Himalayan Birch - Should I buy?

[Iowa newbie]

Thanks to this hobby I pop in and out of every lowes and menards in my area. I found this Himalayan Birch there and it really caught my eye. $75 currently at lowes and I almost pulled the trigger then, does this have real potential?




Good 3-4 inch trunk, 4 big roots and that nasty one in the back.

This will be the biggest project I have taken yet, but the material speaks to me, had a whitebark birch in my yard growing up.

 

[_#1_]

I'm still fairly new at this but based on observation, that little chopped stick in last pic usually mean the stock is grafted. You can see the difference in growth rate too.

If you're ok with that than next question would be the surface root flare/spread. First pic is promising as I can clearly see three toes/roots. Last pic may or may not be problematic. Are there surface roots under that large looper in that last pic?

If you find nebari to be satisfactory, are you satisfied with the straitish trunk? If you like the process of building the trunk, then by all mean take a shot at it.

Maybe I'm that cheap, but I pass on this one. Not 75 for a Birch...

 

[Iowa newbie]

I'm still fairly new at this but based on observation, that little chopped stick in last pic usually mean the stock is grafted. You can see the difference in growth rate too.

If you're ok with that than next question would be the surface root flare/spread. First pic is promising as I can clearly see three toes/roots. Last pic may or may not be problematic. Are there surface roots under that large looper in that last pic?

If you find nebari to be satisfactory, are you satisfied with the straitish trunk? If you like the process of building the trunk, then by all mean take a shot at it.

Maybe I'm that cheap, but I pass on this one. Not 75 for a Birch...

I saw the graft stick, its almost been swallowed already, I figured snipping it off and letting it heal over would be fine.

Yes great roots 2 or 3 on the front of the tree, opposite the graft, but couldn't really get under that big surface root.

Straight trunk, yeah, I guess Im ok with it, its beefy, thats what caught my eye.

Would I chop the top off first? Or try to repot? Not sure I can sneak this one past the wife at its current 9 ft height

 

[Maloghurst]

Nope! I strongly advise not buying this.
Birch are difficult in general but paperbark variety are not used much if at all.
You want silver/European birch with the white fissured bark.
On top of that the base is bad and not fixable.
You are only buying the bottom 4-8 inches and building a tree on top of that so definite no unless it’s like $10 and your not worried about losing it with a drastic prune next spring. Also the leaves and internodes are not ideal.
I paid 10.00 for this at nursery sale. I cut it down to 10” and it’s doing well. See the difference in leaves and internodes length.

 

[Iowa newbie]

Nope! I strongly advise not buying this.
Birch are difficult in general but paperbark variety are not used much if at all.
You want silver/European birch with the white fissured bark.
On top of that the base is bad and not fixable.
You are only buying the bottom 4-8 inches and building a tree on top of that so definite no unless it’s like $10 and your not worried about losing it with a drastic prune next spring. Also the leaves and internodes are not ideal.
I paid 10.00 for this at nursery sale. I cut it down to 10” and it’s doing well. See the difference in leaves and internodes length.
View attachment 250514View attachment 250515

This is why I come to this community thank you

 

[Maloghurst]

This is why I come to this community thank you

I’m sure someone will say they make great bonsai but I still would not recommend buying this tree.

 

[grouper52]

Thanks to this hobby I pop in and out of every lowes and menards in my area. I found this Himalayan Birch there and it really caught my eye. $75 currently at lowes and I almost pulled the trigger then, does this have real potential?]

You can do much better. Please read my tutorial in the Resources section of this site, titled, "The Importance of Starting with a Good Trunk".

 

[Gsquared]

Put me in the no column as well. There looks to be a semi girdling root too. I think you’d be much better off putting your $75 back in your pocket and wait for something else.

If you are fairly new to bonsai, you’d be better off with a Japanese maple or juniper. They are much more beginner-friendly trees, and rank amongst the best trees in the world. And when you are working with more classic species ( Jap. Black pine, shimpaku, tridents, JMs) you are going to have a lot better information on line and through this site. Most everyone on BN has experience they can share with these species, as opposed to more unusual material like birch which are not used nearly as much. There’s probably a reason for that. I’m getting the idea that they might be tricky from previous posts.