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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.
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. |
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
> 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)