Hackberry 03
American Hackberry [Celtis occidentalis]

November 10, 2022

NOVEMBER 11,2022. Yesterday I finally got around to retrieving the tree from Walking Tree, where it had been cared for very well over the last two full years. My word! John had repotted the tree last year, in a nice heavy unglazed grow pot, and he had done a lot of excellent work on both shaping the lower branches and fostering a lot of upper growth to help heal the chop scar on the trunk. THat’s only a little part of what he actually did in caring for the tree. I’m a little disappointed that he scrapped my idea of “big tree-little tree,” but I have to admit the tree looks very good as it is. He said it will need repotting again next spring, and we can talk more about the apex design then. I’m a little conflicted about what I see, but we can talk a lot of that out later.

March 9, 2021. I was at Walking Tree Saturday, and John and I took a look at this tree. He disagrees with my statement below and says the chop should go in the back. He’s going to repot the tree and cut it back a little. It’ll stay there another year at least.

August 15, 2020. This one is doing well, but it’s not ready to go to the new house and get its own stand. I took it to John Walker yesterday; he’ll board it until next spring when I put it in a decent looking pot..

March 8, 2020. My plan to carve the chop was a valid one, but it’s a moot point now. I discovered that the flat surface of the chop had started to rot, and that part of the trunk below the chop was also dead. So it was carving day for this one. The flat-top chop had died down on one side only, so I ended up with a nice sharp taper on the trunk leading up to the one new shoot that was growing above the chop. Serendipity strikes my bonsai! If all goes well with the weather, I’ll repot tomorrow. Photos will follow. UPDATE April 11: I made photos yesterday, and while doing that I had a more rational look at this tree. I think I might have to go back to my original front. All the branches are in place for the carved side to be the front, and that means I have a lot of wound care to do now. It’s a little lite, but I think that’s my best option. It also means that I need to do something about the chop on the other Hackberry (from Jason Schley: Hackberry01) now. I don’t want it to rot like this one did. The good news is that it’s already growing better than it did last year. I think it’s the soil (potting soil mix) rather than the change of pot, but who knows?

February 1, 2020. It’s embarrassing that I haven’t kept this page going. Spring 2019 I put this tree in a new grow pot, one of the very “airy” ones. It grew OK over the year, but didn’t do what I hoped it would. I think it’s going to be fine, but this year I really need to use a better soil mix. Potting soil and fine aggregate, I think. That might need a better pot, one that’s a little more solid. I did watch a really good video about carving deadwood that made me think I wouldn’t have to rechop any at all; I just have to make the big chop look better. I have branches in all the right places, so it’s up to me now.

November 24, 2018. I bought this one from Zach Smith at Bonsai South. It’s got a really good base, but I might have to re-chop it some day to do something about the lack of taper. Or I’ll just let it grow into a really big bonsai. I paid for it back last year, but he hadn’t dug it yet at that time. He shipped it to me over the summer, after it had sort of stabilized in the pot. It’s got a burl on it about 5 inches above the soil line. That’s cool. I think I might put it back in the ground, or at least into a big box next spring. The cut-down plastic pot it’s in is way too flimsy.

Photos