They're taking down a huge Austrian pine where I work. I asked if they could leave the root ball and a portion of the trunk. They will dig it up, too. How big is too big? I'll bet the trunk is 1.5-2.0 feet in diameter. Can that be turned into bonsai?
Austrian Pine Yamadori: How big is too big?
- Thread starter Cioffi
- Start date
_#1_
Omono
Sure it can!
misfit11
Omono
Weren't you recently commenting on Potawatomi13's brevity?
He's right though. Going by the very general bonsai size (trunk diameter to tree height) ratio of 1:6, a 1-1/2 foot trunk tree would be 9 feet tall. The pot would need to be about 6 feet wide and 2 feet deep. You'd need a fork lift to move this thing and repot it.
Imperial bonsai in Japan can be massive but I don't know if any of them get even close to this big.
_#1_
Omono
misfit11
Omono
Of course it's doable, but who has the means for this? The pot alone for this thing would cost a fortune. To heal the chop you'd have to let it grow for probably a decade at least. Then you'd be doing more chops. It would probably take the better part of 3 decades before you had something that resembled a tree/bonsai.
I'm guessing the OP is relatively new to bonsai. Is that right @Cioffi ?
Oh, Potawatomi13 is my hero! I’m trying to be more like him!Weren't you recently commenting on Potawatomi13's brevity?
He's right though. Going by the very general bonsai size (trunk diameter to tree height) ratio of 1:6, a 1-1/2 foot trunk tree would be 9 feet tall. The pot would need to be about 6 feet wide and 2 feet deep. You'd need a fork lift to move this thing and repot it.
Imperial bonsai in Japan can be massive but I don't know if any of them get even close to this big.
misfit11
Omono
IDK, Adair. Them's big shoes to fill.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Good Lord, not practical or workable at all unless you own heavy equipment to deal with it and $1000+ to buy a pot
Yeah, Bozo has some BIG shoes!
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Yes, I am new to bonsai. I teach on a university campus, and there a load of all sorts of trees. I was talking to the "tree guy," and he said they're taking down an Austrian Pine. I immediately thought about collecting it. When I went to look at the tree, it's very big. But, it looks great. Being new, I wondered about what's possible and, of course, what's practical. It sounds like it's possible, but not practical.
MrFancyPlants
Masterpiece
What is the biggest sawzall that they make?
What is the sound of one tractor lifting onto a pallet?
Is there foliage near the base to work with?
What is the sound of one tractor lifting onto a pallet?
Is there foliage near the base to work with?
Mikecheck123
Omono
Also keep in mind that the digging work required grows exponentially with trunk diameter. The root ball you need to dig up for a tree that large would easily weigh over a ton. How strong is your back?
The nice thing about my job is that they have all the tools, tractors, etc., that I would need to get the root ball and trunk onto my truck. As for future work on the roots, and the like, that would take some creativity. From what I'm reading in the responses, it's not practical. But, I thought I'd look into the possibility.
Mikecheck123
Omono
What you should do is use those same super tools to dig up something smaller. Say 5 inches in diameter instead of 50 feet.
Yeah, I get it. I'm trying to learn about bonsai. Thanks for the advice about "super tools" and the difference between a "five inch" diameter tree and a "50 foot" diameter tree. You've been helpful.
_#1_
Omono
Your job may have the tools to mount a tree thicker than a telephone pole, but the question is how you gonna get it off the truck and maneuver it into a giant pot?
AJL
Chumono
Forget it - It will not back bud from a stump!
