH are hardy to zone 3 as well, but all of the hardiness zones are referring to trees in the ground, not those in bonsai pots. Based on what has been said, it seems they both need the same amount of winter protection. Thank you all for your input!

 

[Zach Smith]

Here's an update on my hornbeam. Gave it a haircut and selective pruning this weekend. Heft in the lower branches is building, and I've just about got the tapering transition in the apex where I want it. I've probably got another five years to get to the point where the tree could be considered "finished." But I'm pleased at the progress.

Comments welcome as always.

Zach

 

[jeanluc83]

Thanks for the update.

This is one of the threads that convinced me to collect American Hornbeam last spring. I collected 3. Of those one didn’t grow at all the other sprouted but with mixed results. I had problems getting buds to break on the trunk. I think it is due to not sealing the chop. I also believe I collected them a little too early. I’m going to try to collect some more next spring. I’m hoping for a little more success.

I agree that they do seem to need a good amount of protection once containerized. I had a lot of die back from the winter.

 

[exitsanity]

Ill hornbeam

I'm having trouble keeping my collected hornbeam healthy. Grew strong in spring with nice long shoots but hasn't sent out new growth. Now I'm seeing browning on some of the leaf edges which I thought was some leaf burn. And it's transitioning into discolored leaves.

I've been keeping it watered on the wet side during the hot days. Full sun. About the same watering as I've been giving my maples but it is in a deeper rectangular pot.

Is full sun a mistake? I know without pictures this is just guess work.

 

[Oliver Muscio]

I'm having trouble keeping my collected hornbeam healthy. Grew strong in spring with nice long shoots but hasn't sent out new growth. Now I'm seeing browning on some of the leaf edges which I thought was some leaf burn. And it's transitioning into discolored leaves.

I've been keeping it watered on the wet side during the hot days. Full sun. About the same watering as I've been giving my maples but it is in a deeper rectangular pot.

Is full sun a mistake? I know without pictures this is just guess work.

I also have some burning on my hornbeam. It has shade in the morning, but some full sun in the afternoon. I may change that. Hornbeam is an understory tree in its natural habitat, which means it is generally shaded by the larger trees surrounding it. Partial shade would probably be better. Here is a photo of mine from Fall a couple of years ago. It is fuller now, but I need to take more recent photos and will post them in a separate thread so as not to highjack yours.
Oliver

 

[exitsanity]

I also have some burning on my hornbeam. It has shade in the morning, but some full sun in the afternoon. I may change that. Hornbeam is an understory tree in its natural habitat, which means it is generally shaded by the larger trees surrounding it. Partial shade would probably be better. Here is a photo of mine from Fall a couple of years ago. It is fuller now, but I need to take more recent photos and will post them in a separate thread so as not to highjack yours.
Oliver

Yeah that's really close to what mine is going through. Thanks for the tip, I'll move it to partial shade and see what happens. The buds seem fat and happy so hopefully next year I'll have it in a better spot.

 

[CWTurner]

Hornbean

Collected a few Hornbeam myself in late Winter and they seem to be doing well, with lots of sprouts. Most of those branches are down low as well. There was one tiny bud 14" up a trunk that took weeks and weeks to finally emerge but then it browned and died. In retrospect I should have bagged the top of the tree to baby that sprout a bit more. Maybe it's because this wood is so hard (ironwood) that they don't back-bud so easily?

I've too have had some leaf browning around the edges lately. The trees are in an understory location with maybe an hour of late afternoon direct sun.

Overall I'm looking forward to their development. Just last week however I purchased a copy of Nick Lenz's Bonsai From the Wild, a very nice little book. In it he mentions not having success with Hornbeam, which has me a bit worried I have to say.

Craig