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I've thought of collecting this beech Fagus grandifolia in the past, but never did, as I found it unsuitable for good material. Nothing wrong with the species, but creating a really nice bonsai with this particular specimen would take more work than I see necessary, especially when I have better material to choose from. That said, a previous post by Mercnik discussed the topic of collecting a beech from a root sucker such as this. Some work had already been done, so there was little chance to delay the process until next early spring. I decided to lend my hand on the subject by creating this new post.

I have successful experience in collecting tree material for future bonsai, and my best method is to take the transplant & put into good draining bonsai soil. This method works just as well for trees that have little to no roots as it does for those that have more established systems. As most experienced bonsai artists know, the best and most appropriate time to do this type of work is in the early spring just before the buds open up.

The purpose of this post is to show that even with experience, a tree collected at this time of year has little chance of survival. It's one thing to say it in words, it's another to actually show what happens. I hope this thread can be referred to others when the question arises again, as we know it will.

Beech collected May 7, 2016

Pruned away extraneous growth, including a bad reverse taper in the upper section. Hollows at the end and in the side go all the way through the root. These were washed & scrubbed to remove mud, rot, and insects. Material was allowed to soak in water & rooting hormone for an hour while the pot & soil were prepared.
Screws were required to secure to the pot, as this has zero roots. Aluminum wire was used to hold in place. Soil mixture is sifted Turface, crushed lava rock, and diatomaceous earth. Pot & tree were soaked in hormone mixture to ensure all particles received moisture, then allowed to drain. I have placed near a window in my basement to protect it from wind and provide limited light.

I will repost more as the days/weeks continue to show progression. I give this tree less than 25% chance of survival, but I believe it has the best chance I can give under these conditions: late spring, no roots, species.

You ow me a beer, If your experiment succeed :silly:

You will let us know if it lives, or not, won't you? Just in case, i might be tempted.

Mercnik wrote: You ow me a beer, If your experiment succeed :silly:

You bet!

Samantha wrote: You will let us know if it lives, or not, won't you? Just in case, i might be tempted.

I'll definitely be posting for better for worse. & please don't be tempted this late in the game! This is really kinda dumb considering the outcome I expect - which isn't good. Wait until spring, soooo much better chance of keeping the tree alive.

Brkirkland: please don't get banned! I really wanna see this tree come to life

brkirkland22 wrote: I'll definitely be posting for better for worse. & please don't be tempted this late in the game! This is really kinda dumb considering the outcome I expect - which isn't good. Wait until spring, soooo much better chance of keeping the tree alive.

I may be capable of holding off this temptation, until spring, maybe. We don't have any beech trees around here any way. Do you think it would work on a wild plum, i need to get one of those, before the honeysuckle bushes completely choke them out. I have a few cuttings, hopefully they'll work.

If you can cut back your honeysuckle to give the plum more room, I'd advise to do that before digging up the tree this year.

There's a good chance your cuttings would work, as long as they aren't so thick in diameter (~ 1/2" (12mm) would do). I posted a thread in early April about an American hornbeam I've been working on. The consensus was to take the top off. I decided to keep the top.... and put it in a separate pot!! I cut the lower branches at the node, rooting hormone, good soil, and treated it like an new transplant. That was around 1/2" at the cut, it rooted, and is now doing fine. I'll post pictures of both trees in that thread soon.

brkirkland22 wrote: There's a good chance your cuttings would work, as long as they aren't so thick in diameter (~ 1/2" (12mm) would do). I posted a thread in early April about an American hornbeam I've been working on. The consensus was to take the top off. I decided to keep the top.... and put it in a separate pot!! I cut the lower branches at the node, rooting hormone, good soil, and treated it like an new transplant. That was around 1/2" at the cut, it rooted, and is now doing fine. I'll post pictures of both trees in that thread soon.

Sorry, I like the optimism, but there is no chance the beech cuttings work. Beech is a different plant than hornbeam. Beech cuttings you take in late fall.