Hi all. I have a pretty large patch of land in Southeast South Dakota where I'd like to start field-growing some pre-bonsai material.

[hapcat1999]

I also wouldn't mind selling some of the pre-bonsai material as a retirement project later on (10+years or so).

Does anyone have any suggestions on field-growing pre-bonsai material? What are the 'musts' that I need to do each year? I'm in Zone 5 but it gets Zone 4 winters occasionally. I'd love to grow some different pines and junipers. I love Scots pines but we have a massive issue with pine wilt here that decimates Scots.

My aim is to thicken the trunks and create movement. I'm having a hard time figuring out the balance between letting them run wild for thickening and keeping them compact.

A few things I've read that I can/should do:

1. Plant the trees on tiles to encourage more lateral spread of roots rather than letting them develop deep tap roots.
2. Plant them at angles to induce movement.
3. Dig them up every couple years for root pruning, then re-planting.
4. Keep lower branches and the apex but remove middle branches so they don't shade out the lower ones.
5. Trunk chop to a lower branch that will become a new leader.

I'm very much a noob at this, and there isn't a whole lot I've encountered about field-growing pines. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[MSDos62]

Sounds like fun.
I am also interested in field-growing some trees. Maybe some Maples and Black Pines.
Hope someone responds with some experience.
Will be watching.

 

[Glaucus]

Listen the podcast Ryan Neal did with the Templeton guys.

There is a lot to learn. The first batch will likely not be so good.
A lot depends on the species and the type of bonsai you want to grow. Both size and style.

 

[Shibui]

I've been field growing trees for bonsai for more than 20 years now. South Dakota - Zone 5 is a bit cooler than my climate but maybe some of the following might be applicable.
Pines and junipers grow a bit slower than some other species so I don't need to dig very often. Junipers in particular take a few years to even start growing. Someone coined the phrase sleep, creep, leap to explain juniper growth in grow beds. Pines and junipers both tend to stay in the ground for 5-6 years before being dug to assess development and decide whether to replant or pot up for sale. I do dig tridents and other strong growers every winter to control strong roots, Digging every other year is usually enough for most other deciduous.

Get low movement into the trunks before planting out. It is almost impossible to shape a tree while growing in the grow beds. Juniper chinensis, in particular, loves to grow really straight trunks which are not very saleable. My junipers spend 3-4 years in pots with regular wiring to shape the first 6-10 inches of trunk then planted into the grow beds for thickening.

Tiles are not much use, are more likely to get in the way later and may prevent your trees from getting roots into deeper damp soil to survive summers. Very few trees develop deep tap roots when there is surface moisture available. Good root pruning and placement when planting is more than enough to establish good nebari for the future.

Definitely plant into the grow beds at an angle. Beginners tend to buy straight up vertical trunks but the customers who will pay good prices for advanced trunks want trunk movement that starts at ground level. Planting at an angle gives that first, important angle. You'll find that it's better to exaggerate the initial angle because trees tend to thicken more on the uphill side and insides of bends so whatever angle you make initially gradually straightens out as the trunk thickens.

Trunk chop to a lower branch is a great development strategy for most deciduous and sometimes for juniper. The chop adds taper and a bend because the new trunk line was a thinner side branch before.

Pines can be more of a challenge because they do not bud easily on bare wood. Needles usually live around 3 years so I can let them grow free for 2-3 years before chopping back to the lowest healthy needles. That makes many new buds from the remaining needles. Those fresh shoots can then grow free for another 2-3 years.
I have not been successful (yet) with using sacrifice trunks on pines in the grow beds. Whenever I've tried the lower branches tend to suffer so I can't help with advice on doing that.

Good luck with the venture. Growing trees in the ground is easy but growing good field grown trees for bonsai is not quite as easy as it sounds. Because of the extended timelines, it can take some years to learn the finer points and make adjustments to your procedures and techniques.

 

[hapcat1999]

Thanks for

I've been field growing trees for bonsai for more than 20 years now. South Dakota - Zone 5 is a bit cooler than my climate but maybe some of the following might be applicable.
Pines and junipers grow a bit slower than some other species so I don't need to dig very often. Junipers in particular take a few years to even start growing. Someone coined the phrase sleep, creep, leap to explain juniper growth in grow beds. Pines and junipers both tend to stay in the ground for 5-6 years before being dug to assess development and decide whether to replant or pot up for sale. I do dig tridents and other strong growers every winter to control strong roots, Digging every other year is usually enough for most other deciduous.

Get low movement into the trunks before planting out. It is almost impossible to shape a tree while growing in the grow beds. Juniper chinensis, in particular, loves to grow really straight trunks which are not very saleable. My junipers spend 3-4 years in pots with regular wiring to shape the first 6-10 inches of trunk then planted into the grow beds for thickening.

Tiles are not much use, are more likely to get in the way later and may prevent your trees from getting roots into deeper damp soil to survive summers. Very few trees develop deep tap roots when there is surface moisture available. Good root pruning and placement when planting is more than enough to establish good nebari for the future.

Definitely plant into the grow beds at an angle. Beginners tend to buy straight up vertical trunks but the customers who will pay good prices for advanced trunks want trunk movement that starts at ground level. Planting at an angle gives that first, important angle. You'll find that it's better to exaggerate the initial angle because trees tend to thicken more on the uphill side and insides of bends so whatever angle you make initially gradually straightens out as the trunk thickens.

Trunk chop to a lower branch is a great development strategy for most deciduous and sometimes for juniper. The chop adds taper and a bend because the new trunk line was a thinner side branch before.

Pines can be more of a challenge because they do not bud easily on bare wood. Needles usually live around 3 years so I can let them grow free for 2-3 years before chopping back to the lowest healthy needles. That makes many new buds from the remaining needles. Those fresh shoots can then grow free for another 2-3 years.
I have not been successful (yet) with using sacrifice trunks on pines in the grow beds. Whenever I've tried the lower branches tend to suffer so I can't help with advice on doing that.

Good luck with the venture. Growing trees in the ground is easy but growing good field grown trees for bonsai is not quite as easy as it sounds. Because of the extended timelines, it can take some years to learn the finer points and make adjustments to your procedures and techniques.

Wow thank you for the very insightful and informative reply! Much appreciated.

Here's the main issue for me. I live in Vietnam and only return home once a year for about a month. Usually in June. I won't have the ability to do any work on them outside of then, but I wanted to get something started so I have something later on, which pretty much leaves field growing as my only option. My parents will be able to water them to help me get them established, but not much more than that. My father used to have a tree nursery on our property where we grew tons of Scots and Colorado blue spruce. I have nightmares of digging up blue spruce because of the gigantic tap root they would develop. It didn't take very long for them to develop one. Would digging them up every other year be a good way of stopping this from happening?

 

[RJG2]

Listen the podcast Ryan Neal did with the Templeton guys

Telperion*

Podcast:

Telperion Farms | Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry

In this episode of Asymmetry, Ryan sits down with Telperion Farms owner Chris Kirk and his collaborator Gary Woods to dive into the intricacies of field-grown bonsai material. They discuss the nuances of timing, preparing the material before it’s planted in the field, adding movement, pruning...

bonsaimirai.podbean.com

BSOP video:

One thing they made extensive use of were grow bags.

 

[penumbra]

I've been field growing trees for bonsai for more than 20 years now. South Dakota - Zone 5 is a bit cooler than my climate but maybe some of the following might be applicable.
Pines and junipers grow a bit slower than some other species so I don't need to dig very often. Junipers in particular take a few years to even start growing. Someone coined the phrase sleep, creep, leap to explain juniper growth in grow beds. Pines and junipers both tend to stay in the ground for 5-6 years before being dug to assess development and decide whether to replant or pot up for sale. I do dig tridents and other strong growers every winter to control strong roots, Digging every other year is usually enough for most other deciduous.

Get low movement into the trunks before planting out. It is almost impossible to shape a tree while growing in the grow beds. Juniper chinensis, in particular, loves to grow really straight trunks which are not very saleable. My junipers spend 3-4 years in pots with regular wiring to shape the first 6-10 inches of trunk then planted into the grow beds for thickening.

Tiles are not much use, are more likely to get in the way later and may prevent your trees from getting roots into deeper damp soil to survive summers. Very few trees develop deep tap roots when there is surface moisture available. Good root pruning and placement when planting is more than enough to establish good nebari for the future.

Definitely plant into the grow beds at an angle. Beginners tend to buy straight up vertical trunks but the customers who will pay good prices for advanced trunks want trunk movement that starts at ground level. Planting at an angle gives that first, important angle. You'll find that it's better to exaggerate the initial angle because trees tend to thicken more on the uphill side and insides of bends so whatever angle you make initially gradually straightens out as the trunk thickens.

Trunk chop to a lower branch is a great development strategy for most deciduous and sometimes for juniper. The chop adds taper and a bend because the new trunk line was a thinner side branch before.

Pines can be more of a challenge because they do not bud easily on bare wood. Needles usually live around 3 years so I can let them grow free for 2-3 years before chopping back to the lowest healthy needles. That makes many new buds from the remaining needles. Those fresh shoots can then grow free for another 2-3 years.
I have not been successful (yet) with using sacrifice trunks on pines in the grow beds. Whenever I've tried the lower branches tend to suffer so I can't help with advice on doing that.

Good luck with the venture. Growing trees in the ground is easy but growing good field grown trees for bonsai is not quite as easy as it sounds. Because of the extended timelines, it can take some years to learn the finer points and make adjustments to your procedures and techniques.

This is great advice and very accurate. I wish I had followed these guidelines more 5 years ago. I have many plants that need to come up for major cuts and design changes because I did not think some of this through when I lined out my first plants for field growing.

 

[Shibui]

Would digging them up every other year be a good way of stopping this from happening?

This is precisely the reason I began digging faster growing trees every winter. It's not only the tap root. trident maples develop thick lateral roots that require lots of time, effort and energy to chop through if they are left for a few years. Digging each winter ensures there are only finer roots to chop through and makes digging and the following root pruning a breeze compared to trees that have been left to grow longer.
I'm not familiar with Colorado Blue Spruce but when the initial tap roots have been cut, most trees seem happy to rely on lateral roots and don't bother regrowing the deeper roots.

June is a great month for digging and root pruning trees here but, for you, that is mid summer and very few species will cope with being uprooted during summer. Maybe root pouch or other fabric root control bags would be a better alternative. They can be buried in ground to take advantage of soil moisture and nutrients but provide root control so the roots don't get too big and thick. Not the best option to develop great nebari IMHO but could be a second best option in your circumstances.

 

[Glaucus]

With my very limited experience growing pines, a grow bag seems a very good idea. My Scot's pine would produce only a couple of very long roots. Which made it very challenging to dig up. And once I succeeded, they didn;t have many roots.

 

[shohin_branches]

Someone coined the phrase sleep, creep, leap to explain juniper growth in grow beds.

That's a general gardening phrase used for all plants. Perrenials, shrubs, and trees.

 

[Shibui]

That's a general gardening phrase used for all plants. Perrenials, shrubs, and trees.

Interesting that we don't hear that down here. Almost all plants that go in the ground in my area take off and grow vigorously from the start unless conditions or care is poor. I usually get 4'-7' of growth on most trident maples in the first summer and similar growth from most Australian native trees planted out. Juniper is one of the few I have noticed take a few years to get started.

 

[August44]

Interesting that we don't hear that down here. Almost all plants that go in the ground in my area take off and grow vigorously from the start unless conditions or care is poor. I usually get 4'-7' of growth on most trident maples in the first summer and similar growth from most Australian native trees planted out. Juniper is one of the few I have noticed take a few years to get started.

Wow! 4-7' in one summer for tridents? That is amazing!