How to 'make' a small tree cheaply

[Old Tom]

As promised, a short 'how to' thread about making containerised trees for the layout (it could also be called 'Making Fake Bonsai Trees - but if I called it that, you'd all start making them and selling them off at huge profit wouldn't you? )

First thing is to buy a cheap shrubs from a nursery or garden centre. Independent local nurseries are best - they are much cheaper than the nationals. I got mine from Dove's Barn Nursery, Copthorne Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 2PB
These cost £1.95 and £2.25:

When you buy them, look for interesting branch formation at the top of the trunk:

These are the tools I used, but you can use secateurs and scissors. The bent fork is most important though!

Part 2 to follow in a minute because the site timed out when I tried to load them all at once........

 

[Old Tom]

OK, the 'how to' bit....

Use the bent fork to loosen all the roots (if the plant is pot-bound like this, it's a hard task sometimes:

Once loosened, trim the roots by about 50% (If it's a healthy plant, you can remove up to 75% and they'll still survive):

Finally plant into a small pot (I've used a plastic £4 bonsai container, but a normal plastic flower pot works fine) and then trim all the leaves/shoots etc. around the top of the trunk so that the detail is exposed:

I leave it like this for several days while I study it to see how best to trim it down and which branches to remove to make it a better shape. (The bottom left hand branch is a definite candidate.) Always remember you can remove but you can't replace, so take your time when trimming.

It's very easy and cheap. Don't forget scale as well. This one scales up to about 24', so if you want 50' trees you'll need bigger shrubs which tend to be more expensive but are actually easier to get to look 'right' for some reason...8|

Best of luck!

 

[Tony]

Tom thanks very much for that what about after care will you need to trim the roots again in few years ?
why cant you leave it in original pot with out triming the roots
can you leave it in the garden all year
serious questions
Thanks again
Tony

 

[robsmorgan]

Thanks Tom,
really useful information - 100 page, expensive Bonsai books don't make this much sense...
haven't even been this brave with my box 'trees' but now with renewed confidence!!
Best wishes
Rob

 

[Bram]

Great how to Tom, do you plant the conatainer in the ground or isit left free standing?

 

[Old Tom]

'Tom thanks very much for that what about after care will you need to trim the roots again in few years ?
why cant you leave it in original pot with out triming the roots
can you leave it in the garden all year
serious questions'

Hi Tony, you only need to re-trim the roots after about 3 -4 years for the same reason why you can't leave it in the original pot. It'll become pot-bound and die because the root ball gets so tight, the tree doesn't get enough nourishment. You'll find that it's a lot easier to do the roots after you've done the first trimming.
And yes, these two are Privets and are quite happy even in the hardest winter. Just make sure you buy a 'hardy' variety.

Cheers
Tom

 

[Old Tom]

Great how to Tom, do you plant the conatainer in the ground or isit left free standing?

Thanks Bram.
You can do either, but burying in the ground is best for looking life-like. I'll probably re-pot this into a flower pot before I bury it on my railway.
That's the great thing about using a small plastic flower pot instead of a Bonsai container - dead cheap, in fact usually free!