Invasive Species as Bonsai

[Gabler]

When newbies ask what species to try, the recommendations that I’ve seen fit into one of two categories. Either (a) grow classical Asian species like Japanese maples, black pines, etc. or (b) grow species native to your region. What I don’t see is the recommendation to grow invasive species. White mulberry comes to mind for the eastern US.

Obviously, propagating them is a bad idea, but removing them from your yard is arguably good for native flora and fauna. Also, if a newbie screws up and kills an invasive tree, it’s no great loss. That makes invasive trees great to learn on.

What do you think? Should we be promoting collection of invasive trees to bonsai beginners?

 

[rockm]

Um, we do all of that already. Japanese and Chinese Wisteria are invasives, as is amur maple, bittersweet, black pine (See articles on its invasion of the Mass. seashore and elswhere) Salt cedar (tamarisk), English Ivy, Russian Olive, Mimosa (silk tree), winter honeysuckle (Japanese honeysuckle and a list of other honeysuckle species), privet, bradford and callery pear, Siberian Elm, Chinese Tallow and Chinaberry, have all been discussed before here.

I wouldn't actively promote them to beginners, as beginners don't really know what they're doing and could potentially spread invasives even wider by letting them get out of hand, improperly disposing of cuttings, trunks, etc. Wisteria will root from severed roots, and even discarded trunk chops. Same for Amur maple.

 

[Taste]

Um, we do all of that already. Japanese and Chinese Wisteria are invasives, as is amur maple, bittersweet, black pine (See articles on its invasion of the Mass. seashore and elswhere) Salt cedar (tamarisk), English Ivy, Russian Olive, Mimosa (silk tree), winter honeysuckle (Japanese honeysuckle and a list of other honeysuckle species), privet, bradford and callery pear, Siberian Elm, Chinese Tallow and Chinaberry, have all been discussed before here.

I wouldn't actively promote them to beginners, as beginners don't really know what they're doing and could potentially spread invasives even wider by letting them get out of hand, improperly disposing of cuttings, trunks, etc. Wisteria will root from severed roots, and even discarded trunk chops. Same for Amur maple.

I came here to speak of wisteria and privet and you got me covered

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Bradford pear. Dig them up wherever you see them. They have a lot of positive characteristics for bonsai, and are a commercial tree that was supposed to be sterile, but hybridized and became the most invasive thing I am aware of.

 

[BonsaiMatt]

Yes, Callery pear are awful! Everyone was planting Bradford pear a couple decades ago, but now they are a menace. They are very vigorous growers, and have nasty thorns.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Elaeagnus!!! And ANY "Tatar" species of ANYTHING!

You can dig em here, no worries.. DNR says "Ope! Y'aint even gotta fill da hole, a minute, right quick."

Amurs are invasive here, AND my favorite Acer.

I'm still on the "Buckthorn" train, too.. and have a couple specimens eyed up.

I've seen a lot of bonsai folks (myself included) PRAISE and encourage the use of invasive species.



Oh man! Ulmus Pumila!!!

 

[rockm]

I didn't say not to dig them Just that understanding the implications of not being careful should go along with digging an invasive. They are invasive for a reason--they're vigorous and resilient. Case in point, a local golf course near me apparently dug up then cut up a large wisteria on their grounds. They dumped the trunk carcass and chain sawed limbs in the nearby woods, fast forward ten years and wisteria there covers ALL the trees on about ten acres. It has killed off hundreds of mature native tupelo, oak, American elm, beech, etc.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I didn't say not to dig them..

Whew! I'm lucky I didn't ask!

Not sure why you WOULDN'T dig an attractive, invasive specimen that's been proven to reduce (leaf and internode) that you stumble across... For free. But each individual person has their preferences, and I can understand/respect them.

@Leo in N E Illinois has EXCELLENT insights on invasive species for Bonsai/Tiny Tree practices


The DNR around here, encourages the digging of "root-bulb-clone (definitely not the correct term)"-trees in fall... Before the new clones emerge.

 

[BrianBay9]

When newbies ask what species to try, the recommendations that I’ve seen fit into one of two categories. Either (a) grow classical Asian species like Japanese maples, black pines, etc. or (b) grow species native to your region. What I don’t see is the recommendation to grow invasive species. White mulberry comes to mind for the eastern US.

Obviously, propagating them is a bad idea, but removing them from your yard is arguably good for native flora and fauna. Also, if a newbie screws up and kills an invasive tree, it’s no great loss. That makes invasive trees great to learn on.

What do you think? Should we be promoting collection of invasive trees to bonsai beginners?

Disagree - we often mention them. Agree - invasives can be a good source.

I've mentioned before that on several occasions I've managed to get permission from park horticulturists to organize club digs for invasive species. In our case privet in Indiana, and pyracantha in California. Parks want them gone. We get to dig in otherwise restricted areas. Win - win.

 

[Gabler]

Disagree - we often mention them. Agree - invasives can be a good source.

I tried searching the site for related information, but I wasn’t finding much, and I figured I can’t have been the first to think about it, so I thought it might be a good conversation starter for the group.

I've mentioned before that on several occasions I've managed to get permission from park horticulturists to organize club digs for invasive species.

Now that you mention it, I have seen someone, possibly you, mention digging on public lands for invasive species. That certainly counts as a recommendation to use them.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I've been fairly vocal about the positive benefits of using locally invasive species for Bonsai. Biggest benefit is that property managers, like park rangers, etc., will give permission to dig up invasives, where getting permission to dig natives might be near impossible.

There is a "local" component in dealing with invasives. For example, pre 1491 both black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) had fairly narrow distributions, only found in one or two states of USA, but both have been planted widely post colonization and now both are common, and especially the Robinia somewhat weedy or invasive in 40 or more of USA states and they have expanded into southern parts of Canadian provinces.

There are "nasty" invasive, like buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartic, that has dense shade, shading out all competition, and its roots alter pH of soil, raising pH, and exuding an allelopathic chemical that inhibits other tree species roots from colonizing same plot of soil. Factoid: Buckthorn was introduced to the USA by a Scottish immigrant physician who settled in Glenview, Illinois around 1870. He brought buckthorn with him, because it reminded him of Scotland highlands. In Scotland and Europe, Rhamnus is reasonably well behaved. It became a "thug plant" in North America because the different soil microbiome species made new partnerships that supercharged the buckthorn's metabolism. Buckthorn in North America is much more vigorous due to a different group of species of soil mycorrhiza and bacteria. Talk about unintended consequences.

Many species snuck in as weed seed mixed in with crop seed. Many others were brought in for use as landscape plants and escaped. Norway maple, Acer platanoides is everywhere in my area, and has replaced the sugar maple in our little patches of forest preserves. Fortunately our EU members have a number of threads showing Norway maple is good for medium to large size bonsai.

Another group are the "not too weedy" economic escapees. For example apples are not native to North America, but now can be found everywhere, usually as relics of previous orchard plantings, but some reseeding in hedgerows. Apples make great blooming bonsai. Remember fruit size tends to stay constant regardless of size of tree, so limit the number of flowers you allow to produce apples if your tree is small. Pretty much most of the genus Prunus in commerce is introduced from Europe or Asia, though there are a very few NA native Prunus. Some can be used for bonsai.

Key is for "outdoor Bonsai" use species that grow well in your neighborhood or in the colder neighborhood just to the north of you, assuming you are north of the equator. Often the most vigorous trees locally are indeed the invasives.

 

[19Mateo83]

Bradford pear. Dig them up wherever you see them. They have a lot of positive characteristics for bonsai, and are a commercial tree that was supposed to be sterile, but hybridized and became the most invasive thing I am aware of.

I call them bastard pears. Cut them down they sprout back from roots, ice and wind break then like match sticks and as you said, WAS supposedly to be sterile. Very hard to kill species. Perfect for beginners

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

I see the use of repurposing invasive plants but I do wonder whether it’s just better to just be rid of them, regardless of their quality for bonsai use. The idea as I understand it is to maintain one healthy plant outside of the natural environment where it’d spread and be a problem, which I agree is good. But I’m not sure whether just destroying the plant would be better than using it for bonsai. I think invasive plant yamadori is better than wild invasive plant but…. I guess I haven’t heard a convincing argument against just destroying the invasive that’s not at least semi-selfish (which is fine - we all want nice trees and want good material so good invasive material as yamadori checks a lot of boxes). I guess part of it is the use as yamadori incentivizes the removal of the pest.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

To be clear - I’d also be one of those incentivized to track down invasives and remove them if I can use the good ones for yamadori.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I see the use of repurposing invasive plants but I do wonder whether it’s just better to just be rid of them, regardless of their quality for bonsai use. The idea as I understand it is to maintain one healthy plant outside of the natural environment where it’d spread and be a problem, which I agree is good. But I’m not sure whether just destroying the plant would be better than using it for bonsai. I think invasive plant yamadori is better than wild invasive plant but…. I guess I haven’t heard a convincing argument against just destroying the invasive that’s not at least semi-selfish (which is fine - we all want nice trees and want good material so good invasive material as yamadori checks a lot of boxes). I guess part of it is the use as yamadori incentivizes the removal of the pest.

Digging them up and putting them in a container IS "being rid" of THAT one... As far as nature is considered.

 

[Cajunrider]

Digging them up and putting them in a container IS "being rid" of THAT one... As far as nature is considered.

They invade our land. We are free to torture them as we see fit. We can chop their heads, bend their spines, twist their limbs, make them grow additional toes etc.

 

[nuttiest]

Been waiting for my invasive cotoneaster, pyracantha and wisteria to become so agressive they propagate themselves here for a while

 

[HorseloverFat]

They invade our land. We are free to torture them as we see fit. We can chop their heads, bend their spines, twist their limbs, make them grow additional toes etc.

...maybe scalp them?...





..

Couldn't resist.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I see the use of repurposing invasive plants but I do wonder whether it’s just better to just be rid of them, regardless of their quality for bonsai use. The idea as I understand it is to maintain one healthy plant outside of the natural environment where it’d spread and be a problem, which I agree is good. But I’m not sure whether just destroying the plant would be better than using it for bonsai. I think invasive plant yamadori is better than wild invasive plant but…. I guess I haven’t heard a convincing argument against just destroying the invasive that’s not at least semi-selfish (which is fine - we all want nice trees and want good material so good invasive material as yamadori checks a lot of boxes). I guess part of it is the use as yamadori incentivizes the removal of the pest.

Once in a bonsai pot, it is rare that a tree is allowed to reproduce, effectively removing its contribution as an invasive species. We can prevent seed from spreading, preventing the invasive species from invading further.

Also, though we all hate to admit it, majority of trees dug for Bonsai end up dead in less than 10 years. Relatively few of us are skilled enough that "all" our trees survive in our care beyond a decade. Of the hundreds of trees that moved through my hands, only one survived 40 give or take a couple years. I have a few coming up on 15 years, but I have had two health episodes that I didn't plan for that "thinned out" the collection. I imagine this happens frequently enough that well developed trees are not a dime a dozen in the hobby.

Point being, digging an invasive species to put it in a bonsai pot is functionally removing it from the environment, and frequently ends up a death sentence for that tree.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

@Leo in N E Illinois Thats logical to me and I certainly think it’s overall better to collect than let remain in the wild - when selecting which ones are worth taking as yamadori though I think it’d be best to view it as “collect or kill” rather than “collect or leave” time and effort permitting. But that’s enough pontificating from a newbie who has no collection experience of his own