Tulip Poplar

[just.wing.it]

@ohiogrown
I accidentally deleted the other pictures I had of this tree...

But I do have a question for anyone familiar with the species...

Each branch has a large bud at the end with many smaller buds below.
Are these big terminal buds actually flower buds?

I saw this volunteer pop up on the side of the house in spring '16....it may have actually began its life in '15, I'm not sure.
But I let it be until buds were swelling in spring '17 and I pulled it out of the ground, cut off a foot long tap root, leaving almost nothing, if I recall. Popped it deep in a good mix and wired the trunk to the side of the pot to keep it in place in the wind, as it was 5.5 feet tall and had no roots.
I plan to chop below where those wires are, eventually.
I also plan to repot it in a few months, onto a tile and get some Ebihara action going on here.

 

[Eric Group]

I do not see any potential for Bonsai with this kind of tree. Massive leaves, massive blooms, long internodes, no ramification....

They are pretty trees, but they are not Bonsai.

Don’t chop it, don’t plant it on a tile, stick it in the ground and let it grow up. JMHO

 

[just.wing.it]

I do not see any potential for Bonsai with this kind of tree. Massive leaves, massive blooms, long internodes, no ramification....

They are pretty trees, but they are not Bonsai.

Don’t chop it, don’t plant it on a tile, stick it in the ground and let it grow up. JMHO

You'd be surprised at the leaf size.
Many were about one square inch this past year, I f'd up and deleted a bunch of good pics to prove it.

And the only to know is to try...
I like the idea of toying with a native tree such as this.
I also expect to have many say it's a waste of time, many are entitled to their opinions.

 

[just.wing.it]

I found one of the pictures from the end of summer this one got a little crispy on me round the edges, in full sun.

This small leaf size is cool by me.

And that's not even in a bonsai pot.

 

[Eric Group]

You'd be surprised at the leaf size.
Many were about one square inch this past year, I f'd up and deleted a bunch of good pics to prove it.

And the only to know is to try...
I like the idea of toying with a native tree such as this.
I also expect to have many say it's a waste of time, many are entitled to their opinions.

Yep, and it is your time to waste. Look again at a mature, healthy, old one. They do not make “twiggy” ramified growth. You CAN grow most any tree in a Bonsai pot... restricting root growth, size, nutrient uptake... WILL reduce leave son most trees... but to get a dense, ramified, good looking bonsai... some varieties just won’t do it. Beyond that, typically if you can reduce leaves, you can not reduce bloom size... So, I think it coild make an i teresting plantin in your yard or even a large tree in anpot on a patio maybe... but a Bonsai? I would put your effort into better material.

 

[cbroad]

@just.wing.it
Found this on Wikipedia, might help

• Winter buds: Dark red, covered with a bloom, obtuse; scales becoming conspicuous stipules for the unfolding leaf, and persistent until the leaf is fully grown. Flower-bud enclosed in a two-valved, caducous bract.

 

[just.wing.it]

Yep, and it is your time to waste. Look again at a mature, healthy, old one. They do not make “twiggy” ramified growth. You CAN grow most any tree in a Bonsai pot... restricting root growth, size, nutrient uptake... WILL reduce leave son most trees... but to get a dense, ramified, good looking bonsai... some varieties just won’t do it. Beyond that, typically if you can reduce leaves, you can not reduce bloom size... So, I think it coild make an i teresting plantin in your yard or even a large tree in anpot on a patio maybe... but a Bonsai? I would put your effort into better material.

I appreciate and respect what you say.

But I have seen some deciduous magnolia bonsai, which has the same growth pattern as the tulip poplar, and you are right about the ramification not being very fine.
But nonetheless, they can look beautiful.
They may need to be larger, but that's fine.
These have better bark than their magnolia cousins...
I want to grow this trunk out for many years to make it as large as I can.
It will probably need several chops over many years.
Chopping will not happen anytime soon.

 

[just.wing.it]

@just.wing.it
Found this on Wikipedia, might help

• Winter buds: Dark red, covered with a bloom, obtuse; scales becoming conspicuous stipules for the unfolding leaf, and persistent until the leaf is fully grown. Flower-bud enclosed in a two-valved, caducous bract.

Yeah yeah! They must be flower buds then! Thanks!
I accidentally broke open the "caducous bract" at the very top earlier....bud still intact.

 

[just.wing.it]

Here is the dried up taproot, still have it in the basement for some reason...

 

[cbroad]

I was going to say it's a terminal leaf bud but actually it's both, flower and leaves. The flower will always be terminal but as the stem lengthens, leaves will come off the sides at the nodes.

 

[cbroad]

I don't know now, you might be right, the top bud could be the flower and that lower left bud directly below the top bud could be the first leaf and the flower bud extends even more creating the next node for a leaf. If so, you still might of knocked off the growing tip, but I'm not sure...

 

[Hack Yeah!]

You'd be surprised at the leaf size.
Many were about one square inch this past year, I f'd up and deleted a bunch of good pics to prove it.

And the only to know is to try...
I like the idea of toying with a native tree such as this.
I also expect to have many say it's a waste of time, many are entitled to their opinions.

Keep us posted. My yard and neighborhood is filled with them and they have a beautiful yellow fall color!

 

[Handsome John]

If youre going to pursue using it, make sure it has some form of organic matter in it and it gets acidic too, very fussy trees when not in their natural soil comps, also internodes do get long so make the flowers the real show of it rather than its winter image. I wonder how flexible they are, could put some bends in it but dont trunk chop yet, take er slow leave a branch or two, itll help develop subtle taper rather than extreme. Just my two cents

 

[BonsaiFurLife]

I think they are just big terminal buds. Flower buds are much bigger and the tree looks too young. Ones in my yard bloom closer to summer than spring.

 

[Adair M]

They grow around here. Pretty much always grow straight up. I don’t recall ever seeing one that wasn’t straight.

The limbs are weak. They drop branches all the time.

 

[sorce]

#will

#effnaysayers

#famousdutch

#nodebodybidnessbutyos

#growout

#TPLM

Sorce

 

[coachspinks]

As someone mentioned they are terminal buds and leaves. The tree blooms while leafed out. I have a bunch of large ones in my back yard. I also have a pile of limbs from these same trees ready to burn. Every time the wind blows they drop a lot of limbs.

 

[sorce]

#windprotection

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

As someone mentioned they are terminal buds and leaves. The tree blooms while leafed out. I have a bunch of large ones in my back yard. I also have a pile of limbs from these same trees ready to burn. Every time the wind blows they drop a lot of limbs.

They grow around here. Pretty much always grow straight up. I don’t recall ever seeing one that wasn’t straight.

The limbs are weak. They drop branches all the time.

That's interesting to hear.
There are big 70-80 foot ones behind my house too, I never see any branches dropping.....not like the weeping willow anyway, which is where my mind goes when think of that stuff.

 

[just.wing.it]

If youre going to pursue using it, make sure it has some form of organic matter in it and it gets acidic too, very fussy trees when not in their natural soil comps, also internodes do get long so make the flowers the real show of it rather than its winter image. I wonder how flexible they are, could put some bends in it but dont trunk chop yet, take er slow leave a branch or two, itll help develop subtle taper rather than extreme. Just my two cents

I like the note about the organic matter, thanks.
In a few months, I'll see how the roots did in all inorganic substrate last year.
As far as how flexible....I'm not concerned with that, its gonna be all clip and grow, maybe a little wiring if necessary.
Trunk won't be chopped low for many years.... I'll just wait until the base is at least 4 inches thick.