Peach as bonsai ?

[Melospiza]

What's with the ''we'' stuff, you were not the person showing your work, let the original posters explain how they got their results, you are merely presuming. Both posters are in Florida, you are in California, unlikely you would have been in their yards to witness how they achieved their results.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but rather point out that you should dial back your sense of ownership of other people's efforts. Yes this is a ''community'' but please give people the chance to explain what they did.

I didn't get that from his response. I assumed all he meant was that defoliation helps reduce leaf size. Weird thing to take offence over...

 

[Vance Wood]

Most of what I am hearing about fruit trees as bonsai miss the point; these type of bonsai are grown for the spring flowers then allowed to flounder to gain strength for making flowers once again in the coming spring. Very seldom do you find one of these bonsai displayed at any time other than early spring in flower.

 

[Hyn Patty]

Huh, all these problems you guys mention with peach trees. They grow like weeds in Georgia and are so robust - but then most of our common peach trees tend to be from seed rather than grafted. Spring up everywhere! So pretty in spring. I've never had any trouble with them and hardly ever had to spray for any pests. Plain old fashioned peaches though probably are a lot hardier than the fancier grafted versions. If I tried one as a bonsai I'd not let it fruit - I'd just grow it for the flowers, form and foliage.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I didn't get that from his response. I assumed all he meant was that defoliation helps reduce leaf size. Weird thing to take offence over...

I might have miss interpreted the intent of Cooper. If so, I apologise.

 

[onlyrey]

With the couple I might have exagerated the speed. It took a couple of months before I realized this tree was not going to put more buds/branches. THIs is how long it took:
1. Purchased mid-Feb
2. Drilled at the end of April, when I saw no hope for more branches. The only branch had enough long green-flexible branches that I could thread them through. When I drilled the holes the main trunk had green in it.
3. Over the next weeks, the holes were pretty big, so every chance I had, I pulled the branches more, until the branches filled the holes.
4. I took the photo in the post above about three/four weeks after threading the branches (May-13).
5. Here is another photo, I just noticed there is sap at the highest wxit hole. See picture above. I took this picture yesterday (April-16)

 

[onlyrey]

the1only. That is a very nice looking trunk on that tree, care to show photos closer to the nebari? The tree I posted already had flowers and fruit, what might not be a good thing is to have to run it wild for 3 years just to get a few flowers. This might be the nature of these trees however.
Leo in N E - Thank you very much for the comment, I posted above with a more complete picture of the timing. I tend not to be very accurate with time.
VanceWood - I bought this for the flowers. I used to have a "flowering almond" when I lived in South Carolina and just waited all year to see the beautiful pink flowers w/o foliage; that was a treat, if this tree did half of that here in Tampa-Florida, I would be very happy.

 

[onlyrey]

I was checking this thread to try to updated it. Here is what went on with this "Peachy" attempt at bonsai:
1. My thread grafting failed. I will try this with another tree. They looked good, but my cut in the holes might not have been as clean.
2. The side low branch from which i had drawn the branches for the thread grew very vigoursly, but was the only branch ( on one side of the tree only).
3. I just chopped the tree above that branch, and fortunately, the trunk is alive all around, a bit above the graft mark. [see attached picture]. The root system is also healthy all around.
4. I am hoping it comes back vigorously.
Thank you very much for your comments and advice. I am crossing my fingers i didn't kill this tree. However, if it doesn't come back, it will not be the first tree i kill. Hopefully the image show the context. Dog added to second image to distract from my crappy non-clean chop job.

 

[just.wing.it]

Maybe use a saw to make a cleaner cut, then a razor on the edges and seal it.
Otherwise, good luck with it!