🌸🔵 California Redbud, #2421
Cercis occidentalis, the western redbud or California redbud (syn. Cercis orbiculata — Greene), is a small tree or shrub in the legume family. Deciduous.
Dug up from a house to be leveled, $7. Planted in a grow-box, aggregate soil on bottom and top, but 100% pumice at root level. Bagged and heat mat for 1 month.
Aug 16 (1 mo) Update
[Recovery in a bag, heat pad]
Sep 7 two months post
Sept 30
Strategy
Consider a shorter tree, and air layer top before a lower chop.
Sep 2024 Shoots to Roots
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/cercis#:~:text=Cercis%20Bonsai%20Care%20guidelines&text=The%20Judas%20tree%20needs%20a,must%20be%20protected%20from%20frost.
Full sun during the growing season, but should be placed in semi-shade on the hottest summer days.
The rootball of the Judas tree needs constant moisture and should never dry out completely.
In winter the roots should be kept only slightly moist. The Cercis prefers water with a neutral or slightly acidic pH value.
During the growing season feed the tree every week with liquid fertilizer or apply a solid organic fertilizer every four weeks. Use a balanced product with sufficient phosphorous, potassium and micronutrients to promote flowers and fruit.
Older branches of the Judas tree are best pruned in spring after flowering. Young shoots are constantly trimmed back to two or three leaves during the growing season and unwanted buds and shoots are removed at any time.
Cercis trees can best be wired in June. Younger branches are quite flexible, older ones become quite stiff, but they can be shaped with guy wires in early spring.
Judas trees should be repotted every two or three years in spring before growth begins. Up to one third of the roots can be pruned. Use a well-draining standard soil mix with a neutral or slightly acidic pH value.
Judas trees can be propagated from from seed in spring or from semi-hardwood cuttings in mid-summer. Air-layering is also possible.
Redbuds bud back really well
Problem number one is they all have large tap roots.
Problem number two is that the leaves are really large and reports say they cannot be reduced in size either with traditional Bonsai techniques
