Ginkgo Bonsai 

Peter is right.

Notice that there were slitted and unslitted leaves on the same tree. I haven't noticed a different ratio between male and female trees, but it might be true. What I have noticed is that the leaves that grow out on the edge of branches, from apical buds with long internodes, tend to not have the slit, while leaves that grow from the small internoded leafing points further back tend to have the slit.

You must live in Ellensburg!

My experience of this aspect ie Gender - is based on what Japanese growers have told me. As I have never had my Ginkgos produce seed I cannot vouch for it. Besides - on some Ginkgo plants - they have both types of leaves (with slit and without), so what does that tell you? DNA and other tests are not within the reach of poor farmers and growers - but thanks for drawing attention to this topic.

peter chan ...very true. I hope that researchers will one day make an affordable kit that will allow those interested to determine their ginkgoes’ gender earlier than 15 years. Thank you for your rapid reply and thank you for your interesting and informative videos. I am constantly recommending them to my bonsai-loving colleagues.

@@jeffdodson1675 -- Its nice to learn something new all the time and its folk like you who help to add to my knowledge.

Often you see male trees not female, the female has fruit that drops in the fall, and is messy and kinda stinks :P

@@LiveLife1DayatATimee We had females planted in our shopping centers. Needless to say, in autumn the center stank of dog droppings, and noone knew it were the fruits :P

Actually almost all gingkos planted in public parks and the like are male, because of the smell of the fruit.

Most often reputable growers graft from known cultivars of male trees onto rootstock in order to produce trees that one can be Confident are male trees. After the Blandy Experiment, it is now known that the ratio of male to female trees grown from seed is close to 50:50. In fact, when looked at through statistics....the difference is not scientifically significant. Unfortunately, there are still some growers that will sell you a tree grown from seed and swear it is male or female before it ha reached 15to 20 years old....the age at which ginkgoes express gender. Naturally, those of us interested in bonsai usually could care less about ginkgo gender.

You can air layer it if you wish - Ginkgos air layer easily. But if you dont want to do that then cut it down to the height you want and make it a bonsai. It should force side shoots to grow.

It's really easy to germinate them inside, just put in a bag some nuts with some moist sand and throw them in the fridge. After a month or two you will notice they all start to germinate, really easy to germinate. I noticed those I keep on my balcony and water every two days grow really fast, the ones planted outside in southern Romania grow veeeery slow, I assume because of the dry climate and watering only once a week instead of every two days.

fwiw, if you have any ALOE plants, they work very well on tree wounds.it also keeps bugs out until the wound has sealed itself.you just rub the gel right on the cuts and walk away.

There is no guarantee - you might get a female tree if you are lucky.

Nancy, I grow gingko from seed. There's a special dormancy the seeds have to achieve before they germinate in the spring. Fresh seeds or fruit you gather from the ground (where rubber gloves, fruit contains same compounds found in poison ivy oak and sumac) clean the flesh after soaking fruit for 2 day in water. Again wearing gloves you should be able to squeeze the fruit and the seed will easily slip free. I always give seeds a second rinse because nearly all botanical fruit contains growth inhibitors to prevent the seed from germinating in the fruit. So I give a second rinse then lay the seeds to dry. Once your seeds are dry your seeds need about 8 weeks of warmth where the seed continues to develop. After the 8 weeks of warmth you need to give them the remaining time until spring in the fridge in a ziploc bag. Then in spring once the ground has thawed sow them in the ground. If you live in a city that has an arborist you can call them and find out where there are female gingkos. Because of the special dormancy requirements of the seeds gingko rarely escapes cultivation. Best wishes and happy growing!

Thank you

@@nancyfahey7518 I just collected some Ginkgo seeds in my nearby park in last years autumn, cleaned them thoroughly, then put them in the fridge until early spring, then put them in some pots. I didn't use any special soil or anything, so I'd say it's not really that complicated actually. I think at least 3/4 of the seeds grew into small plants this year. Good luck!

The female trees also produce fruits when mature. Unfortunately, the flesh smells strongly like dog droppings so most people prefer male gingko.

I am running out of nice shirts. Have to keep using my old ones. Eucalyptus dont usually make nice bonsai but here in the UK, there aren't many Eucalypts that have small enough leaves, so I haven't tried them much. I guess in Australia you have a wide choice.

@@peterchan3100 I I only jest about your attire, sir. I'm from California, and we also have an abundance of eucalyptus here. True, I'm learning, they don't or I haven't seen any that are in the traditional style of bonsai. I have much to learn about the specifics of bonsai. I find my enjoyment with botany in more of a general sense and am an "old hand" at it if you will. But new to bonsai. Thank you, sir, for breathing new life into an old love, so to speak. Peace be with you.

What is the botanical name please?

Can you tell me please ... Where did you get the tree ?

Soft wood cuttings are when the new shoots harden and this is in June in UK. Hardwood cuttings are done in Autumn but these are more difficult to make and need strong hormone liquid or it wont root.

Yes they will mark but the marks will grow out in time.

@@peterchan3100 Thank you very much peter for the reply much appreciated. Much respect from Kent.

Can anyone help answer this problem.

Apply air layers in spring after the first flush hardens off. Use a strong rooting hormone on these layers to get them to callous and push roots. I’ve had it take 2 seasons for roots to form, so be patient. They root easily just slowly. Good luck.

Growing in the open ground to get a strong tree and then chop the leading shoot to force side shoots to grow

In order to help encourage branching and keep the tree shorter, I cut current growth (once it has dropped its leaves) back to two nodes and try to pick an outward-facing bud. For those as intrigued as I am with Ginkgo biloba, please take a look at Cor Kwant’s “The Ginkgo Pages” on the internet. It is simply amazing.

I worked with a grower in the states, hr specializes in deciduous bonsai. He shared some of the knowledge he has learned regarding ginkgo branching. He has found that keeping the soil ph between 6.5 & 7 will greatly encourage the trees to branch more readily. I have a dozen Ginkgo and it has worked well for my growing and propagation. Good luck.

Yes you can but I find they prefer a loamy soil

Semi hard cuttings taken in June/July

Exatly. And I couldn't find anything about it on the internet. In fact both male and female trees appear to have leaf variation: with and without the slit. Female trees are rarer to find because obviously there's not much demand for female trees due to the smell of the fruit, but I actually live near a park that has a female tree (and it indeed smeells like putrid meat when the fruits are on the ground)