Larix sp.

Larch

Larix is an unusual genus, one of the handful of deciduous conifers. Larix bears bright green to bluish-green needle-like leaves that turn yellow in autumn. It has tiny cones which are purplish on most Larix species. Larches are pioneer trees and will not grow properly in the shade.

In areas with suitable temperatures, Larch is quite popular as bonsai. It is recommended by its quickly thickening trunk, and its foliage, which is fresh, bright green in spring and lovely golden yellow in autumn. Unlike many conifers, Larix cones are small and seem in proportion to most sizes of bonsai.

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Lighting:

 Semi-shade in sumer, full sun otherwise.

Temperature:

 Larches are cold-weather trees. Most varieties encounter difficulty in regions warmer than zone 6, and some are hardy in areas as cold as zone 2. The colder and drier the climate, the more compact the needle growth will be.

Watering:

 Larch can be very sensitive to watering - as I've learned the hard way. Nursery grown trees must not ever be allowed to dry out, or to stand in water. Some larches grow naturally in boggy areas, and these have no problem remaining in water for days. They can eventually be trained to survive with less water, which is a good idea, as larches kept a bit dry develop shorter needles.

Feeding:

 Every two weeks during growth, stopping for 6 weeks in midsummer, for developmental growth. Mature larch bonsai are fed very little, again with the hope of keeping needle length reduced.

Repotting:

 Larch repotting depends much on circumstance. Young, unrestrained larches grow quickly, although the foliage grows at a greater rate than the root ball. The rate of larch growth can be slowed considerably through bonsai techniques, and by reducing feeding frequency. Tomlinson recommends repotting often, even annually, due to strong root growth. Other sources recommend repotting every 2-4 years, and gradual reduction of the root mass. Repotting should be done in early to mid-spring, or late summer. The books recommend transplanting before bud burst, but American larch may be best repotted after the buds have opened slightly, forming tiny "shaving brushes." Eliminate unwanted branches to encourage rooting. Use fast-draining soil mix.

Styling:

 Shorten the shoots during growth. The branches may also be pruned in autumn-winter, but always leave 2-3 buds on a branch. Wire from late spring-autumn. Another tip reinforced by experience - do not wire before bud burst as this tends to damage or kill larch cambium. During the growth season, larch responds extremely well to wiring, and it is easy to position a branch exactly where it is wanted. Larches are often seen as formal and informal uprights, and in forest plantings, although they are suitable for all sizes and styles except broom.

Propagation:

 From seed sown in April/May - they take a while to germinate. They can be gathered from the late-ripening cones in autumn/winter. The cones must be left in the sun to open, and then the seeds may be shaken out. Cuttings may be taken in late summer from new shoots, and require the use of rooting hormone and a lot of moisture. In northern areas of America and Canada, larch is often naturally stunted by its growing condidiots, and collecting larch for bonsai is quite popular.

Pests etc.:

 aphids, wooly aphids, bark beetles, caterpillars, rust, honey-fungus, canker, and the dreaded "mysterious wilting disease" which is always fatal to larch.

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Reiner Goebel
rgoebel@tor.hookup.net
November 11, 1996
I just spoke to Art Skolnik. He is not sure what the disease is called,
but he has treated it successfully with a fungicide, and he prefers a
systemic. He thinks it is brought on by a period of high humidity
without wind. He recommends that it be treated as soon as it is
recognized, in which case the tree can be saved more often than not. He
also has observed that it is more killing in a newly collected tree than
in an established one, which could be because the recently collected
tree is in trauma from being dug up.

He thinks the disease is contageous, although in my case only one
individual has ever been affected. After pruning an affected larch,
Arthur recommends disinfecting the tools before using them on other
plants.

That's it. I hope it is helpful.

Best regards

Reiner


Sam Poikonen
sapapo@iki.fi
November 11, 1996
> Larix decidua: European Larch - this European native can grow
>         to 75 feet tall, and is hardy in zones 4-6.  It is a
>         high altitude tree, and can even be found at altitudes
>         above 8200 ft.  The flowers are tiny - yellow for male
>         and red for female.

  I believe Larix decidua is even more hardy than to zone 4.
  I've seen several ones in zone 3.
  I'm going to try how L.decidua survives in zone 2...

> Larix sibirica: Siberian larch

  This is hardy in zone 2. It also survives high altitudes.


Sami Poikonen           sp@iki.fi
                        http://www.iki.fi/sp/bon-site/ (English)
                        http://www.iki.fi/sp/bonsai/ (Finnish)




=================================================================

Date: Sun, 13 Oct 1996 00:24:58 +0300 (EET DST)
From: Sami Poikonen 

I believe you were looking for information on larch.

-------------------- cut here ----------------
Here is what Susan M. BAchenheimer Resnick: Bonsai
says:

Styles:
        Formal upright, informal upright,
        slanting, split trunk, driftwood,
        root-over-rock, clinging-to-rock,
        twin trunk, clump, forest.
Temperature:
        Differs according to variety:
Outdoor
Hardiness rating: Hardy to zones 3-5 depending on variety.
Non-flowering
Deciduous

Usually, this needled, coniferous tree is deciduous.
The foliage of the larch is short and fine.
Cones are small and easy to use in floral arrangements and
holiday decorations. Prefers semi-shade in summer,
full sun the rest of the year.
Tolerant of light sahde.

When to prune:
        Pinch tips of new buds during growth period;
        Prune subbranches in mid spring, main branches in mid winter.

When to repot:
        Early or mid spring.
When to fertilize:
        Spring and autumn,
When to water:
        Requires moisture without constant puddling.
--------------------- cut here -----------------

Well I bet you had all this information, but I wanted to mail you this
just in case.

BTW. if you need Larix sibirica seeds, I'd be glad to send you some.
Well I don't know what they like about it in the custom.

Sami.Poikonen@iki.fi http://www.iki.fi/sp/ http://www.iki.fi/sp/bonsai/

=================================================================

Date: Sat, 26 Oct 1996 22:58:12 -0400
From: Michael Persiano 

In a message dated 96-10-26 18:14:44 EDT, rcaine@ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU (Robert F
Caine) writes:

<< Repotting: Larch repotting is controversial.  Tomlinson recommends
 repotting often, even annually, due to strong root growth. Other sources
 recommend repotting every 2-4 years, and gradual reduction of the root
 mass.   >>

The Larch is not unlike any other bonsai in that when the water has
difficulty reaching the drainage holes, it is time to repot.  I find it
difficult to place any particular bonsai on a predetermined repotting
schedule.

Another variable is the bonsai's feeding schedule.  Younger, immature
specimens being pushed with fertilizers to achieve design objectives will
require more frequent repotting than mature specimens on reduced feeding.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano

=================================================================


Date: Sat, 26 Oct 1996 20:06:22 -0500
To: Robert F Caine 

Very good summary on larches - don't have much to add to that.

A couple of things, though.

        1.      Water

                Where I collect larches, they often grow in boggy areas.
                Their roots are submerged in water for days on end during
                spring run-off, and in my experience those are the easiest
                larches to get to survive collecting. 

                Once they are established in pots, usually after the second
                year, I water sparingly, almost like pines, in the hope of
                keeping the length of the needles down. I am not 100% sure
                if I am succeeding with that. However, the trees don't seem
                to miss being watered abundantly.

        2.      Feeding

                Once a larch is being trained as a bonsai, I feed it very 
                sparingly or not at all, again in the hope of keeping
                needle length down. I repot every two to three years using
                a soil fairly high in humus (up to 50%) and I feel that 
                contains enough nutrients to last the tree for that length of
                time.

        3.      Wiring

                I concur with your experience about larches' touchiness about
                wiring when not actively growing. For greater certainty, maybe
                you should say that the damaged cambium will either seriously
                weaken the branch or kill it outright.

        4.      Wilting

                We call it the "mysterious wilting disease" and dread it. 
                Deadly every time, luckily I have had it occur only twice in
                14 years, and it seems to strike a particular tree without 
                necessarily affecting the others in the collection. We would be
                most interested to find out how to combat it. "We", 
                incidentally, are all the admirers of larches at The Toronto
                Bonsai Society.

Best regards

Reiner Goebel
Toronto, Canada

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Information Sources:

Information on Larix is taken from Jahn (ed.) "The Simon and Schuster Guide to Bonsai," Owen's "Bonsai Identifier," Resnick's "Bonsai," the Samson's "Creative Art of Bonsai," Tomlinson's "Complete Book of Bonsai," the No. 2 1996 issue of "International Bonsai" dedicated to Larch, posts by Sami Poikonen, Michael Persiano, and Reiner Goebeland, and last but not least, my own experience. Species information is from Mitchell's "American Nature Guides: Trees," and Thomas (ed.) "The Hearst Garden Guide to Trees and Shrubs."


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