Pixar
Chumono
I have a small Walnut seeding and only has a single tap root . Should I trim it or not ?
Tap root trimming
- Thread starter Pixar
- Start date
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
Just one?
If you are tuned into your choice of substrate, you can pot it so that the top radial roots will be okay and the tap root will drown.
You can also just bend the tap root sideways when you plant it.
And you can cut it before you pot it - basically, the younger it is when you do it, the better.
If you had 3. 6, 9, 12, ... you could do a little experiment and make yourself be the world's expert on this question (maybe you don't care about the world and just wanna know, as is so with me.)
btw, I get some of my jollies by digging and potting stuff that pops up in the landscape around my house. Among these things were a couple of walnuts evidently planted by the neighborhood squirrels (walnuts are common Christmas time consumables around here and people sometimes toss them out to get the local wildlife through the winter). I put them into small (i.e., 2-inch dia) pots. What I saw was that they tend to make nicely tapering trunks with short internodes on this scale. Leaf sized was smaller than a full sized tree, but comically oversized for a mame/mini bonsai. I also treated the compound leaves as 'select-a-size', cutting them to just a few leaflets (which tends to induce back-budding), but I could never get to anything I thought attractive --> I had a good time with them, they died, I moved on. On the other hand, I've done ridiculous stuff with horse chestnuts and had a ball as their compound leaves radically reduce just by keeping the tree small.
So, carry on and enjoy that walnut!
If you are tuned into your choice of substrate, you can pot it so that the top radial roots will be okay and the tap root will drown.
You can also just bend the tap root sideways when you plant it.
And you can cut it before you pot it - basically, the younger it is when you do it, the better.
If you had 3. 6, 9, 12, ... you could do a little experiment and make yourself be the world's expert on this question (maybe you don't care about the world and just wanna know, as is so with me.)
btw, I get some of my jollies by digging and potting stuff that pops up in the landscape around my house. Among these things were a couple of walnuts evidently planted by the neighborhood squirrels (walnuts are common Christmas time consumables around here and people sometimes toss them out to get the local wildlife through the winter). I put them into small (i.e., 2-inch dia) pots. What I saw was that they tend to make nicely tapering trunks with short internodes on this scale. Leaf sized was smaller than a full sized tree, but comically oversized for a mame/mini bonsai. I also treated the compound leaves as 'select-a-size', cutting them to just a few leaflets (which tends to induce back-budding), but I could never get to anything I thought attractive --> I had a good time with them, they died, I moved on. On the other hand, I've done ridiculous stuff with horse chestnuts and had a ball as their compound leaves radically reduce just by keeping the tree small.
So, carry on and enjoy that walnut!
Pixar
Chumono
I had two seedlings ( one had multiple roots , the other only a single tap root )
might try bending that tap root and see what happens
Thanks
might try bending that tap root and see what happens
Thanks
Crazy Diamond
Omono
Strangle it! with a wire, zip tie, or watever. When the plant grows its basically airlayer himself sending roots up the strangled zone
Pixar
Chumono
good suggestion ( I'm going to do that )
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
Black walnut? If so, they take very badly to root pruning and repotting from all my research. Very difficult to work with. I would repot with the tap root and slowly cut it back up to new radial roots that happen to grow. Liriodendron are the same way apparently. I'm working with one but I have no idea if it will be alive next year. Very touch and go species.
Pixar
Chumono
Not the Black variety just the one that can be purchase from the local supermarket ( not sure what variety it is ) ?
Crazy Diamond
Omono
Juglans regia?
Pixar
Chumono
I think it's the English Juglans regia (but I don't know for sure as I only have the walnut )
Crazy Diamond
Omono
Well they are not the easiest thats for sure, not very good examples of them exist in bonsai but they are not impossible, this one is the best I've seen
Pixar
Chumono
Yes , that gave me inspiration ( that what I'm trying to end up with ) it must be possible 
Potawatomi13
Imperial Masterpiece
Wonderful interlude at 1 AM New Years morning. Thank you
. Wonderful example. Now even MORE(if possible)anxious for Spring.
. Wonderful example. Now even MORE(if possible)anxious for Spring.
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
Has anyone seen a good example of Juglans Nigra as bonsai?
