Show your birch / betula

[Bonsaidoorguy]

My Silver Birch this year. Still one of my favorites.

 

[August44]

My Silver Birch this year. Still one of my favorites.View attachment 489602View attachment 489603

Nice! Collected or yamadori?

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

Nice! Collected or yamadori?

Aquired as prebonsai from an elderly gentleman getting out of it, so I'm not exactly sure.

 

[August44]

Aquired as prebonsai from an elderly gentleman getting out of it, so I'm not exactly sure.

No suckering at the base? I would sure like to find a nice birch. Hard to know which to buy and all here have an ugly graft.

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

No suckering at the base? I would sure like to find a nice birch. Hard to know which to buy and all here have an ugly graft.

This one has no graft so I'm thinking it was started from seed.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

Just for the fun of it I potted this little silver birch seedling I found in my garden yesterday.
The size of the pot is 3.0x3.0x2.5cm.

Does this qualify as Keishi Bonsai?

 

[vesper818]

So cute
Looks like baby Groot learning to wave hello!

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Here is my offering to this thread, it is Silver Birch
I think this one is ready for some branch selection and pruning but I am scared I will ruin it, any advice will be gratefully appreciated!

 

[luvinthemountains]

My lessons learned from pruning silver birch: (1) use cut paste for any cut thicker than a pencil, or you'll risk dieback; (2) don't be too conservative about keeping branches - these sprout profusely from branch collars; and (3) don't prune flush to the trunk where you will want shoots in the future. Hope that helps!

 

[actionflies]

I am curious, people is not having Birch trees because they don’t have access to good material or why?

Birch are tricky because a branch will randomly die.

 

[actionflies]

I have given up on birch. Not worth the bother. one day, out of the blue, it will loose a major part of the tree, devastating ears of work without obvious reason.

This is so true especially on older tree.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Snip snip

I could have probably gone closer to the trunk but I cut back to buds on every branch, hopefully letting light in will encourage closer buds I can cut back to in future

if anyone has input on which of my leaders they would pick for an apex I would appreciate guidance

 

[ralf]

This is so true especially on older tree.

Well, regarding

I have given up on birch. Not worth the bother. one day, out of the blue, it will loose a major part of the tree, devastating ears of work without obvious reason.

I recall another saying: It is not a problem if you know how to do it. Forgot who said that on different occasions. though.

I believe that the reasons for "out of blues" are mistakes in horticulture. The approach " one garden one system" doesn't work here.

 

[ralf]

Slanting birch

The "eyesore" branch in the middle section of the tree used to be the main trunk of the tree in 2007. Now it is just a piece of deadwood.

Deadwood on a birch, right angle, horizontal and perpendicular directions, out of balance... What else...?

 

[603bonsai]

Two yellow birch that I just collected and potted.

Is there a reason more people don’t use yellow birch for bonsai? It is much longer lived and more robust than most other betulas. Fast grower. And the bark is beautiful when pristine (they like shade and wet and so are often covered in lichen etc and discolored in nature). Seems like a good species but don’t see it used. Anyone know/have a thought why?

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

Was having some drainage issues with my birch so it got a re-pot this spring into 100% akadama. She seems to be doing fine with waking up and is leafing out nicely.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

My current birch . First up are 3 Betula nana . Cultivar Cesky gold . Purchased last year to late to repot. Repotted this spring . One received sone serious root pruning as somewhat necessary and a experiment . For bonsai I fell the nana or arctic birch sometimes called dwarf birch is the most over looked version . ( there is some argument that Cesky gold has sone pendula DNA ) these trees as mine indicate tend to multi stem shrub. There greatest bonsai assets are . By far the smallest leaves of all birch ( about 1/2 to 3/4 inch ) they back bud easily . And are arguable the most cold hardy decid tree on the planet . Last 2 pics are a rock crack paper birch . I collected 3 years ago . Reputed this spring unsure what if anything it will become . It was a easy collect while looking for other trees . The base was damaged and had dead wood . Which is not a asset . ( they are known to have the least rot resistant wood of north A hardwoods . Often you will find fallen trunks in the woods with . The famous bark Untouched and the wood all gone