skip to main content

Form of Ginkgo grown from seed naturally?

16 years ago

I know that Ginkgo biloba is very variable from seed but what would a tree look like grown from seed undisturbed? Multitrunked? With branches to the ground? Most older trees I see also are very upward oriented and somewhat narrow even with a second leader developing 10 feet up in the tree. Is the one leader into a broader tree just a rarer selected trait with grafts, and years of training a young tree?

Most of the trees I've seen have one trunk cleared up quite a bit but is this natural, how does the tree grow naturally? I've seen one with two almost equal trunks almost twisting around one another, less than 20 foot high tree, the only younger tree I've seen yet so different. Would branches grow low on a younger tree naturally, or would it be branched to the ground for years?

And with grafted trees the branches on younger trees usually look kinda confused and "poorly thought out" with angled central leaders and messy odd branches. Is this a result of grafting a branch, that the growth is confused and so awkward? Or just the same no matter what? Some older trees I see have a geometric beauty about them, almost like a crystal-like pattern which is so different and cool, so in the end the tree hardly seems confused if somewhat random.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

botann
16 years ago
I took a cutting from a branch and it's so confused it doesn't know which way is up. I may have to give it directions with a stake.
Blue China Firs do that also. I call them 'Dumb cuttings'. Eventually a new sprout originates at the roots and goes straight up. My ginkgo is too small yet to know if it will too.
Dibbit
16 years ago
I should think that a seedling will grow pretty much straight up - I got 3 seedling gingkos a few years ago - planted them in a group, WELL away from the house as I understand they won't flower for 15-30 years so I won't know until then if they are males or females, and I did NOT want females close to the house - they were tall skinny whips for about 3 years. They are now starting to have a branch structure, and look pretty good. The branching seems to start about 3-4' up the trunk, and to be more in an upward direction than out or downward. I may have to do some limbing up as they grow, so I can get the tractor around them when bush-hogging.

I think it's more likely that grafted cuttings, especially taken from a branch, would tend to be confused about which way is up for a while. Seedlings, unless damaged/injured early on, should just grow - up.
Related Discussions
My semi-weepy BC grown from seed
Q
Comments (15)
Thanks everybody. Glad y'all liked it. Ken - Last year was a lost year for growth. It started to look bad in June and wasn't sure what's going on so I decided to plant it to see if it helps. It stabilized but did not really grow new needles. I noticed the container media was rather dry despite daily watering so it could be the reason. It had several inches of dieback on all of branches and central leader so I'm pretty much starting all over this year. So far, it's looking pretty good now with 5 inches of growth s far (now 5.5 ft). Drops needles during late November and start in Mid-march although it started early in March this year. Taxo-man - I sent scions out to a couple interested in trying them out so I called it Lou's Weepy BC. ;) Treeguy - The parent tree doesn't appear to be 'Pendens'. The green color is rather dark green color compared to 'Pendens' that I looked at on the internet. I know what you mean by narrow weepy cypress. I planted a Montezuma cypress 'Sentido' and it's rather narrow with branches falling down. It's 15 feet tall and it can't be more than 4' wide. Glad y'all liked this tree. I'll post more pictures every couple months.
...See More
fruit trees grown from seeds
Q
Comments (3)
They will bear fruit at some time in the future But it will not be exactly like the parent. There are a few fruitless varities of some trees, Mulberry, crab apple are two but you must purchase them as they are reproduced bro cuttings or grafting.
...See More
Anyone ever grown a pomegranate from seed and seen it fruit...?
Q
Comments (18)
Well, let's put it this way: my hardiness zone is the equivalent, I think, to you USA zone of New England. our temperatures can fluctuate form -10 degrees C in the winter time though it has been known to get a little colder) to a realistic max of 83 degrees C (though conversely, it has been known to get hotter!) However, those hot temperatures are currently very few and far between... this summer in the UK - we don't have a summer, and none is predicted for the foreseeable future. As it stands, today's high is 16 C (equivalent to 62 degrees F.) Which for our summer is just miserable. So, summing up, these ain't gonna fruit any time not soon not no way. Especially outdoors! That said, their rate of growth is amazing. The photo (above) I posted this morning, I took just before posting it. The main growers (biggest ones) have already grown more, and the 1st true leaves are now showing quite proud, and taking on a russet colour...
...See More
far out question: anybody grown Geums from seed?
Q
Comments (3)
Ok, here is a picture. What is hard to tell is that the four branches off the main stem are in a perfectly cross shaped pattern. The little thing to lower center is one of those branchlets. OTOH the yellow leaf to the lower left is on another, smaller seedling. I already have a somewhat bigger one that has been planted outside in light shade. I am beginning to suppose it has to be Geum capensis - the look of the plant is so distinct, you wonder how the wrong seed could have been collected by Rod & Rachel's peeps. Nothing else I've bought from Silverhill over the years has been grossly mislabeled. I could of course always ask Rachel...but I don't know if she ever germinates what she collects! The sickly big yellow leaf is a Melianthus villosus...not sure whey they are unhappy.
...See More
atwork
16 years ago
Most seed-grown Ginkgos are single trunked and do grow up with a fairly nice form naturally. In my experience, they are not more variable than other tree species and maybe less so than some. They will of course look better with age (less straggly). In my (very unscientific) experience, fewer than 1 in 15 seeds produce double or multistem trunks.
Dibbit
16 years ago
Frequently, although perhaps not always, a double trunk comes from the seedling being damaged at an early age. There are those trees that do tend to grow as multi-stem/trunk trees, such as serviceberry, but those grown commercially are more usually the result of the grower cutting off a single trunk to get the multiples. Multi-trunk birch clumps are more often the result of 2-5 trees being planted together, or from multiple suckers, than from a single seed. I am not saying they don't happen in nature, just that most of them are not the result of 2 or more trunks arising from a single seed and growing that way from emergence.
pineresin
16 years ago
Multi-trunk specimens can occur naturally with animal-dispersed species (which includes Ginkgo), if several seeds are present together in one animal dropping.

Resin
atwork
16 years ago
Dibbit, I started to say that many double/multistemed specimens were likely caused by damage or pruning of the leader, but didn't want to go into a long explanation here. I didn't even consider a multi-seed grouping this time. I guess I was thinking that that was common sense and had automatically eliminated it from the possibilities. I have had Ginkgo seedlings emerge with double stems from a single seed, but, as I said earlier, this is far less common than a single trunk.

Related Stories

CONTAINER GARDENS 8 Easy Container Plants to Grow From Seed

Get beautiful blooms and herbs in summer by starting these choice garden picks from seed in spring

GOLD FOLIAGE Great Design Plant: Ginkgo Biloba

By Becky Harris

This ancient tree provides shade, tolerates urban planting conditions and explodes with golden yellow fall color

DECORATING GUIDES Ginkgo Motifs Grow on Rooms

By Lisa Frederick

Simple and shapely, ginkgo leaves bring a graceful, natural note to wallpaper, fabrics and furnishings

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING See a Family Greenhouse Grown From Scraps

By Annie Thornton

Can-do resourcefulness and less than $400 lead to a new 8- by 8-foot home for plants on a Tennessee family's property

TREES 11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

With such a wide range to choose from, there’s a beautiful Japanese maple to suit almost any setting

GARDENING GUIDES Seeds or Seedlings? How to Get Your Garden Started

By Abundant City

Growing delicious herbs and vegetables starts with knowing your goals and when you want to plant

WINTER GARDENING Inspiring Winter Scenes From the Denver Botanic Gardens

Use seed heads, bare branches and grasses to design lovely garden displays when the ground is frozen

GREEN BUILDING Design Workshop: Shutters, All Grown Up

By Eric Reinholdt, Architect

Shutters are back! They’re modern, functional and a sensible investment for a more comfortable, efficient home

COLOR Flower Power: Pick Your Palette From Posies

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

For no-fail color combinations, take your cue from Mother Nature

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Landscape Design Features Play With Natural Light

By Olander Garden Design

See 6 elements that can help your yard capture natural light and shade, from a carefully placed tree to a geometric fence

Sponsored

More Discussions

What do you think is wrong with my tree? And how can I save it?

9

Paw paw seedlings or cuttings

7

Huge black maple in Michigan

4

Sassafras Foliar Peculiarity

14

Juniper virginians problem

6