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#1
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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 ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#2
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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? Buy a juniper somewhere. Birch aren't the most spectacular of bonsai -- pretty as they may be out in nature. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry David Thoreau - Walden ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#3
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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 +++++ |
#4
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[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 +++++ |
#5
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[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 +++++ |
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