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[IBC] Birch in Ma

Okay, theres a white birch tree in my front yard, that hasnt been doing
well for the last couple of years, it gets eaten by bugs every year. My
dad is going to chop it down, and pull out the stump. Is there any way I
can take a cutting from this plant? or what?

Any ideas on what I can do?

Paper birch is an understory plant; when planted in people's front
yards, it doesn't get enough protection from frost in winter. It
becomes stressed, and begins to emit volatile stress metabolites that
insects can smell. The insects (notably the birch borer beetle) then
attack the tree, and all the combined stress kills it. Other species
of birch are better suited as specimen plants.

But that's just information for other people with birches in their
front yards. To answer your question: Birches are generally grafted
or grown from seed; maybe Brent knows more. But I can say this much:

1) most birches are fast-growing, so you can buy nursery stock and
grow up a bonsai in no time.

2) birches are short-lived and subject to stress and a lot of
diseases (as you already know). They are not particularly good
subjects for bonsai (although I've seen a few nice ones).
--
Nina Shishkoff

Frederick, MD

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[IBC] Birch in Ma

At 05:06 PM 4/15/03 -0400, Nina Shishkoff wrote:
Okay, theres a white birch tree in my front yard, that hasnt been doing
well for the last couple of years, it gets eaten by bugs every year. My
dad is going to chop it down, and pull out the stump. Is there any way I
can take a cutting from this plant? or what?

But that's just information for other people with birches in their
front yards. To answer your question: Birches are generally grafted
or grown from seed; maybe Brent knows more. But I can say this much:

Thanks Nina

My two cents... forget trying to grow them from cuttings. I mentioned them
in the last thing I wrote on propagation. They are difficult and have a
very narrow window of opportunity for striking cuttings in midsummer just
before bud set. It is about a two week period.

Nina is right. Birches are very easy to come by in nurseries (seedlings and
grafts). The seedlings are very inexpensive for species types, but most are
unsuitable or difficult for bonsai. The cultivars are almost always
grafted, expensive and usually not suitable for bonsai. A few are suitable,
but still a lot of work. I think Betula pendula 'Trost's Dwarf' is a
candidate, but very slow growing. For faster results try B.p. 'Youngii', or
Young's weeping birch. It grows moderately for a birch, fast by bonsai
standards, has lots of weeping branches to play with, nice white bark. Very
hard to find cuttings, but they are preferred over grafts for bonsai. BTW,
birches are very easy to graft.

Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

[IBC] Birch in Ma

To add to what already has been said, white birches don't develop that
beautiful white bark until they are a few years old. I have four
multi-trunk trees which have put up suckers, a few of which I have allowed
to develop. They have to be three or four years old and fairly robust
before that bark develops. If you put a seedling or other small plant in a
bonsai pot and kept it small, I wonder if it ever would turn white.

ed in northwestern va
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brent Walston"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 1:19 PM
Subject: [IBC] Birch in Ma

At 05:06 PM 4/15/03 -0400, Nina Shishkoff wrote:
Okay, theres a white birch tree in my front yard, that hasnt been doing
well for the last couple of years, it gets eaten by bugs every year. My
dad is going to chop it down, and pull out the stump. Is there any way I
can take a cutting from this plant? or what?

But that's just information for other people with birches in their
front yards. To answer your question: Birches are generally grafted
or grown from seed; maybe Brent knows more. But I can say this much:

Thanks Nina

My two cents... forget trying to grow them from cuttings. I mentioned them
in the last thing I wrote on propagation. They are difficult and have a
very narrow window of opportunity for striking cuttings in midsummer just
before bud set. It is about a two week period.

Nina is right. Birches are very easy to come by in nurseries (seedlings
and
grafts). The seedlings are very inexpensive for species types, but most
are
unsuitable or difficult for bonsai. The cultivars are almost always
grafted, expensive and usually not suitable for bonsai. A few are
suitable,
but still a lot of work. I think Betula pendula 'Trost's Dwarf' is a
candidate, but very slow growing. For faster results try B.p. 'Youngii',
or
Young's weeping birch. It grows moderately for a birch, fast by bonsai
standards, has lots of weeping branches to play with, nice white bark.
Very
hard to find cuttings, but they are preferred over grafts for bonsai. BTW,
birches are very easy to graft.

Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

************************************************** **************************
****
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++

************************************************** **************************
****
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

[IBC] Birch in Ma

I wasnt planning on growing one..just felt bad that this tree was getting chopped
down, and wanted atleast some of it to live on, and wanted to see if there was any
way I could do anything with it....guess not.

"Edmund L. Castillo" wrote:

To add to what already has been said, white birches don't develop that
beautiful white bark until they are a few years old. I have four
multi-trunk trees which have put up suckers, a few of which I have allowed
to develop. They have to be three or four years old and fairly robust
before that bark develops. If you put a seedling or other small plant in a
bonsai pot and kept it small, I wonder if it ever would turn white.

ed in northwestern va
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brent Walston"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 1:19 PM
Subject: [IBC] Birch in Ma

At 05:06 PM 4/15/03 -0400, Nina Shishkoff wrote:
Okay, theres a white birch tree in my front yard, that hasnt been doing
well for the last couple of years, it gets eaten by bugs every year. My
dad is going to chop it down, and pull out the stump. Is there any way I
can take a cutting from this plant? or what?

But that's just information for other people with birches in their
front yards. To answer your question: Birches are generally grafted
or grown from seed; maybe Brent knows more. But I can say this much:

Thanks Nina

My two cents... forget trying to grow them from cuttings. I mentioned them
in the last thing I wrote on propagation. They are difficult and have a
very narrow window of opportunity for striking cuttings in midsummer just
before bud set. It is about a two week period.

Nina is right. Birches are very easy to come by in nurseries (seedlings
and
grafts). The seedlings are very inexpensive for species types, but most
are
unsuitable or difficult for bonsai. The cultivars are almost always
grafted, expensive and usually not suitable for bonsai. A few are
suitable,
but still a lot of work. I think Betula pendula 'Trost's Dwarf' is a
candidate, but very slow growing. For faster results try B.p. 'Youngii',
or
Young's weeping birch. It grows moderately for a birch, fast by bonsai
standards, has lots of weeping branches to play with, nice white bark.
Very
hard to find cuttings, but they are preferred over grafts for bonsai. BTW,
birches are very easy to graft.

Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

************************************************** **************************
****
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++

************************************************** **************************
****
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++