I.

Collected trees
A good way to treat a 'recently dug' tree is to get as much roots as possible, remove as much of the
old soil as possible (if it is soil like this), clean up the cut sites on the roots and put it in a pot that just
fits, with free draining medium. Then leave it to grow and establish for at least two seasons before
you do any work on it.

Larch is a much more primitive species than deciduous trees. Deciduous trees may have developed
back budding as a survival measure, if there is still any root activity left it will survive by growing new
buds.
Larch does not have this sophisticated system. Larch does often have a bud next to a new twig, that
will stay dormant until something happens to the branch. It is a one shot deal though. Once that bud
is also gone there is no more 'back' budding. It means though that if you dig out an older Larch from
the wild, it may shoot from the trunk some sleeping buds, but that is it than, a one time shot.
Maybe this has contributed to the myth that Larch buds back

Looking at this tree, I'm reminded of all the mistakes with Larch that I have made in past years. And
believe me that I have made them all.
Working too soon on a tree, doing too much at one time, not letting the tree recover from the
insults, I have done that and have the corpses to prove it.

These are beginners mistakes that we hopefully only make once.............

Some not so obvious 'Larch specific' mistakes were made too:

The most obvious (in hindsight) is the removal of the lower branches, this results in not being able to
achieve a satisfactory taper. These branches can also be used to balance the apical dominance of
Larch. With these quite big lower branches the apical growth could have been slowed down
considerably, resulting in a more compact canopy.

LARCH DOES NOT BUD BACK !!!!

Because of this the branches need to be selected at having the best rhythm along the trunk. Larger
space between branches lower on the trunk and gradually getting smaller towards the top.
In between the clusters of branches there are larger bare spaces, then again a little cluster. In these
bare spaces the tree will never grow a new bud. So you need to strategically cut back and create a
new leader to get that rhythm right.

A Larch in training should be grown more horizontal than vertical, more bush-like than other species.

You should leave it in the pot to mature, there is no quick way to create a nice apex. Trunks
you can grow fast, branches too, but the apex needs to have 'controlled density'.

II. Thread Graft

If the primary branch height is a problem you could style in a dropped branch or thread graft lower.
Yes that works but you have to leave the donor end for longer to make sure it is a viable graft. Also it
has to be done when the buds are not swollen yet, so end winter would be right.
Good healthy looking tree. In order to make styling decisions and a plan of what to cut, you will need
to wait till the foliage has gone so you can see the structure of the tree clearly
The lower branches would be sacrificial (in my garden) so they can grow freely until ready to be
removed, which may take up to 10 years. The trunk still needs bulk, so the apex also needs to grow
freely.
I keep the growing tip on the sacrificial branches as well as on the apical growth intact, the side
shoots can be trimmed to one or two buds as long as the end meristem is alive the branch or trunk
will thicken.

III. Pinch back growth

That depends on the different roles I have given the branches.
The side shoots on the sacrificial branches (lowest) get pinched all the time except the tip that gets
to grow free.
The branches above the SB that I want to use for the crown get pinched as soon as the new growth
shows clear buds (see other posts)
The top branches that don't get used in the design get pinched all the time.
The tip of the tree doesn't get pinched same as the SB's only the side shoots.

hope this answers your question.

IV. Promote growth

Free drainage, pond baskets, lots of fertiliser, full sun. In short that is the answer.

I have a formula: Light+fertiliser+drainage+ water+warmth= growth

Each of the factors can be the limiting factor, they should all be as optimal as possible. If you limit for
instance water, you can not give much fertiliser because it will not be taken up by the plant. If you
limit light, photosynthesis is not optimal, the plant can't use the available nutrients.
So if you optimise all these factor, and nature is helpful, your trees grow fast.

V. Feeding
I feed heavily with 10-4-6, high Nitrogen fertiliser from the time the tree shows signs of awakening
till the end of summer. If you have not yet fed heavily this season, don't start now wait till next
spring, then start a 4 week schedule of high N feed. I feed organic, this helps the soil life, the plant
doesn't know the difference between organic and inorganic, but organic improves the soil.
You could give a light dose of low N fertiliser if it fits in your feeding schedule.

Below are some older posts that may clarify some issues.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6894
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6597

VI. Cuttings
Sorry, the success rate in taking cuttings was not as high as in growing from seed so I never really got
into that.
It is possible but only with semi softwood cuttings. Maybe somebody else has done it or is still taking
cuttings and can fill you in on the hows and whens.

Never forget: inner buds are sacred, keep them.

Assuming that the two lower branches are sacrificial..... treat them like Dan suggested. You could cut
the side shoots of those to one or two buds, but don't cut the terminal bud.

All the other twigs are there to build a canopy. In order to create a small tree you need to have the
buds you use close together.
For instance, in the second pic the left branch:

Green arrow: there is a nice group of buds, close enough to use, in such a situation cut back
to the orange mark.
Orange circle: here are two buds close, the rest is too far away, too much space in between,
cut to the two buds close together.
All twigs should be cut that way, I know it removes almost all of last seasons growth, but
hurry now, repent at leisure. The canopy needs to be build slow and carefully IF you want to
grow small.
http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12240&hilit=larch&start=10
Now you need to wire the twigs in position, horizontal. It doesn't matter if you have more
twigs than will be used in the end.
You will end up cutting twigs that are not placed ideal, but in this stage you need the extra
green, because you have cut away a lot of potential green.

So let's see if I get this in summary?

1. Treat lower branches as sacrifice. Let them extend at the end, trim sides to a few close buds.

2. Treat all else as the ultimate tree and prune to 2 close buds and wire

Yes. That is the way to create small trees, don't be afraid to cut off half your tree.
If you plan to do that, don't do it now but treat the old apex as another sacrificial branch. Cut all side
shoots back to one bud and let the branch grow free next season, it will add overall girth. At the
same time you can work on the canopy and it will also help balancing the growth.

In the white circles are (possible) old buds they might shoot in spring, so leave them be.
The right side lower blue line the buds are too far from eachother, you will have a gap that will never
close. So cut that twig back to the first bud.

One thing I forgot to mention is to wire the two sacrificial branches down. I do that by making a wire
hook on the side of the pot and loop it over the branch so it gets pulled down. (sorry can't find a
picture to show)

Even if the tree is in its 'show' pot I still use sacrificial branches. Any branch that can stand a bit of
girth improvement gets its turn sooner or later.

JL not common in Japan’s as bonsai - Most important reasons, most of Japan is too hot in summer. In
Europe you would struggle to keep Larch healthy and thriving below Bordeaux, so even here it has
its limitations.
Also there is this quirk in Larix that it won't bud back. We are so used to our trees budding back
(more or less) that working on Larch, as a nursery, you can not use the same procedures as in the
rest of the trees. You have to rethink the "how do I keep the foliage close to the trunk", and really let
that fact sink in.
It won't be so obvious in larger trees but there too you are faced in the future with this
phenomenon. For me working on small to tiny trees it is the first law of growing ShoHin: no buds no
branch.

In all of my Bonsai books from Japanese authors I haver two pictures of Larch and those are from
growers in the north of Japan.

It is good practise to leave more branches than you need, the more foliage the faster the tree will
recover.

This season the larger sacrificial branch was removed and replaced with three smaller sacrificial
branches that were allowed to grow in order to keep the tree healthy and the canopy compact. It is
the only way to keep the buds in the canopy close to the trunk, in my experience.

IMG_3552 by
Arihato, on Flickr
The Nebari is already as wide as half the height, and when put in a shallower wider pot that will only
increase. I'll have to see if and when the sacrificial branches will be removed because I want to
prevent the branches getting too thick, they need to stay in proportion. The canopy will continue to
mature and grow denser.

Almost two years ago I showed some Larch projects in post:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6597
Yes this is how slow I work, not really much happening just some growing.

The first tree in that post is also featured in post: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6894

There I decided that it would be a 'bigger' tree, well that did not work out so well.........
The tree before it was cut back

CRW_7744 by
Arihato, on Flickr

But this bud was awfully well placed to make a smashing ShoHin, you can feel where this is
heading.
 CRW_7746 by
Arihato, on Flickr

Two of the sacrificial branches were removed and part of one dominant branch was shortened
to give the bud some more energy to grow.

IMG_2148 by
Arihato, on Flickr

After a season of growth one of the remaining sacrificial branches was removed to avoid a
swelling on that spot and to give the new leader more energy.
 IMG_3558 by
Arihato, on Flickr

As you can maybe see it will be a nice tapered little trunk in a year or two.

The next tree was the second tree featured in the old post (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6597). It
was the long sacrificial branch with the lonely bud at the trunk

CRW_7554 by
Arihato, on Flickr

The tree grew well over the past two years (a bit slow) and can grow freely in height for the
next couple of years. Hopefully it will pick up speed next season.
 IMG_2147 by Arihato, on Flickr

IMG_3553 by
Arihato, on Flickr

The last tree of this post was also the last tree of post (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6597). It already
had a lovely Nebari but the canopy needed to mature yet. Two years ago the long sacrificial
branch was cut and replaced with a smaller one.

IMG_1344 by
Arihato, on Flickr

It was potted in spring of '13 and allowed to grow more or less free, as you can see the
sacrificial branch put on some girth

IMG_2124 by
Arihato, on Flickr
This spring it was put in a smaller pot closer to the ideal pot, wired and styled.

IMG_2805 by
Arihato, on Flickr

This season the larger sacrificial branch was removed and replaced with three smaller
sacrificial branches that were allowed to grow in order to keep the tree healthy and the
canopy compact. It is the only way to keep the buds in the canopy close to the trunk, in my
experience.
 IMG_3552 by
Arihato, on Flickr

The Nebari is already as wide as half the height, and when put in a shallower wider pot that
will only increase. I'll have to see if and when the sacrificial branches will be removed
because I want to prevent the branches getting too thick, they need to stay in proportion. The
canopy will continue to mature and grow denser.

Prerequisite: enough trees to work on, patience, common sense, the basics of how a tree
grows, observation. You do that for a number of years and you get results.
It is rare for me to do anything drastic, it is almost all very slow and gradual. I give trees the
chance to grow into what they are best at (does this even make sense?).
Don't give up on your trees even if they don't look like the image you have for them, time,
time is all that is needed and a little guidance, a snip here, next year a snip there......

If I really thought that what I do takes special powers or deep knowledge, I would not share it
because you don't have special powers neither have I. A basic understanding of how trees
grow, and time to grow is all that is needed.

A book on basic tree knowledge: The growing tree by Brayton F. Wilson.

On Amazon.com for $ 0.57 second hand. The very best book on trees and how they live I
know.

VII. Cuttings
I would have to disappoint you Gavin, taking cuttings from Larch is quite a haphazard business. Very
low success rates is my experience. The only success (sporadic) is with semi-hardwood cuttings at
the end of spring, with bottom heat, under plastic. ..

Brendan, seeing the pictures from the top down, you have some choices in your apex area

Attachment:
Larch Brendan.jpg [ 140.05 KiB | Viewed 78 times ]

From the top:

The dark blue line is the first option to get a more compact apex

The green line would be an option, but it is bare for the most part, you would have to thread
graft some twigs to create a good apex

The red line gets rid of some of the clutter, leaving the twig (yellow arrow) to grow a new
branch.

Blue and red together could be an option.

That is what I can see from the pictures, I know in the flesh the tree looks different, Brendan
if at all possible get some hands on advice from an experienced Bonsaïsta
I would not repot for another two or three years, the better the root system develops now the
healthier the tree. Repotting is a tool, just like you cutters. It needs to be used appropriately, if
you have done the root work properly it can grow happily for 6 or 7 years in the same pot and
soil. Disturbing the roots will set back the growth and slow down the development of the tree.

It is good practise to pot a tree like this in a pot as close as possible to the desired 'end pot'.
Potting big has no advantages it has a number of drawbacks though. Like soil staying wet for
too long, not enough 'dry' time in between waterings.

As I do not know your garden and the amount of time you can spend with your trees, my
above statement (about pots size) is a guesstimate. It is what I do as 'best practise'. You will
have to use your common sense.

Inverse taper

Keith, usually I find the side I like best, the front, and split is on the side, or I find the place where if I
split the trunk it would have the most effect. You can use one of these trunk splitters
(http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/shop/produc ... ts_id=2421). make a wedge or a conical piece of
wood and insert it in the split till you achieve some taper. Seal with cut paste to prevent drying out.

But I have also used a knife, at repotting time, wrap the roots so they don't dry out, and mark where
you want to split the trunk, then with a sharp knife score and cut the trunk halve way through, flip
over and repeat. This way you can also make a three way split or even a four way, now insert the
wedge and seal the wounds with some cut paste and wrap the trunk with grafters tape not too
tightly. This is to prevent the cambium coming loose, especially with a three or four way split this is
prone to happen

VIII. mycorrhiza
Are you satisfied with the result of the split? In time it will blend in, you can gently scrape
the 'sharp' edges of the cuts to get the scars to blend quicker.
That looks like mycorrhiza allright. Did you smell it? It has a lovely mushroomy smell.
If you ever have a tree with root aphids, it may look similar but it doesn't have the scent, a
good way to make sure it is the fungi.

IX. Emergency care

That looks like erratic watering and some longer dry spells. From the pictures it is hard to see what is
alive and what is dead. I would not prune any wood that looks dead if the bark is not shriveled. Don't
feed, make sure the soil is still free draining, the tree may well surprise you.... but with a bit of care
parts may recover.
Try and find a better caregiver or the tree is well on its way out........

The fact that the lowest branches are bare is an illustration of the tendency of Larch to drop low
branches in favour of the top growth, when severely stressed

X. Defoliation
Larch does not bud back on old wood, it has though sleeping buds if it is an untrained tree. So it
might wake those ONCE, after that it is back to NO buds No branch.
Because it doesn't bud back there is no advantage in defoliating, there will be no better ramification
afterwards. The needles may be smaller because you are stressing the tree, but they get smaller as
the ramification increases anyway.

So what is the aim of defoliating?

Redistributing growth, you can do that safer with the right scissor pinching method.
If you are only curious and want to try it, please do so and tell us of the results, include pictures
please.

XI. Balancing the growth on Larch

Sometime when I write about balancing the growth on a Larch, I feel that the concept is not

readily understandable for the newer members, so some pictures.......

Some theory behind this method: Larch is very apically dominant, so much so the it will drop
lower branches in favour of top growth when stressed. If I were to scissor pinch my Larches
equally all over, the lower branches would slowly become weaker. This doesn't happen in the
course of one year but over time if not dealt in advance the lower branches will weaken.
Then when the tree is stressed by lack of water or too much water, it will reduce the amount
of sap flow in favour of the top growth. It is difficult and time consuming to re-strengthen the
lower branches once they are weakened. In order to combat this I need to strengthen the
lower branches and balance the amount of growth on the tree. Balancing means that I am
favouring the lower branches so they stay strong and vigorous, pinching the top branches,
allowing shoots on the lower branches to grow, not so much that I loose my ramification but
still a fair amount.

Now the practise, this tree is from a seedling from 1975, always grown in pots. In them days I
did not know how to achieve a nice tapered trunk on Larch, so it has little taper.
As you can see the top has been pinched as soon as buds were visible and some lower shoots
were allowed to lengthen.
IMG_3482 by Arihato, on Flickr

Not all, but a fair number. How many depends on the vigour of the branch.....
IMG_3483 by Arihato, on Flickr

As it is now almost mid-summer the shoots are pruned.

IMG_3488 by Arihato, on Flickr

Now the tree is allowed to grow again and again the top growth will be pinched shorter than
the lower branches.

This tree is in partial maintenance, I am growing a new apex. Now if I were to do so without
allowing the lower shoots to grow freely the tree would let the lower branches weaken in
favour of the apex.

IMG_3487 by Arihato, on Flickr

The new apex is now allowed to grow side shoots, and a new leader is allowed to grow.
IMG_3491 by Arihato, on Flickr

I hope this will help in keeping the lower branches of your Larches healthy and vigorous. It
saves years of hard work if done in advance, once you notice the branches becoming weaker
it is hard to regain vigour in them.
If you have left sacrifice branches lower down on a larch, do you ever say "enough", remove the
sacrificial branch/es and just maintain the structure you have acheived? If so, does the problem of
gradual apical dominance eventually ruin the tree? I assume that it is a question in my direction.....

You know that any tree in a small pot will slow down growth, eventually, don't you.......

This is a rather young tree with lots of drive left to be the giant in you garden, this tendency needs to
be balanced by sacrificial branches.
The idea behind this is that a given root system can service a finite amount of foliage. So if I increase
the amount of foliage on the lower branches there are less resources left for the apex, the apical
growth will slow down and the internodes will be smaller.

Once the tree is matured enough that the growth is much more balanced, the apical growth can be
controlled by pruning the top more than the lower branches. Until then I use sacrificial branches.

The feeding schedule is also adapted to slower growth, so less N more P and K, less frequent doses.

But in the end a Larch will always be apically dominant, if planted in the ground, in three years time
it will be three metres high. This has to be checked periodically, is the tree well balanced, do I need
to thin the apex further, do I need to let a low bud grow free for a season or two.

How do you see that a branch is starting to weaken; a slightly later shooting in spring, slightly
lighter colour, a slightly earlier yellowing in autumn, less shoot extension. These are some of
the signs.
One really needs to take in account the two not so helpful traits of the Larch: it doesn't bud back and
it is very apically dominant. Balancing the growth between top and bottom is the name of the Mame
Before cutting the lowest branch use it as a sacrificial branch for a season or two. It will help balance
the top growth. The more foliage you allow the apex to get the weaker the lower branches get.
I know it doesn't show for maybe a couple of years but once they are weakened it is almost
impossible the reverse.

You need to get the lower branches to grow and gain vigour, now you need to be sensitive in
balancing the energy of the whole tree. These are options to restore the balance;

-the lower branches are really lagging in growth, you could cut back the whole top and create a new
leader. Drawback will be that thickening will be slower when you cut back the initial trunk.

-the lower branches are weaker but still growing slowly. As you can see in picture 3487, all the side
shoots on the new leader are reduced to one or two buds, and are kept cropped closely. The most
apical meristem is kept intact as this will aid thickening. At the same time allowing part of the lower
branches to extend for one or two years.

On a side note: why is it the when you cut back a trunk and make a new leader, that leader will
thicken quickly and will keep on growing as long as the apical meristem is kept intact. But when you
cut back this leader and create again a new leader this new apex will not grow as fast and thicken as
fast as the original leader.

Anyway it is the reason I keep my apical meristems intact as long as possible. I would like to know
why though........

I pot them in a basket and let them be for a few years, that was sound advice. Lightly feed if it is
growing, no feed if it is not growing. It may have already made an end bud on the new growth, if so
don't feed anymore.
Give it time to make up its mind whether it wants to live or not. Can take a few years, depending on
the state of the roots.

XII. Pruning
All trees need to grow, a tree that doesn't grow is dying!
The tiny ones grow just as hard and need a haircut to maintain their shape.

I advise always to wait till the little buds are visible. One wrong pinch could cost me a whole branch,
so only scissor pinching for these trees.

A typical bud on a twig,

IMG_3463 by Arihato, on Flickr

This bud however is too far from the 'old' wood and the distance between this bud and the bud
closer to the trunk is too large. Yes 0.5 cm is too far away for the tiny ones.
So here is the bud on the same twig but right next to the old wood, that is the one I will be
using/cutting back to.
IMG_3464 by Arihato, on Flickr

It is very important to keep the spaces in proportion to the branch they are on.
So here is the tree with a fashionably short haircut.
 IMG_3466 by
Arihato, on Flickr

At the back there still is the sacrificial branch that is allowed to grow on.
IMG_3467 by Arihato, on Flickr
XIII. Root pruning
I prefer to repot when the buds get transparent golden/ green. Later is also possible but for me not
so convenient.

Root pruning; the amount that safely can be removed depends on how fibrous your root system is.
You can remove more from a fibrous root system, up to two thirds of the root mass.
Do you still have alot of thick roots, I would advise to shorten the thicker roots first and see how
much root mass is left (half is still okay).
That does NOT mean that you cut all the thick roots and have nothing left. Use your common sense
Try to save as much of the thinner roots as possible, maybe give them a light trim.
The more fine roots you have the better your ramification up top will be, so that is your aim.

Larch tend to be very hardy and tolerate quite severe root pruning. I reckon that you can mess
about with Larch above ground at any time.

I have one Larch that survived on one life rootlet, it took years for the tree to get back in shape
though.

repotting is a tool. Repotting for repottings sake is bad husbandry.

It is often okay for a tree to be in a pot for three or even five years, old Pines are often only repotted
every 8 to 10 years.

Is the tree pot bound? Does the soil no longer drain freely? Is the tree not regaining its health?
Those are some of the questions you need to answer before you know when to repot.

I quite like this understated pot, it does not shout for attention but lets the tree be the star, that's
how I like my tree/pot combos.

Flowering.
If the tree is not in optimum health, you can remove them, if so do it as early as possible. You know
your tree.

Balancing

A special advice given by Geof:

Hi Rui,
It looks in your latest picture as if all the branches have been pruned the same amount. In order to
have finer branches at the top and get taper in the trunk, you should prune much harder at the top
than the lower branches. When the shoots start to grow, don't let them get too long before nipping
them back, especially at the top, otherwise the branches will really expand.
Going to be a nice little tree.
Geoff

Rui, growing Larch as ShoHin is not the easiest option.

I'll give you my basic rules for Larch ShoHin

Rule 1, inner buds are precious, they have to be kept at all cost. If they are no longer there you need
to cut back to a position that has buds close to the trunk.
Rule 2, You have to compensate for the top growth, Larch is apically dominant and in order to
balance that you need to let the lowest branches, or parts of them, grow freely.

Rule 3, always go for the most taper and the best Nebari. If there is no taper in a ShoHin it will
always look odd, like a pencil with twigs. There is no need to go to the extreme, but there needs to
be visible taper.

Rule 4, always think towards the future. Larch does NOT bud back no matter which book or master
tells you that it does, it doesn't. So be prepared to change the design of your tree if you lose
branches or inner buds .

Rule 5, Larch has the nasty habit of making a couple of branches, then bypass the next ten or so buds
and then again making a group of branches. That creates a series of bare spaces on the trunk that
will never look good, no matter how skillful you wire the branches. My way is to cut back to a lower
branch to restore the rhythm of twigs. Wider spaces between the low and increasingly smaller
spaces between the higher branches.

Hope this helps you in caring for your Larch.

Before cutting the lowest branch use it as a sacrificial branch for a season or two. It will help balance
the top growth. The more foliage you allow the apex to get the weaker the lower branches get.
I know it doesn't show for maybe a couple of years but once they are weakened it is almost
impossible the reverse. You might have misread my last sentence, I meant the fact that the branches
are weakening won't be very obvious. There will be small signs like a bit later in opening of the buds
on the lower branches, a bit slower in shooting, a slightly lighter colour.
To prevent that you need to reduce the apical growth

The lower third of the trunk is straight, and I doubt that it will bend without using excessive force. So
the style is more or less fixed.
The thing is you have one tree, and it is precious to you, that limits the risks you are willing to take
with it.
I usually have 25-30 Larches in training, so if one dies it is not really a big loss.

Let's look at the tree from the soil up.

The root flare look good, although I can see a root that grows across the trunk.
First branch, looking at the picture before last, it has lost the buds near the trunk, but is still useable.
Using rule three I would cut back to (conservative) above the fourth branch and train a new apex. Or
(drastically) reduce the tree to the second branch and start a whole new trunk line, allowing part of
the first branch to extend freely (50 - 100cm). That will create taper, and give you the chance to
create a crown with branches with inner buds.

I realise that what I do with my Larches only works because I have many and it may be 'scary' or
'impossible' to someone with only one Larch. I would be bothered with the sub-optimal result every
time I would look at the tree. Sometimes it is what the tree is presenting by dropping branches or
dieback, than I use that as a styling point. It will always be a compromise between how the tree
grows and what I see as a styling future.
It comes down to how much you are willing to risk to get the maximum result, but a healthy Larch
can stand a lot of abuse.

As soon as the cutting starts growing a balancing act starts, I do not want any part of the tree
to become dominant.
After three years you will end up with something looking like this.
Attachment:

CRW_7546A.jpg [ 42.26 KiB | Viewed 451 times ]

As you can see the greenery is close to the trunk and branches. It does not get to grow
unchecked, every time the new growth is about 4“ long and there are visible buds at the base
of the twig, I cut it back to 1 bud. That happens three to four times a year. What doesn't get
cut is the growing tip of the horizontal and vertical branches.
When I think that the trunk (the part that will be beneath the first branch in the projected
ShoHin) has enough girth or is pleasing or for whatever reason I think of, it is time to remove
the vertical part.

XIV. Styling

Styling choices are mostly arbitrary, all along the way I make little choices that in the end
shape the Potensai. I do what feels right, it is not really a rational thing. The question when
do you cut off the sacrificial branches, is most truthfully answered by: when the tree is
ready......
Here some that are not yet ready for potting in a ShoHin container.

A Larix laricina and a decidua

I hope to have shown that it is not only possible to grow ShoHin from seed but it is fun too.
There is for me a drawback too, because I spend most of my time looking at such a small
scale I find it harder to style bigger trees

I will try to document the refining process in the coming month or at the end of summer. It
depends if I do anything worth photographing.

I recognize this tree from one of Smithy's posts.

Nice tree, and good styling, a small remark though;
As it is not a slanting trunk (it curves back from the slant) and
the tip should be over the foot of the trunk (lower yellow spot),
if you then take a plumbline to the top (top yellow dot), that is
where the tip ought to be. You can do this by bending to the
left at the lower arrow and bending a bit back at the top arrow.
This gives the trunk also a bit more compression and movement.

XV. Soil
Sorry Paul, there is no 'MAGIC' mix other than free draining. Akadama is ever so slightly acidic
between pH 6.5 - 7, but acidity is not an issue with Larch. They will grow in almost anything from
pure grit to pure Akadama, as long as it is free draining.

My personal mix is 2 parts Akadama (graded), 1 part sharp grit (crushed granite, graded), 1 part of
river grit (round,graded). In MY garden conditions that will stay free draining until it is time to repot.

As you can see I use what works in my garden and I had to make some adjustments when I moved
garden 4 years ago

Per Darryl - A roughly equal parts mix of CL, grit and some kind of bark compost (Moorlands or
something like that - I'll have to go in the shed to find out). I'm not too fussy about the exact ratios
or components as long as it is free draining and has enough organic material in it to retain enough
water on a hot day when I'm out at work

XVI. Feeding
Bill I feed Culterra 10-4-6, which is fully organic. In spring they get once every other year, some 'Frit
253A' trace elements, which contains: Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum. A small
pinch mixed through some slurry

XVII. Finding seedlings

As to the Larch seedlings have you looked at the edge away from the Larch forest, that is where you
might find most seedlings.
Pine needles and also Larch needles, deposit a germination inhibitor, at decomposition.

XVIII. Growing seeds

L. gmellii is not the easiest of the Larches, depending on the genetic mix they can leave out early
(think Febr.) or they can act like normal Larch and join the others. The ones consistently early get
repotted at the end of summer, so the roots can get a chance on recovering. Then they are as hardy
as anything -15°C in a small pot, no problem.
All Larches grown in baskets (yes I know I keep on about them), can be fed vigorously with lots of N. I
use 10-4-6 as soon as they turn green. I use a particulate size that doesn't fall out through the holes
of the basket.

Now if you want to raise ShoHin you need to watch the stem colour change for the right time to cut.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6582

Yeh, the wonder of birth

XIX. Ground grown v pots

The difficulty with Larch is that when grown in the ground (free range), they exhibit a
specific growth pattern. A couple of twigs at close space, growth spurt with no twigs, a
couple of twigs, etc.
In bigger trees that pattern is not so obvious but in small ones it is. Only with restricted
growth is it possible to create spaces larger low down, smaller towards the top.

My personal option is most of the times to cut back to the first cluster of close twigs, or use
some of the lower branches as sacrificial branches.
Growing a shohin from seed (best to see post)

http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6582

This is the way I made my Larch ShoHin.

I soak the seed two days in water with a few drops of vinegar.
The ones that float are out, the ones on the bottom I will use, they are put between damp
kitchen paper, until they sprout.
Those are put into a temporary seed tray with sand and grit (sterile).

Now a lot of pictures

No.1 -when the stem of the seedling turns pink/purplish it is time to cut
no.2 - this one is still too early the stem is still green.
no.3 - the seedling in all it's naked glory
no.4 - the cut is made this time for small ShoHin, the higher the cut the closer the first
branches are on soil level, in my practise I want them low
no.5 - in the mean time I prepared the baskets with Akadama + Kiryu, with a fine mix of
Akadama and grit. Of course using the 'arihato tube'
no.6 - the fine mix, because it is finer then the surrounding mix it will stay wetter

Now I get to watch them grow for the next two years, without hardly any interference from
me.

The rest of the process I will explain in further posts

NB sorry I do not seem to be able to get the pics in the right order, so it is reverse order, very
annoying
This 'arihato tube' is intriguing me.
I get the logic behind the tube.
What's intriguing me is that it seems to be a plastic cup.
Have you ever tried the same method with a carboard tube? It should decompose by itself over the
years.
Xavier, the tube gets pulled out once it is filled with soil and the seedling is placed in the fine
soil.

Hi Arihato

I'm in the same position as Tree Assassin - Do you advise to keep the seeds damp whilst in cold
storage in the fridge?

Thanks

Ross Sorry Ross, it is not clear which seeds you are talking about.

The seeds you store for next year: paper bag, in a tin, in the vegetable drawer.

Seeds to germinate: in a damp medium in the coldest place in the fridge for 4-6 weeks. After that
sown in damp medium in a warm spot, not in the full sun.

Does this begin to answer your question?

95% success rate, if done at the right time. Before the stem turns light brown.
It starts green, colours pink/purplish, then light brown.
I suspect that the cells in the stem are still able to form roots at any point, just as a safety measure
from mother nature.

If I wanted to cut the tap root only I would cut just beneath the pink into the white, I cut into the
part that will be the trunk, or would be if I did not cut it.
The branches will form above the first needles, these are like the seed lobes on deciduous seeds

How do tell if the cutting has roots?

If you stick a drinks umbrella in the ground and tap the rim it will spin.
When I do the same tap at one of the needles and it spins: it still has no roots. When there are roots
it will no longer spin, easy.

95% success rate, if done at the right time. Before the stem turns light brown.
It starts green, colours pink/purplish, then light brown.
I suspect that the cells in the stem are still able to form roots at any point, just as a safety measure
from mother nature.

If I wanted to cut the tap root only I would cut just beneath the pink into the white, I cut into the
part that will be the trunk, or would be if I did not cut it.
The branches will form above the first needles, these are like the seed lobes on deciduous seeds

How do tell if the cutting has roots?

If you stick a drinks umbrella in the ground and tap the rim it will spin.
When I do the same tap at one of the needles and it spins: it still has no roots. When there are roots
it will no longer spin, easy.

95% success rate, if done at the right time. Before the stem turns light brown.
It starts green, colours pink/purplish, then light brown.
I suspect that the cells in the stem are still able to form roots at any point, just as a safety measure
from mother nature.

If I wanted to cut the tap root only I would cut just beneath the pink into the white, I cut into the
part that will be the trunk, or would be if I did not cut it.
The branches will form above the first needles, these are like the seed lobes on deciduous seeds

How do tell if the cutting has roots?

If you stick a drinks umbrella in the ground and tap the rim it will spin.
When I do the same tap at one of the needles and it spins: it still has no roots. When there are roots
it will no longer spin, easy.

95% success rate, if done at the right time. Before the stem turns light brown.
It starts green, colours pink/purplish, then light brown.
I suspect that the cells in the stem are still able to form roots at any point, just as a safety measure
from mother nature.

If I wanted to cut the tap root only I would cut just beneath the pink into the white, I cut into the
part that will be the trunk, or would be if I did not cut it.
The branches will form above the first needles, these are like the seed lobes on deciduous seeds

How do tell if the cutting has roots?

If you stick a drinks umbrella in the ground and tap the rim it will spin.
When I do the same tap at one of the needles and it spins: it still has no roots. When there are roots
it will no longer spin, easy.

Arihato, your work is very inspiring. So much so that I have just received some Larix kaempferi seeds.
I know that it's late to be starting them off but if I don't try then that will be 100% failure. Do you
think that 4 weeks stratification will be enough or should they be left for longer
Yes, put them on the coldest spot in the fridge. It is only April so I think you can get away with it.
Use half this year and the rest next year. You can store in a paper bag in a tin in the fridge.
XX. Species info
The gmellii is a more airy grower with very fine twigs, always one of the first to shoot

Woop - preferred species of Larch, kaempferi, the gmellii and the laricina
The kaempferi for it is easy to grow, reduces it's leaves well, usually has a good nebari, if you take a
bit of care

Apart from the high Alps or other remote areas, most if not all the Larches in Europe are hybrids,
Larix europaea (L kaempferi X L decidua) was planted all over Europe as commercial forests.
Even the genetic spread in 'certified' seed is very large.

The laricina promises to have a better bark, hasn't proven that yet......

From the photos I think (positive) that it is a Larix decidua, it has that lovely hazy matt green foliage
when the buds are opening, very pretty and totally different from the Larix kaempferi breaking buds
and it has yellow new shoots. Lk has reddish new shoots.

The European, Larix decidua is a bit coarser, more difficult to minimise, but has a lovely buff pea
green when the leaves open.

I used to make about 20-30 a year, every other year, most of them reached the mature stage, and a
lot of them got sold, some died, I had one winter when a whole tray (16) died, of what we don't
know. I almost chucked it then.
This year I hope to do about 10, and some Malus and Ulmus.

Hope to continue the story later in the week, the pictures have to be made first.

Alain - the cells are still multi functional when the stem is pink. Just like stem cells in humans.
For my ShoHin I need to have sacrificial branches as low as possible, otherwise the trees in my
regime tend to get reverse taper.
The name is not Japanese it is Sanskrit.

It would only cost you a packet of seeds

This is the seed shop I do my buying: http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/

XXI. Feeding
it is not what you feed it is why you feed that is the issue.

A tree that needs to bulk up you feed lots of high N fertiliser

A tree in a refinement stage you feed equal parts NPK
A tree in maintenance you feed low N higher PK

There is more to it but this is the short of it.

XXII. Hard pruning
Hi all (March 2014)
I have Larch (hybrid or Japanese) collected from wild 4-5 weeks ago. It is quite tall tree 6-6.5'. It was
potted into basket with 1/1
girth/ absorbent mix with sphagnum moss wrapping around rots. My plan is have a smaller tree but
by some mistake I didn't prune it when potted. Now almost all buds are open or they start opening.
So my question is would be OK prune it hard now or it is too late ?

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/12913968915_27df9ee57d_z.jpg
larch after potting

I would cut it at the lower white tape wrapping. Lovely lower branches, be very careful with them
and let those grow. They serve two purposes, one they make a nicely tapered trunk and secondly
they provide a counterbalance to the apical growth, so you can grow the canopy tighter with shorter
internodes.

I would still cut back hard, try to cut back in between two branches that way the wound will heal
quicker. You could wait till mid summer, but then I would reduce the amount of foliage in the part
you want to cut off, just to stimulate the lower branches. In this case cut back the 'ex-top' to the
twig closest to the trunk.

It's a good thing to keep some of the sacrificial branches, as it will need at least two seasons of
growing finer roots before you can start your design.
This season I would not even scissor pinch, maybe if it starts to grow very strongly I would scissor
pinch the top part. Start feed in early summer with Tomato feed, next season you can feed more N
from early spring.
Keep all the internal green, as Larch doesn't bud back it is your insurance for the future. Trees can
live very long without fertiliser, they also have a lot stored in their trunk and twigs. If I assume
correct the soil now has hardly any nutrients, which means that the roots will go out in search of
nutrients, which means more roots, better future health.
After the root pruning the new roots need to grow, so till early summer no feed. Considering the
reserves present I would not want rampant growth, a bit of control is needed, so no heavy N.
Next year when the tree has a better root system, finer more fibrous the N will trigger growth in a
more controlled and better pattern.

I know it is hard to just let a tree take care of itself and not interfere, but lots of times that is just
what is needed. Nature has been at this game already for a couple of million years, it manages very
well without our input in most cases.

Thanks Arihato
I have prune top of the tree today (Just prune branches to the 1-2 buds) all branches above the
place I wont to cut off, and I spot that I can have 3-4 trees from this one by air laying it. So
my question is it is possible to do air laying in 3-4 separated spots on the trunk in one go?
Can I do some air laying on my tree this year ( it was collected last month) if the tree will
grow well.
Larch isn't easy to airlayer to begin with, so multiples.............
You could try, you might get lucky.
Air layering is done when the tree is fully in leaf. On a Larch I would make a tight tourniquet with 3.5
/ 4 mm wire, put some rooting hormone powder or gel above the wire, some sphagnum around the
spot, then either use the pot or plastic methode.

As stated above, it is a case of too much too soon, you probably won't do that again. It is a pity for it
was very tasty material.

A good way to treat a 'recently dug' tree is to get as much roots as possible, remove as much of the
old soil as possible (if it is soil like this), clean up the cut sites on the roots and put it in a pot that just
fits, with free draining medium. Then leave it to grow and establish for at least two seasons before
you do any work on it.

XXIII. Literati
In my experience what makes it hard to maintain a Larch as a Literati, is that Larch needs to be kept
healthy and vigorous, a Literati needs to look lean and sparse. Not easy to pull off both

XXIV. Shari and healing

If you carve a Shari it will roll over from both sides, once it's almost closed you cut it again.
The second time the 'roll over' gets to cover most of the first, once again you recut and let it
almost cover. This way you get a succession of ripple like new wood, that is if you did not
cut the Shari straight but a bit flowing will look interesting.

XXV. Air Layering

I tried ringing the bark and found it not working. It either closed the ring or the layer died.

I have been thinking about a way to airlayer Larch, as in nature it happens in sphagnum marshes.

This is what I came up with for my next attempt:

Put a tight tourniquet on of 3.5 - 4 mm wire, some rooting hormone above the wire, cover area
above the wire with sphagnum, then use either the pot or plastic method. Pray to your favorite
deity.

There is a simple rule for a successful airlayer, only do it with mature healthy foliage. Once the
leaves or needles are fully functional there is a sap flow of sugars and hormones downward in the
inner bark. That is what causes the new roots to form.

I assume you are talking Larch here Paul...... making the gap wider makes no difference in mortality,
sadly. I would leave it on until either the layer takes and has roots or is dead.

I think that my improved and gentle way should work. (I hope

I had a wire tourniquet on a Larch for three seasons. There was thickening of the trunk above
the wire but no roots into the sphagnum. I used a split plastic pot packed tight and watered
every time the parent tree was watered. I trust that I have cheered you up.

Mumra's Larch was young, that may have helped. But there is an American (can't find his name
anymore) that does it with collected trees, although that may be Larix laricina which is quite
different in some aspects.
Jerry it happens in nature, in the sphagnum bogs in Canada. When the sphagnum grows, the tree
needs to keep making new roots above the oxygen starved lower layers and it does.

It is now only to find out how.........

Ringbarking doesn't work, either the top dies off or the ring is callused over.
Only a wire tourniquet doesn't work or if it works it is glacially slow, several years.

So I thought of a middle way, a mix if you will.

Cut a couple of windows in the bark,
open the flaps up and insert a thick wire underneath them, so the flaps stay open
put some rooting hormone above the wire and underneath the flaps,
put sphagnum around the wire and use a split pot filled with potting medium.

This should work, I believe. I don't have material suitable for airlayer at the mo, so haven't tried it
yet

XXVI. Watering
Hard chop, few needles, going brown - Maybe there's not enough needle surface yet to draw the
water from the roots up what is (for the needles) a quite long trunk. So a kind of self-imposed
drought? Just keep watering and hoping,

make sure the soil dries out some of the time it needs a dryish spell now and then.

XXVII. Hiding scars

Arihato - a related question. In pic cc there is a big round pruning scar that is callusing over. Will this
ever heal flush, do I need to cut it to remove some of the round callus material..

That is almost closed, so it will heal. Invisible? Not really, but it will lend character to the
trunk.
I would scratch the bark of the original cut line a bit, with my thumbnail or a knife. Just to get
rid of any square ridge left over from the original cut. That will let it blend with the rest of the
bark more.
XXVIII. Flowers and cones
The ones that look up are female and turn into cones, the ones the hang down are male and produce
pollen. I know that people remove the cones, I don't. My trees are well fed and I like the look of
them, but if the health of your tree is in question remove them now before they have matured.

That's looking ok and those are definitely flower buds. I would remove them, especially
after a repot as they can cause a weak branch to put all its energy into the flowers rather than
foliage.

XXIX. Trunk thickening

“As it's a young tree i'm going to let the wire on the trunk cut in slightly to help it on it's way.”

Delboy, you need to pay real close attention then. The wire will get tight where there is the most
new growth, the middle to the top. Before you know it you have (places with) inverse taper and that
is hard to get rid of in a tall slender trunk

XXX. Heavy bending

(Note this was not Arihato, but he liked it)

I managed to find a picture from the summer when the scaffolding was on the tree
I had to split the trunk where it went from thick to thin and put a piece of 6mm wire into the
split to keep it in place and then attached a stainless steel bar to the trunk to hold it and give
something to attach guy wires to so I could bend the trunk into position, it was way more luck
than judgement that got it to where it is now and the whole exercise was an experiment to see
how far this could be pushed. There is a little more compacting of the curve to be done but it
is nearly there.

I will re-pot in the spring and update the pictures then (it is buried in the polytunnel at the
moment)

Thanks again
his is another Larch picked up from last years Swindon show
As bought below
P2272778 by tattoo442000, on Flickr

I seem to have lost some of the pictures of the in between stages

But this is it after styling a few weeks ago
With a bit of carving managed to bend the main branch down and curved to give a compact tree.
This winter has been all about Larch I have a couple more I will post over the weeke

XXXI. Repot timing

Arihato - I think the repot window is a bit wider; between the buds getting golden and transparent
till the first signs of green is my experience