Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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I love maples in the spring! Thanks for the pictures.
An unusual Trident
- Thread starter markyscott
- Start date
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Fully leafed out and spring shoots have extended a couple of feet. Really strong growth this year - the strongest I've seen. I'm trying a new fertilization technique - instead of cakes (which I usually make) I took a piece of 1 1/4" PVC and cut it into about 1" lengths. Then I poured Microlife into the 'cup'. Much easier than cakes and I can still easily pull the fertilizer when I want.
Anyway, time to wire and thin the leaves to expose the interior growth. Shoots will be left long on branches I'd like to thicken. I'll post again when I've worked the spring growth.
Scott
Anyway, time to wire and thin the leaves to expose the interior growth. Shoots will be left long on branches I'd like to thicken. I'll post again when I've worked the spring growth.
Scott
Last edited:
Giga
Masterpiece
This may be my favorite trident I've seen. I love unique tree so much more the the typical look. Well done!
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Someone asked me about the nuts and bolts of approach grafting, so I thought I'd post a few notes about how I do it here.
First, it's best to plan ahead. Let the shoots that you want to use for grafting extend over the growing season, but wire them into position to be grafted before the wood lignifies. Leave the wire in place over the dormant season.
In terms of timing, execute the approach graft in early spring - around the same time you repot or a bit later. First cut a groove into the trunk - I try to cut a groove like a dovetail join - a bit wider on the inside than the outside - so that as the shoot widens it is forced deeper into the groove.
On the branch to be grafted, scrape away the bark from both sides and expose the green layer underneath. On the part of the branch facing the trunk, scrape away the bark and cambium so that there is no growth on that side. Also, during the growing season, remove all of the growth on the branch except that growing past the graft union. Do not pinch or prune the growth on the branch - let it extend.
Finally, secure the graft into the groove with some staples and cover it all with cut paste. How long you leave it in depends on the growth of the tree, but in the case of this trident, it was a full year before I removed it. Over the growing season, you'll want to slowly weaken the connection along the shoot and force the new branch to take resources from the graft. Do this by scraping away the cambium on the shoot before the graft or girdling the shoot with a small bit of wire. I did both - photo is on an earlier post. When the graft has taken, you'll notce that the brach after the graft is notably thicker than before. That's when it's time to separate the graft.
Here's the way one of them looks today, a bit over a year since the original graft was placed.
Note the wire is still there for support, but it will be removed soon.
Scott
First, it's best to plan ahead. Let the shoots that you want to use for grafting extend over the growing season, but wire them into position to be grafted before the wood lignifies. Leave the wire in place over the dormant season.
In terms of timing, execute the approach graft in early spring - around the same time you repot or a bit later. First cut a groove into the trunk - I try to cut a groove like a dovetail join - a bit wider on the inside than the outside - so that as the shoot widens it is forced deeper into the groove.
On the branch to be grafted, scrape away the bark from both sides and expose the green layer underneath. On the part of the branch facing the trunk, scrape away the bark and cambium so that there is no growth on that side. Also, during the growing season, remove all of the growth on the branch except that growing past the graft union. Do not pinch or prune the growth on the branch - let it extend.
Finally, secure the graft into the groove with some staples and cover it all with cut paste. How long you leave it in depends on the growth of the tree, but in the case of this trident, it was a full year before I removed it. Over the growing season, you'll want to slowly weaken the connection along the shoot and force the new branch to take resources from the graft. Do this by scraping away the cambium on the shoot before the graft or girdling the shoot with a small bit of wire. I did both - photo is on an earlier post. When the graft has taken, you'll notce that the brach after the graft is notably thicker than before. That's when it's time to separate the graft.
Here's the way one of them looks today, a bit over a year since the original graft was placed.
Note the wire is still there for support, but it will be removed soon.
Scott
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Second cut back and wiring this year. I'll probably get one or maybe two more in by year end. Tridents develop fast in Houston.
Scott
Scott
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Nice grafting explanation there. Interesting tree!
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
A lot of the country is in winter, but we're just at the end of our growing season in Houston. Still 4-6 weeks from leaf drop.
This time of year, tridents shed their bark. It comes off in big flakes. Sometimes they will hold onto the flakes through the dormant season - bugs love to hide under the flakes. Best to remove all of the flaking bark. A side benefit is that doing so exposes the beautiful orange juvenile bark underneath - it's one of the things that makes tridents so beautiful in winter. Totally harmless to the tree.
Scott
This time of year, tridents shed their bark. It comes off in big flakes. Sometimes they will hold onto the flakes through the dormant season - bugs love to hide under the flakes. Best to remove all of the flaking bark. A side benefit is that doing so exposes the beautiful orange juvenile bark underneath - it's one of the things that makes tridents so beautiful in winter. Totally harmless to the tree.
Scott
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Here's an update on the grafts. Two seasons since grafting. One season since I separated them from the branch.
Scott
Scott
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Here's an update on the big surface roots I reduced a couple seasons ago. Healing nicely. A few more seasons ought to do it.
Scott
Scott
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Also time to pull off the last bits of summer wiring before it cuts in too much. New growth is hardened off now, but the branches will continue to thicken through fall.
As always, unwind, don't cut off in chunks.
Scott
As always, unwind, don't cut off in chunks.
Scott
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
That is healing up nicely. While you have your trowel out removing old bark (a satisfying activity!), something that Kathy teaches is to also scrape the bark "ridge" on the outside of the callus to smooth it out as it heals:
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks Brian. I'll give it a go - maybe I'll find some more bark flakes I can chip off too.
Scott
Scott
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Nice to see another unwinder!
With awesome trees at that!
Great healing!
Sorce
With awesome trees at that!
Great healing!
Sorce
Smoke
Ignore-Amus
I am not an unwinder. I am a cutter. Is there a way you could offer a drawing of how you would like to see this tree. I can see a lot of things but this one eludes me......
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
I can try, but I'm not the artist that Mach is. He drew a nice realization of what the tree could be if the lower branch is shortened. Here's the plan I was working toward in keeping the branch is current length.
The back branch on the main lower branch and the back branch on the trunk are grafted. The front branch on the trunk needs to be grafted - I wired a shoot into place to do it this spring. All of the rest of the branches are existing.
It's difficult material, I'll give you that. Part of why I like it.
Thoughts? I have a lot of respect for your opinion.
- Scott
Smoke
Ignore-Amus
The drawing looks pretty cool. I think it is very doable and you seem to be going in that direction for sure. I think this tree will always be more dramatic in twigs than in leaf. It seems almost too unusual for me in leaf but the drawing is really good as twigs. I guess we all get to watch thru the years, Thanks.
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Its been two years since the last repot. Drainage acceptable, but definitely slowing. Roots growing out of the drainage holes. Probably ought to repot.
Two years of growth makes for a pretty solid rootball.
Work the bottom of the rootball very flat.
Then work the top and sides. Here's a picture after wiring it into the pot.
Scott
Two years of growth makes for a pretty solid rootball.
Work the bottom of the rootball very flat.
Then work the top and sides. Here's a picture after wiring it into the pot.
Scott
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Dawn of a new day. Cutback and repot complete. Today I'll do a couple of approach grafts.
Scott
Scott
Wilson
Masterpiece
It's an awesome tree! I always love trees that actually represent the reality of different types of growth, look at the giant oak in my profile picture! This is the perfect example of a trees ability to contradict "formal design", for me at least... Keep up the great work!
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Old grafts taking well. See the bud at the base of the graft? This is likely the future of the branch - it's important to position the graft so that a node is close to the point where the graft exits the branch so you have these options.
Scott
Scott
