Why am I growing bonsai trees?

[spandit]

The bulk of my trees were planted some time ago and are now well into their 3rd growing season. Whereas many of them are over 10' tall, some are still barely 10" high (yet still alive despite having shown virtually no growth). Should I persevere with these sluggards (species vary but field maple seems particularly weedy) or replace them with hardier specimens?

[easy-lift guy]

Depending on weather your trees were. B/B or container grown may be one of the reasons why some trees are performing better than others. If your trees were container grown the root system may have girlded and slowly strangled the tree to death. Another cause could have been due to improper planting and allowing the root ball to come in contact with air pockets instead of soil. This can also stunt the growth of most trees if not kill them outright. Check the trees in question for either problem. If neither apply you may have a Ph problem that could be amended for better over all absorption of food and water.

easy-lift guy

[Goaty]

Native hardwood and even non native softwood species are short in growth height for the first 3 years. Approx 5-10cm first year maybe top 30cm the next. Then years 4 onwards you can start getting 60-100cm of growth. Worth bearing in mind you are growing trees by definition generally a single stemmed woody plant. Therefore not an exact science, say 1 metre of growth on one shoot could be only 25cm on each of 4 shoots. Don't be afraid of rubbing out buds or pruning unwanted growth.

 

This along with human impatience willing the trees to be big now. Trees aren't bedding plants, they are here for the long haul.

 

Field maple are steady away, they will shoot up when they get going.

[spandit]

I'll leave them for now as they've survived this far. Just an incredible difference between species - the alder is looking like proper woodland now and many of the others are way out of the top of the tubes.

 

Could well be air pockets, planting that many trees was bound to give sporadic results, especially with the "help" I had. It's left me a few empty tubes that I'm re-purposing with different types

[easy-lift guy]

Planning and preparation are key elements when it comes to any successful result from planting trees much less anything else that grows in the ground.

easy-lift guy

[Goaty]

Alder, birch and willow along with one or two others are pioneer species and rocket away establishing quickly. They are by tree standards short lived. Beech and oak take ages to get going but last centuries.

[spandit]

The tallest tree is a crab apple, oddly enough. Some of the almond willow is really struggling too but the oaks are mostly out of the tops of the tubes.

[matelot]

The bulk of my trees were planted some time ago and are now well into their 3rd growing season. Whereas many of them are over 10' tall, some are still barely 10" high (yet still alive despite having shown virtually no growth). Should I persevere with these sluggards (species vary but field maple seems particularly weedy) or replace them with hardier specimens?

 

I had the same dilemma.

 

My thought process was that the trees had to be big enough to look after themselves when the stake goes rotten. When will the stakes rot to nothing? Maybe another 7 years?

 

I'd be looking to replace at least some of them with a tree that suits your ground conditions.

[Beardie]

Field maple tends to be an understorey species anyway. I'd be thankful for any tree still alive and just replace dead ones. Also, bear in mind that any replacement trees may be shaded out by those that have grown to 10' in 3 years.

 

Could slow growth be due to changes in ground conditions across the site? I helped my brother with beating up on a conservation plantation and there were staggering variations in soil texture and moisture content over quite small distances. No account of this had been taken by the original planters, naturally and it was the same Native Broadleaf Mix over the whole site.

[spandit]

There are differences, of course, and many of the trees were planted to take account of this but at the end we just wanted the damn things in the ground. I've marked all the dead ones & will replace next winter

[easy-lift guy]

There are differences, of course, and many of the trees were planted to take account of this but at the end we just wanted the damn things in the ground. I've marked all the dead ones & will replace next winter

 

In order for history to not repeat its self again, you may want to consider taking a soil sample just to make sure your working with the correct Ph.

If the Ph is off it the soil can be amended and the tree should have a better chance of survival.

easy-lift guy