Hi! What king of substrate do you use for ginkgo? Is a kind of tree between deciduous and conifer.
Thanks.
Best.
Hi !
I have only one ginkgo, in development . i repotted last year in 50% akadama and 50% pumice.
In refinement i would go 100% akadama.
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Why do you put pomice? Just to understand!
Thank a lot!
For stability as akadama does progressively break down. The breaking down of akadama is an advantage for trees in refinement as it will lead to leaf/internode reduction. A tree in development doesn’t need as much leaf/internode reduction.
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as a first repotting from a nursery pot I think it’s a good compromise.
Less expensive 
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Thank you for the knowledge!
So…I decided to tackle my 4 gallon ginkgo repot, nursery acquired last sumer. Ever heard of a cultavar— Troll?
Outer edges ALL fine roots in nursery soil. Easy peasy…
Inner 2 gallons is solid thumbsized roots and rock hard dirt…
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Bast___s slip potted it and fertilized heavy several years ago. Now if will take 3 repots to get into a bonsai pot…
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Joys of bonsai. Bonsai on…
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my recent one went rather well, though that was coming out of a training pot with pumice…
so no sport then.
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@antelion Nice rootball.
Put mine back into a 2 gal nursery pot. Didn’t have ANYTHING deep enouh.
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Akadama n pumice.
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Future plan, airlayer off the main trunk just above the right trunk. Leave a stub, cut /work later. Maybe bark transplant… to cover.
Airlayer just above the bottom reverse taper. (I assume it is a graft…?) Tilt way left. Bob’s your uncle…
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Ever hear of grafting ginkgo…? Maybe just a bud…
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These are wierd trees.(Been reading the professional papers on google…!)
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Bonsai on!
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Your reverse taper is indeed a graft, the vast majority of commercially grown cultivars are grafted.
According to my Dirr and Heuser copy, the cultivars are usually grafted because cutting-grown ones seem to take a growing pause the season after rooting. There is some indication that cuttings that were rooted and transplanted early do not exhibit the pause.
Grafting is usually done in two ways:
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Summer bud grafting on seedling understock
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January or February whip and cleft grafting
I repotted a young gingko seedling the other day, they are indeed weird trees. I had never seen a seedling with so many active root meristems, nor with such weirdly shaped ones… it almost looked like someone had glued small triangles all over the rootball.
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@KurtP, as a pointer for your air layer consideration. Today I repotted a new acquisition. More or less the whole root system came from “air roots” which formed above the actual soil line of the tree. There are not that many roots origination from the below soil line part of the tree (if that description makes sense?)
My assumption would thus be hat an air layer should also work out in similar fashion (though my assumption and not knowledge, so no liabilities please .. ;- )
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I had the same issue with the inverse taper, I did an air layer above the graft. Tree died. I have 136 trees and never killed any until this happened. Let me know if you did yours and how it went. Cheers
Repoted mine into a deap bonsai pot in 2023. Poor foot ball. Real large deap main root knuckle base. Did a deep dive into Ginko. Air layering is iffy. My ginkgo’s growth habit is definitely not typical flame style… wants to grow horizontal. It would need two airlayers to look presentable… When I do a major limb cut, healing is abismally poor. Rots back.
Last summer it only had one limb extension.
Repotted this spring (26). Better fine rootage. Trimmed 2" off old root knuckle, still deap… I will NOT trim anything this year…
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BTW, no cuttings have ever sprouted…
Bonsai On!
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Processing: IMG20260424083435.jpg…
I have had good success with cuttings from my landscape ginko. Just peagravel and old used pumice for substrate.
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Bob…
If you used rooting hormone, which one?
That’s pretty large substrate for rooting.
(Your photo did not post…)
K
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No hormone, just cut the half inch stem and stick it in the substrate. Works on my zelkova, crab apples, Japanese lilac, and red bud. Havenot tried the bald cypress or dawn redwood. Will try to attach photo again.
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Not a pristine system as you can see! The wash basin has been sitting in my wife’s garden for years and has leaves and seeds from the woods. Some fines from sifted lava and pumice are discarded into the mix, so varying size with no care taken to sift. Just a partly shaded spot with some wind protection. the way grandpa used to do it!!! Not 100% success, the euonymus alatus stems all died.
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Bob.
Your cuttings are taller than my tree! Nice tub…
I have very good but variable success with cuttings. Almost every dawn redwood and hawthorn sprouts. Hawthorn seeds never sprout… must need a bird digestion (chicken)? Swamp cypress are variable. Have NOT got one from my landscape corkbark oak. Wont airlayer either.
I have a ~70 yo gorgeous dark purple bloom lilac bush that refuses to sprout with cuttings or ground layer, AND doesn’t put out any suckers. I feel the need to spread the plant to other sites for survival… I need to chainsaw the entire bush for a proper renewal …
I have WAY too many plants already…
K
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Nice work. I have a very poor track record of success with my attempts at cultivating cuttings. Even with plants that supposedly are easy to grow from cuttings. I think I tend to keep them too wet. I have tried various substrates and different locations for sun/shade.
I am trying several right now. Bald Cypress, Texas Sage, Winged Bark Elm, Boxwood.
will try another round when spring growth hardens off.
Any general advice anyone would like to share, I am all ears.
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Once I cut a branch and water in substrate I ignore it for at least a week. No water, no moving. I get to be surprised 4 weeks later!
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