that-guy
Sapling
I've searched the internet for information on this, however, I could not find all that much; so I was wondering if any of you have tried it and what success you had. Thanks.
Anyone ever try Sassafras as bonsai?
- Thread starter that-guy
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The leaf size is very large as far as I know, a forest service fact sheet says up to 8 inches long (4-8 inches) so I'm sure that in itself has dissuaded most anyone from attempting its use in bonsai. Sure it's possible to grow pretty much any tree in bonsai culture, but something with a very large leaf simply will not look good at all for half the year while the leaves are on. Bonsai is all about proportions, so larger leafed species can often make nice bonsai if the whole tree is larger... but 4-8inch leaf is definitely pushing it.
subnet_rx
Mame
I'd love to hear your findings if you do try. I dug up a couple last year and the root systems were terrible. I wasn't going to try them for bonsai, I just wanted to move them from their current spot to another spot in the yard. They didn't even last a month. They apparently grow in clumps from one root in a lot of cases.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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I've tried collecting a few, and always failed because the roots don't ramify until some distance away from the stem above ground. They have a nice rough bark once they get over 3 inches in diameter in the ground. If you shop nurseries specializing in native plants you probably can find it available in gallon nursery cans. This might be the way to get one. It has fantastic fall colors, might be an okay tree for autumn displays. Not sure if the leaves will reduce. I think they will, just from what I remember seeing on distressed trees out on the sister's farm. Let us know if you try.
I'm not a botanist, so if I have some of the details bollixed up, grant me the grace to not flog me with your favorite copy of Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants". Which I must confess I have not opened in regards to Sassafras Albidum.
I am in the middle of trying some fall collected saplings. I'm going to this end because like collected examples of sweet fern, Comptonia perigrina, that it grows from rhizome, and because I've never been able to collect much in the way of fine roots, it needs IMO a winter to grow some a them fine roots.
The short of this story is both do not collect worth a dam*.
It suits my low nature to keep a sweet-fern or three on my bench to befuddle the culpable. Because if you don't know what pot looks like you'll get it wrong when confronted with sweetfern.
Is-can sweetfern be bonsai? Shrugs shoulders; probably not. I'm pretty sure, I don't care.
Could sassafras be trained as bonsai? Its got more going for it than trying to train pawpaw, Asimina triloba. Pawpaw will not tolerate its fleshy roots being fiddled with. I have earned that Tshirt. You are welcome to try.
Ask me inna couple years if this batch took (as in struck roots). I am sure sassafras will not strike adequate roots, even in a shade house to survive with spring collection.
Stay tuned...
I am in the middle of trying some fall collected saplings. I'm going to this end because like collected examples of sweet fern, Comptonia perigrina, that it grows from rhizome, and because I've never been able to collect much in the way of fine roots, it needs IMO a winter to grow some a them fine roots.
The short of this story is both do not collect worth a dam*.
It suits my low nature to keep a sweet-fern or three on my bench to befuddle the culpable. Because if you don't know what pot looks like you'll get it wrong when confronted with sweetfern.
Is-can sweetfern be bonsai? Shrugs shoulders; probably not. I'm pretty sure, I don't care.
Could sassafras be trained as bonsai? Its got more going for it than trying to train pawpaw, Asimina triloba. Pawpaw will not tolerate its fleshy roots being fiddled with. I have earned that Tshirt. You are welcome to try.
Ask me inna couple years if this batch took (as in struck roots). I am sure sassafras will not strike adequate roots, even in a shade house to survive with spring collection.
Stay tuned...
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that-guy
Sapling
Thanks for the input guys as far as leaf size goes I've seen a few with smaller-usher leaves as well (around 3 in) and coppice I'd love to hear what you get out of those you're trying. And I'll also check some nurseries as was also recommended. Thanks again.
Labreapits
Yamadori
I was thinking about digging around a few larger sassafras to see if they will develop roots closer in.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
I have had no luck with these. Even transplanting seedling stock has a high percentage of failure. I do love these trees though, what great bark and fall color.
Leo in N E Illinois
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well, 2 years after my initial post, I know a few more things. Sassafrass needs a very acidic soil, it is used as an indicator that soils are acidic enough for blueberries. If you see sassafras, the soil pH is probably below 5.0, sassafrass will tolerate the same soil pH that Blueberries like, 4.0 to 5.0. This is more acidic than what rhododendrons need, they like 5.0 to 6.0, so make sure you use an acidic mix when you try sassafras.
I dug a sassafras this spring, still too early to leaf out yet, or just about now it should leaf out. We'll see if it grows. I'll keep the forum posted.
I dug a sassafras this spring, still too early to leaf out yet, or just about now it should leaf out. We'll see if it grows. I'll keep the forum posted.
Labreapits
Yamadori
Thank you for the update!
This is the thing with them, they just don't produce new roots. Established roots keep growing, but when pruned they die back severely. There roots remind me of carrots in some odd way. Anyway keep trying!
Borg
Yamadori
I never thought to try and bonsai them, though I did collect a few saplings earlier this spring, almost forgot about them in the ziplock until I noticed that they are starting to sprout leaves.... Their roots are wrapped in damp moss from the same location...lol... I seriously need to get them into pots. Luckily the soil is pretty acidic around here. My plan is to have them in the yard, every time I've seen a solitary sass out on a fence line, the branching structure of the limbs has been amazing.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
I wonder if the soil is more acidic in California due to sweating hippies.
Sorce
Sorce
Here is for beating a dead horse…
Endeavor brought up by working nights, thus being home at day time, not able to sleep well at day time and a week long stretch of upper 60 weather in January.
My sassafrases are planted by birds amongst my blueberry bushes. Love sassafras trees, but can’t have
them where they are growing and have to dig up or cut then down every spring. Every time I try to replant a few somewhere I can let them grow and be enjoyed, but never had any success.
They do grow like a sparse string of beads on the same root. Don’t seem to have many feeder roots close to the trunk. Also, I don’t think warm weather in the spring helps.
So, while walking around and checking out the “grounds”, an urge possessed me to dig some of them up and replant them right now. Not that I have much hope, but who knows, right?
Actually, the largest one has the good amount of fine roots close to the trunk. I think because the main horizontal root was messed with last spring… We’ll see what happens.
Endeavor brought up by working nights, thus being home at day time, not able to sleep well at day time and a week long stretch of upper 60 weather in January.
My sassafrases are planted by birds amongst my blueberry bushes. Love sassafras trees, but can’t have
them where they are growing and have to dig up or cut then down every spring. Every time I try to replant a few somewhere I can let them grow and be enjoyed, but never had any success.
They do grow like a sparse string of beads on the same root. Don’t seem to have many feeder roots close to the trunk. Also, I don’t think warm weather in the spring helps.
So, while walking around and checking out the “grounds”, an urge possessed me to dig some of them up and replant them right now. Not that I have much hope, but who knows, right?
Actually, the largest one has the good amount of fine roots close to the trunk. I think because the main horizontal root was messed with last spring… We’ll see what happens.
Actually all 4 of them are pushing new growth. Not a guarantee of success, but better than anything I tried to replant around April t
ime before...
CapeCodBonsai
Shohin
I tried digging up a couple of small yamadori saplings a few years back. I dug them out in late Fall (October, I think). I stuck one in bonsai soil and one in potting soil. They dropped their leaves within days of being potted.
By the Spring, only the sapling in potting soil had leafed out and there wasn’t a whole lot of leaves on the tree to speak of. I left it alone to grow but by early summer the tree didn’t show any additional extension beyond its initial growth. Later that Summer, I was walking by the tree with a branch cutter in hand and in an unplanned moment decided to remove the now withered apex of the tree above the new growth. The diameter of the apex was less than a quarter of an inch and I hadn’t cut back into any green tissue so, I didn’t bother sealing the cut. Within days, the sapling withered and died. I decided Sassafras weren’t good subjects for bonsai.
Fast forward to last fall. Walking back from a quick inspection of my oyster grant, I noticed a young Sassafras sapling in my path. I could almost hear it taunting and mocking me so, I turned around and dug it out with my pocket knife. I potted this one up in ‘off-the-shelf’ potting soil and forgot about it.
So, here I find myself again with a minimally leafed, potted, pencil-thin sapling showing no noticeable growth beyond the few buds that opened in the Spring. I certainly won’t make any cuts for the next couple of seasons.
I’ve always imagined that I’d use one of these in a large kusamono planting rather than as a solitary bonsai tree but, I better not get the cart ahead of the horse . . . lets see if I can keep one alive first!
By the Spring, only the sapling in potting soil had leafed out and there wasn’t a whole lot of leaves on the tree to speak of. I left it alone to grow but by early summer the tree didn’t show any additional extension beyond its initial growth. Later that Summer, I was walking by the tree with a branch cutter in hand and in an unplanned moment decided to remove the now withered apex of the tree above the new growth. The diameter of the apex was less than a quarter of an inch and I hadn’t cut back into any green tissue so, I didn’t bother sealing the cut. Within days, the sapling withered and died. I decided Sassafras weren’t good subjects for bonsai.
Fast forward to last fall. Walking back from a quick inspection of my oyster grant, I noticed a young Sassafras sapling in my path. I could almost hear it taunting and mocking me so, I turned around and dug it out with my pocket knife. I potted this one up in ‘off-the-shelf’ potting soil and forgot about it.
So, here I find myself again with a minimally leafed, potted, pencil-thin sapling showing no noticeable growth beyond the few buds that opened in the Spring. I certainly won’t make any cuts for the next couple of seasons.
I’ve always imagined that I’d use one of these in a large kusamono planting rather than as a solitary bonsai tree but, I better not get the cart ahead of the horse . . . lets see if I can keep one alive first!
Asymetrix
Sapling
I've personally not had any success long term transplanting these from the wild.
As others have stated the roots do not respond well to reduction.
Growing one from seed with very early root work might be a possible solution.
I did this recently with Nyssa Sylvatica as I had the same experience with them struggling from wild collection as well - mostly because they seem to have very poor root systems.
After three years it's growing well In a pot with fairly shallow root structure, and when I repot I am very conservative with reduction.
I think playing the long game with as mentioned a very acidic soil is probably the only solution to grow them successfully in pots. Just a theory though.
As others have stated the roots do not respond well to reduction.
Growing one from seed with very early root work might be a possible solution.
I did this recently with Nyssa Sylvatica as I had the same experience with them struggling from wild collection as well - mostly because they seem to have very poor root systems.
After three years it's growing well In a pot with fairly shallow root structure, and when I repot I am very conservative with reduction.
I think playing the long game with as mentioned a very acidic soil is probably the only solution to grow them successfully in pots. Just a theory though.
CapeCodBonsai
Shohin
Have all of your Sassafras experiments been transplanting in the ground or have you ever tried going directly into a pot?
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