Texas Persimmon #4 - burned out hollow trunk

Back in February 2007 I went on a dig in San Antonio, on a 500 acre cattle-chewed ranch that was to soon become a large new subdivision of homes.  The dig was organized to collect material before the bulldozers would come in, so it was a lot of fun, and felt like it had a bit of urgency to it as well.  The intrepid Bonsai hunters stopped long enough for a group photo (I was taking the picture!).

 

 

 

The three of us that carpooled down from Austin collected enough (and unfortunately didn't reduce the tops back), so that by the end of the day the van was practically bursting at the seams with native species bound as future Bonsai.

One of my favorite finds of the day was a Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) clump growing on the face of a limestone caprock.  In the middle of the clump was a terrific old burned out trunk that was most likely the "mother plant" before a fire encouraged lots of side shoots and lateral trunks to emerge.  I didn't get a picture of it in the ground, but it was nestled in a 18" high thick patch of native grass, the only thing visible were the tops.  It practically peeled off the rock in one piece.  Here it is once I got it back home.

 

 

With the bag removed..

After the weeds were removed and the heavy clay soil was cleaned from the roots:

I cut off the left trunk with a bit of the shared underground root.

All the other thin trunks were attached to the larger one and were distracting and so off they came.  This allowed for a very well-tapered Bunjin-shaped trunk.

Finally it was planted in an rough, open mix soil and left alone to recuperate.  The blue is a calming color ;)

 

 

Texas Persimmons seem to grow either very fast or frustratingly slow.  This one took three years to regain strength. Here we are in 2010.  All branches were left alone - no trimming and no wiring.  But as a surprise, it produced many fruit this year.  I left a couple of them on to ripen (they're delicious!), but pulled the rest to save strength for the tree.

 

 

 

March 2011.  The top was finally cut back to a more manageable size and with all that vigor, it's now time to repot.

Strong root growth filled the previous pot, and now there is a healthy brick of roots supporting the tree, enough that reduction isn't an issue.

Tangled roots reduced and everything cut back and exposed.

It's first Bonsai pot, a round, drum mica.  No styling yet, as one stress (root work) was enough at this time.

 

 

August 2013, this persimmon has been resting on the bench for too long, it needs some styling work!  Healthy, active growth means that any damage will be repaired quickly.  It's tempting to work on these in the winter when they will partially or totally defoliate, but they are weak in the cold months and often don't recover (I speak from experience!)

 

A closer look at the shari (deadwood area) up the trunk.  Texas Persimmons have this remarkable effect to the wood: deadwood will oxidize to a dark blackish color and will become rock-hard.  The original damage was fire (I believe), but other traumas have also oxidized to the point that it all blends nicely together.  Very rarely will there ever be enough callousing to repair damage, so whenever working with this species, plan for any wounds to remain. 

 

 

I'm always making sketches of my trees, ideas for future styling or possible changes.  These aren't meant to be pretty or even to be shown to anyone, just to be a reference for ideas.  In 2009 I had thought that if possible I'd like to try something different.  A "before" photo of the trunk line at that time:

 

 

And then an idea to reduce the height of the tree and give movement to a very straight and boring top section.  Simple bending would snap the very brittle Persimmon wood, but maybe by twisting it while bending, I could get it in the right position.  I've done this with Boxwood, which is also a very hard and brittle wood once it reaches a certain size.



No process photos, unfortunately, my hands were busy!  But with the use of a bamboo lever (couldn't find the right sized rebar), one guy-wire and some green tape to protect part of the affected area, the bend happened just as planned!  Basically I twisted it, so that the crown turned exactly upside down and nestled into position.  Branches had to be repositioned at this point, so some wire was applied to get them in the right direction.  Long branches were left, as well as some extra ones.  I need to get as much tissue growth at the bend/twist part as possible to set the shape

 

 

 

One of the large upper branches was removed (yellow colored wood), and all around the area it was wrapped tightly to protect the tissue from splitting.

I don't use levers often, but they certainly make reshaping easier!  Three points are in contact: in the base of the pot, along the deadwood, and finally at the crown of the tree.  If this bamboo starts to rot before the top is set, I'll replace it with rebar or another kind of metal rod. 

 

 

 

Also there were fruit on the tree again, so I cut all of them off.  

 

 

On another Texas Persimmon, I let the fruit ripen - I just love the fuzzy black, marble-shaped fruit.  These are in terrific Bonsai proportions!

September 2013. Lots of healthy growth.  The long leggy branches were beginning to get in the way, so...

 

Everything was shortened down.  Many more years of styling, wiring and clipping are in its future before it is brought to a show.  Also it's due to be repotted and to have a better pot (with better placement of course).  This fun little tree always reminds me of that dig day with friends in San Antonio years ago!

 

 

 

 

A note about Texas Persimmons: they are a wonderful, well proportioned native tree with nice sized leaves and fruit.  It has softly colorful bark that ranges in the grey and pink tones which contrasts nicely with the black deadwood (and black fruit - being dioecious you need both the male and female trees nearby to produce fruit).  It has a wide native range over Texas and is long-lived.  So why aren't more people growing these as Bonsai??  Well they're also a bit of a finicky tree too.  Seemingly for no reason, a Persimmon will lose all its leaves and go into a kind of hibernating state for YEARS.  I've had these that will stay alive, but not produce a single leaf for over 3 years, looking completely dead, but still be alive if you scratch the bark.  Sometimes they'll come back to life, sometimes half the tree will emerge at the end, and other times they slowly fade away dead.  I've compared notes with other local bonsaiists and they've had similar experiences.  The triggers I've found have been working on them in the wrong seasons, or when they are weak.  So lesson learned: only work on vigorous trees, and then only in the active growing season.  Only work on the roots when they are about to push growth in the Spring or you may also have a coma patient!  Being one of my favorite native species though.. I'll always accept the challenge!

Ilex cornuta #2 - stick out your can, here comes the garbage man!

There won't be too many "traditional" Bonsai species on this blog, because I really don't have many types that have been grown historically (in Japan - which seems to matter the most).  I'll give anything a try if it has a nice trunk and is available! 

Today's spotlight is Ilex cornuta, aka Chinese Holly, and sometimes referred to as Horned Holly.  These were very popular plantings decades ago as they adapt well to the heat of the South, aren't prone to disease and make really handsome mature plantings.  The downside is they have thorns on the points of all the leaves, usually between 5-7, needle-sharp, and very stiff.  I've heard that some people have planted them outside the windows of their children's bedroom to discourage the kiddos from sneaking out in the night.  Ouch!

Despite being resilient in the landscape, the cuts and scrapes they bestow usually lead to them being unceremoniously ripped from the yard and disposed of.  They're now not nearly as common here as they once were.

February 2005. I was driving to work one morning and I saw down one of the streets a pile of green that was newly tossed to the curb.  Of course I brake for plants!  When I drove up, there were four large thorny balls of green, way overgrown and leggy, bare on one side (that originally faced the house) and roots in the air.  I asked the homeowner if he'd mind if I took these, and looking at me like I was crazy, he said, "sure, knock yourself out!"  At the time I drove a '97 Chevy Blazer, which seems roomy until you need to squeeze four clawing bushes which were each about 4 foot square, into the back.  As I'm shoving the uncooperative thorny mess inside, I'm slicing lines onto my arms and face.  It surprised me when I looked at myself after loading them and I was covered in blood!  They had to go home to soak in water and rehydrate, but that also gave me the opportunity to clean up.. I still needed to get to work!

The next day I pulled them from the soaking tubs and took my first photos.  The leaves had a whitish look to them which was actually thousands of tiny white scale.  These poor plants were as uncomfortable as I was loading them the previous day.  Here's a shot with a soda can next to the trunk:

All of those long overgrown branches had to go, plus this was a great way to get rid of all that scale.. they were on the leaves but not on the trunk.  Still, I sprayed the trunks with neem oil to kill any escapees (being careful not to get any on the roots).  After trimming the top and roots, this is the scene I was left with.  Much more manageable!

Potted up into a wash tub with free-draining Bonsai mix.  Although it wasn't as visible in the previous shots, in this photo the scars on the trunk are evident - injury from being pulled by a chain from the ground. 

2006 January.  Ilex cornuta are generally slow growing trees, this is the result of one year's unrestricted growth.  I wanted to see if there would be any die-back from the damage, and to give the roots as much energy as possible to recover.

 

 Long branches were cut back, and I found a much better trunk line from the back side of the tree. 

2006 April, a couple of months later now, and this tree is sending out new shoots happily.  I'm working on that first front, which has the better nebari (base) again.

Trimmed.  It wasn't cut back so much as thinned out.  Multiple sprouts come out of the ends of all the branches, and these need to be reduced to as few as possible.  Cutting back to a single lead is best, as it can be carved to create taper, but here I'm still leaving extra shoots, hedging my bets on a design change later.

 

 

2006 September.  This little tree really wants to grow!  I've gone back to the better front now, choosing the look of the whole tree over one feature.  I've read Bonsaiists say that you should design your tree based on the lower trunk and root spread (nebari).  The problem with a blanket statement like this is if you have a collected tree whose main structure isn't going to change, the "best" front should be chosen.  In other words, don't just go by the book!

I loved all the new growth, but needed to start developing the structure of the tree.  New wood on these take a while to lignify (turn from green and sappy to brown and woody), so the structure has to build gradually.

2007 February.  This species doesn't put on a lot of growth in the winter months, even in mild winters like we have here in Austin.  It's a summer tree!

The old wash tub is starting to crack and needs to be replaced.  Time for new shoes!  I also want to see how the roots are establishing.  The soil is washed and this is what I've got.  Front:

And backside:

In its new unglazed Chinese made Bonsai pot, it's starting to look a little better.

2007 November.  Nice growth this year helped to fill in the branches and the apex of the canopy.

Trimmed back and there is finally a rounded top to my tree.  I'd like for it to be even more rounded with a wider profile.  This is how broadleaf trees develop, and I'd like for it to have the look of an old broadleaf tree.

2009 February.  The open soil and semi-regular pruning have added density to the canopy.  There are a lot of shoots, but also a lot of leaves, and some of the leaves are blocking new branches from forming.

Instead of adding, this time I need to thin things out again.  I've cut back useless branches, cleared long shoots and cut many of the extra-long leaves in half to allow more light and air into the tree.

2011 March.  It is just developing slowly now.  I'm trying to develop the structure with a simple clip-and-grow, although occasionally I still need to wire a branch or two.  These are uncomfortable scratchy moments I don't look forward to!  The roots have completely filled the pot and drainage is beginning to be compromised.

 

 

 

Best thing to do is a repot.  Here is the brick of roots just out of the Bonsai pot.

I carefully combed the tangle of wrap-around roots out and cut them back, leaving room for more soil and room to grow.

Repotted back into its same container. 

 

 

 2012 April. The canopy is quite full, but I need to be careful to preserve the open areas as well.  A full helmet of foliage isn't what I'm after.

So here we are after cutting back.  Several smaller branches were removed and others were wired out to give a nice radiating feel. 

 

 

2013 July.  Growth seems to be slowing down a bit.  Next year it will need to be repotted again.  Now it needs a trim and thin of the abundant growth, especially at the top.

Reshaped and defined.  Each time I cut the branches I take out the oldest and largest leaves.  Also, any leaves that are growing on lignified wood are removed as well.  I'm going to be on the look out for a new pot for this one for next year. I'd love to find a hand-built Bonsai pot, maybe something a bit wider and oval or with rounded corners, and possibly glazed with some kind of ochre and earth tones.  This holly has produced berries here and there over the years, but not enough to make the red berries a determining color in choosing a pot. 

 

 

I've really enjoyed this tree over the years and only know of one other person who has one as a Bonsai.  Don't let the "horns" on the leaves scare you away if you find a good one.  They're out there being thrown away and need a good home! 

 

There is a little song in this Betty Boop cartoon that I seem to hum when thinking about finding trees like this that have been deemed trash!   :)

Click play and listen at about the 3:00 mark.