SkyKero
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ginkgo bonsai

so .. today I went to buy some used terra cotta pots -- ...

and I came home with a ginkgo tree -- it is little ... maybe 2 feet high -- skinny trunk.... .. I would like to make it a Bonsai -- I do not know how to start -- I will be searching the net in the next few days -- I was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction...

Hmm .. does a bonsai have to be small or can it be like 4 feet high -- does bonsai just mean that it is not full grown?

Thanks!!

Silvia

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Gnome
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Silvia,
does bonsai just mean that it is not full grown?
By the strictest definition bonsai just means a potted plant or a plant in a tray although most mean a potted tree.

Aesthetically, a bonsai should give the impression of maturity. One of the ways this is achieved is by maintaining a reasonable ratio between the size of the trunk and the height of the tree. A general rule of thumb is 1/6. In other words, a one inch trunk for a six inch tall tree looks good.
it is little ... maybe 2 feet high -- skinny trunk.... .. I would like to make it a Bonsai -- I do not know how to start
The usual method for trees that backbud is to grow it out until the desired diameter is approached then cut it back to begin developing taper and movement. A series of these cycles is repeated creating a tree with interest.

How do you know when the trunk has reached the proper dimension? You first determine how tall of a tree you desire, this determines how you should proceed. Have a look at this article. Once you read it, read it again, it really is an excellent synopsis of the process.

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm

Norm

derkap10
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Hi Silvia,

Good advice from Norm (Gnome). An answer to your question about whether or not bonsais' have to be small is no. I think the largest ones are referred to as 'Imperial Bonsai'. These can be several feet tall. The main thing is a good tree to pot size ratio. From what I understand Gingkos make pretty good bonsais'. Although they tend to have somewhat larger leaves. I believe this would bode well for a somewhat larger size bonsai. Hope this helps a little. Thanks,

Allen

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rainbowgardener
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https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22141

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applestar
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Here's picture of a tiny one. The caption says Male Ginkgo like this one has deeply clefted leaves, and the height is 16cm.
[img]https://www.mini-bonsai.com/c4/mainichi/annex/193_Gazou.jpg[/img]
https://mini-bonsai.com/c4/mainichi/193_list_msg.html

Ah! Here's a good page though it's in Japanese:
https://mini-bonsai.com/c4/mainichi/21_list_msg.html
OK, here's their English page, a little hard to understand:
https://mini-bonsai.com/c4/mainichi-e/21_list_msg.html

In case you missed it, the author is saying make propagation cuttings from the cut-off portion and root them for more trees because this (I.e. the date of the article: 5/31) is a good time of the year for propagating from cuttings.

SkyKero
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Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:58 am
Location: Georgia

It seems that I will be waiting for a year or 2 at least -- and in the mean time I will read as much a I can -- and maybe even try a different kind of tree... This plant thing is ADDICTIVE!!!!

With that said -- how do I know if the tree is in too big of a pot? The gentleman that gave it to me had just transplanted it .. to a bigish pot -- I do not want root rot --- I will see about taking a picture tonight.

:) --- patience ---- ufff... this will be a good lesson.

Silvia

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Zootenval
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Location: Hollywood, FL

Hi:

Glad to see there are other Ginkgo afficionados out there. I have a very small, shohin size specimen in Bunjin (Literati) style, and I have 3 larger examples now growing freely in 2 gallon smart pots. I plan to create a forest group with these three soon.

[img]https://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp25/zootenval/GinkgoBunjin.jpg[/img]



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