Help identify please!

[Kahless]

@Kahless do you have any experience with hackberry? This is my first one so would love some ideas/ tips

I don’t have many years of experience with them since I only just started working with trees in 2019. Mine have been growing quite fast in the ground here and I am waiting for them to thicken before chopping low. I’m hoping their leaves will reduce nicely in the future. There are seedlings all over my garden bed so it’s free material. I have noticed they send out a long strong tap root early on, and some were quite difficult to move.

 

[rockm]

@Kahless do you have any experience with hackberry? This is my first one so would love some ideas/ tips

I've got one I collected this year and have worked with them, particularly the southern variety (celtis longaeva). They are pretty much bullet proof, like an elm. I dug mine up with no feeder roots, plunked it in a bonsai pot with bonsai soil and it sprouted new growth in a week and a half.

I had a tiny mame sized one I got from Guy Guidry a decade ago. It's leaves were reduced to less than a 1/4 inch with dense twigging. It was also a southern hackberry and was a bit sensitive to deep cold. It lost a bit of ramification every winter. I suspect it did that because it was a small tree and the temp swings took a toll.

You have the Northern variety (celtis occidentalis). It is a tough customer. Probably more winter hardy.

As far as care, full sun up your way. Regular bonsai soil. Prune in late winter to push ramification. Fertilize regular fert every two weeks.

This one that belongs to some friend is occidentalis. The tree was in an exhibit in Richmond in Feb. It was collected in central Va. cowpasture 35 years ago. Note the intense ramification that's possible.

 

[Backwardsvg]

Awesome info thank you. Ya it’s amazing it seems like it hasn’t skipped a beat after some pretty hard yanking to get it out.

I have it in a very basic bonsai mix didn’t really do much root pruning but have it in the shade and sheltered from wind. Will probably start to move it out soon. It seems extremely healthy.

i am excited to work on the fine ramification over time. I’ve read you can do multiple prunings over the growing season to increase flushes of growths. Have you noticed that?

 

[Backwardsvg]

@rockm i have this thing growing like a weed now but it had scales on it. I sprayed it with a water alcohol soap mixture and it has this now going on. Is it from the spray or leaf miners do you think? Any tips?