What is an elongating species?

Horticulture
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General definition:

Elongating Species are species that produce one elongating piece of growth in a season. This is a broad characterization of species in both alpine and coastal environments.

Examples of Elongating Species:

  1. Spruce - Picea
  2. Fir - Abies
  3. Douglas fir - Pseudotsuga
  4. Hemlock - Tsuga
  5. Larch - Larix
  6. Redwood - Coastal (Sequoia) & Dawn (Metasequoia)
  7. Bald Cypress - Taxodium
  8. Cedar - Cedrus, Chamaecyparis, Thuja, Cryptomeria

What's not an elongating species?

  1. Junipers
  2. Pines (unless short-needle single flush which are treated similarly)
  3. Deciduous trees

See some of these Live Q&A’s for detailed discussions on this topic.

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-q-a-III at timestamps 18:55, 58:00 and 1:05:35

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-IV - at 24:58 and 44:18

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa at 40:45

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-xi at 6:40 and 43:45

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-xii at 1:30

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-xvi at 1:02:10

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qx-xxiv at 19:55

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-xxvi at 2:12

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-xxvii at 47:31

Help us continue to grow this robust bank of information! Tag your favorite Mirai Live videos in which we work with Elongating Species - share resources that have helped you learn how to better handle these trees.

11 Likes
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Thanks for all you do Kendall! Often you ask the question during the live stream that I want to ask.
Keeping the stream real and personal is not an easy task. :heart_eyes:

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Hi, I would like to know the best time to re-pot Spruce, I remember hearing that a great time is once the buds have opened and the new growth is pushing as the tree can then allocate the vascular resources to the roots. Or should this happen right as the buds swell? I am specifically talking about a Pungens now that was going to be a landscape tree and I thought, “no, you’re going to be a bonsai.”: )

Thanks

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aha, I think I found a good source in the Live q&a links provided:

https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/live-qa-xvi @ 1:02:10