Boxwood cut healing

[John in Toledo]

I'm "asking for a friend" who may or may not be including his wild caught not a contest tree in the not a contest tree contest.

"No officer, that's not mine. I was just holding it for a friend."

I'm sort of looking at what I have around here that I want to focus on for the not a contest. I'd really like to do boxwood. Nurseries here won't have stock on hand until after the start date. Too late to collect, too early to buy. I'm not comfortable buying blind, so unless something better comes my way in the next 11 days, I am considering the three boxes I have on hand. I've already hit two of the three landscape specimens I grabbed in late Feb. (I may have rookie-fried them in the wind a few days ago. The wind burn looks nasty.)

The third is my favorite, and stayed tucked away in the garage. It's the one I want to get to know intimately, and is likely to go into the no contest with me.

It may need to be shortened, unless I can figure out a sexy way to keep it's current-ish size. It's got good wiggles but waits too long up the trunk to show strong taper. It may be that I can drop the canopy level down to mask some of that, but that's neither here nor there for now, since it probably wouldn't be the "first move"

I've heard and read that Boxwood are slow to heal, particularly if the wound is large. So I'm gathering boxwood-specific information on wound healing. I've gone through lots (and lots - but not all) of it in the maple and pine and juniper forums. Each seem to behave a little differently to blade insults to the trunk, but I don't think I've read a discussion here on big cuts to old wood on boxwoods.

It's possible that the plan for late winter/next spring (sping equinox check in) may involve a serious height reduction top-chop of a trunk that is around 1-1.5 inches diameter (a wee bit loner than tip of thumb to primary phalanges) . There are nearby and adjacent young shoots (- and one kinda fat one that's probably too stubborn to bend upwards, especially if it stays and grows all summer -) that could be used to draw healing to the wound. Some of which could then be recruited as new top leaders (I think) over the next few seasons.

Any generic box-specific large-diameter-apical-chop tips or advice on the cut and the healing that anyone here can share? If I do it, it needs to be done right. If it won't work, then I'll just think my way around it.

Curse you for making me plan this out!

 

[John in Toledo]

For example, this looks promising.
https://moonlightbonsai.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/japanese-maples-and-healing-large-wounds/
Anybody here tried this? Looks like it might work based on principle.

 

[Anthony]

Presently testing Chinese boxwood.
Have had them for 5 years.
Not sure if they need real cold to continue to live.
Some are growing very well, others killing branches off as they go.

There is supposed to be a special situation for defoliation.

So ask before you try anything.

We were told that the repotting is every two years.

This year or next is stage one.
Ground grow in a colander for trunk size and first 6 to 8 branches.
Trunks are presently just 1/2 an inch with generally 12 inch tall
plants.

Shall we learn together ........................
Good Day
Anthony

 

[sorce]

I've heard and read that Boxwood are slow to heal, particularly if the wound is large.

This is Boxcar #46 on the Bonsai Bullshit train IMO.
It may be semantics, they may mean bark too. Which I can see taking pretty long.

(Just thinking right now I realized that the soil in my BBBroom Box may have gone hydrophobic due to the fine fine dust particals when I carved it.....hmmmm..+1 back for DE? Nice possibility! There that is....a situation that would lead someone to believe carving killed their Boxwood, when it was really not the carving, but a preventable result of carving, that TRULY caused the trees demise)

They say Elm Heals fast, they say elms are easy....mine don't, and aren't...but is it because they are mine? No...its because how I treat them. The Very last possible thing I have to investigate as the problem...is my quite climate/situation specific inability to successfully repot in spring.)

That said....I think "Boxwood heal slow" is a mixture of mistreatment, the fact that they have little need to heal over even the slightest surface imperfections because they know they will not rot, they don't waste the energy, and the statement itself, leading to more belief of it.

I googled "how old is a Boxwood in a 5 gl pot" and came up with a good side read...
http://mysoulfulhome.com/boxwood-shrubs-101/

I guess the actual age doesn't really matter, as we can come to an educated guess that these nurseries are not growing these for sale for the same length of time as we intend to grow our bonsai to "finished", and you can see "large" wounds healed on them..
Yes they allow unrestricted growth that allows for a quicker healing.
But we have longer and can guide growth carefully to assist healing.

So my truth is the opposite.
All that means to me is something is broke somewhere, on both sides....and needs to be fixed!

Anyway I was trying to find a good pic that I shared with someone here somewhere about a box branch removal technique I tried last year that is working well.

Basically....Boxwood wood is too hard to cut with traditional tools. And the tool strong enough to cut it clean won't fit where we need.

So on a large branch....
You razor blade cut a bit inside where you want your future flush cut to be....and remove all the bark above it as you would ringbark an airlayer....

When the callous peeks out from under the bark....it gives you a point to grind back to.

This allows you the ability to keep the surface completely smooth so it can keep healing.

Sorce

 

[John in Toledo]

@Anthony Yes, let's learn together
@sorce Good stuff. Give a response that forces me to go look up more information, and to think about the bigger picture. Plus, I get excited and wiggly inside when anyone tells me that a should grind.. Oh, wait, were you talking about the plant?

 

[Anthony]

@sorce,

There at least 10 different cultivars of the Mallsai Elm.

We have one here that produces young that grow curled [ c ] branches.

We have one that produces a throw back finely leafed plant, needs winter - dies in
4 years.

We have Mother Elm, roots grow to trunks of 3 inches in 6 months once given the space.

We have one that just grows few branches and few leaves.

We have one that has fine branches, small leaves, but a trunk would take maybe 25 years
to get to 3 inches - ground growing.

There is also a grey trunked one that produces large trunks, few branches and not much
else.

So unless you know what to look for, well..................
Good Day
Anthony

here is an example ------ after many years- this is all you get.