Junk trunk on the trunk. What to do?

[I_I_am_not_a_cat]

I recently repotted this deodar in order to deal with the burlap wrapped clay rootball and am curious what to do about this elephant trunk branch remnant and when.

I assume that it should be cut back all the way with knob cutters but am unclear how far back I should take it, how best to care for such a big scar to minimize it and if I should wait until early next spring or just do it now.
For reference, here is my previous thread discussing the clay rootball.

 

[BobbyLane]

I recently repotted this deodar in order to deal with the burlap wrapped clay rootball and am curious what to do about this elephant trunk branch remnant and when.

I assume that it should be cut back all the way with knob cutters but am unclear how far back I should take it, how best to care for such a big scar to minimize it and if I should wait until early next spring or just do it now.
For reference, here is my previous thread discussing the clay rootball.
View attachment 497184

Without seeing the rest of the tree, including the base its a bit tricky to analyze how this could be or not be incorporated into a design.

 

[Gabler]

That tree looks disturbingly soft and pudgy. It's like wrinkled cadaverous skin.

I'd like to offer help, but as you can probably tell, I'm not at all familiar with cedars.

 

[Shibui]

Cedars are slower to heal than many other species.
You can cut back as far as required if wanting a smooth healed trunk. Normal horticulture says leave the branch collar which helps with healing but that also usually causes a swollen area. In bonsai it is more usual to cut as flush as possible with the trunk and even hollow the cut a little so as it heals it will end up reasonably flat. I would cut hollow and seal the cut to promote healing.
Dead wood is also possible. Dead wood helps give a visual reason for scars so very useful in species that heal slow. In this case you could carve to leave a very short jin. It is also possible to add a longer jin if that would look better.

 

[rockm]

If this is a deodar cedar, I would be extremely cautious about cutting it back to points with no foliage. Most conifers won't recover from such a drastic pruning. There must be some green growth attached to what remains. I see no needles or branching near this site on the trunk.

 

[I_I_am_not_a_cat]

Without seeing the rest of the tree, including the base its a bit tricky to analyze how this could be or not be incorporated into a design.

I am not really asking about the design so much as the health of the tree but I see your point.

There are more pics in the thread I linked, but here are a couple more, showing this side:

 

[I_I_am_not_a_cat]

Cedars are slower to heal than many other species.
You can cut back as far as required if wanting a smooth healed trunk. Normal horticulture says leave the branch collar which helps with healing but that also usually causes a swollen area. In bonsai it is more usual to cut as flush as possible with the trunk and even hollow the cut a little so as it heals it will end up reasonably flat. I would cut hollow and seal the cut to promote healing.
Dead wood is also possible. Dead wood helps give a visual reason for scars so very useful in species that heal slow. In this case you could carve to leave a very short jin. It is also possible to add a longer jin if that would look better.

Great to know that I have some options here. Cut back hollow, or make it a deadwood spot on the tree.

What about timing--do it now so it can begin healing or wait until spring after it has had a chance to recover from the repot?

 

[I_I_am_not_a_cat]

If this is a deodar cedar, I would be extremely cautious about cutting it back to points with no foliage. Most conifers won't recover from such a drastic pruning. There must be some green growth attached to what remains. I see no needles or branching near this site on the trunk.

I added some more pics to the thread so you could see where the foliage is. I do not think it is too far from green growth.

 

[rockm]

I added some more pics to the thread so you could see where the foliage is. I do not think it is too far from green growth.

The thing is, you can't chop off all the green and have the tree survive. The knot is underneath all the growth. You will have to chop below the knot to get rid of it, leaving no needles or green on the remaining trunk. There has to be some growth BELOW where you plan to cut, or behind a cut on a branch or apex. A conifer left without any foliage will die.

 

[August44]

The thing is, you can't chop off all the green and have the tree survive. The knot is underneath all the growth. You will have to chop below the knot to get rid of it, leaving no needles or green on the remaining trunk. There has to be some growth BELOW where you plan to cut, or behind a cut on a branch or apex. A conifer left without any foliage will die.

Hey rockm, I thought he was just talking about getting rid of the ugly branch going sideways on the trunk not chopping the whole trunk off

 

[BobbyLane]

I am not really asking about the design so much as the health of the tree but I see your point.

There are more pics in the thread I linked, but here are a couple more, showing this side:

View attachment 497298

View attachment 497299

View attachment 497301

Title says junk on the trunk what to do? Seeing the whole tree, maybe I'd chip away at the bulge and make a little hollow feature. If you dont like scars, chip away with knob cutters and seal everything up.

 

[I_I_am_not_a_cat]

Hey rockm, I thought he was just talking about getting rid of the ugly branch going sideways on the trunk not chopping the whole trunk off

@rockm This is correct, I am just asking for options/opinions about the ugly branch, and the best timing for when to do so.

Sounds like I can remove most of it and leave a bit of deadwood as a feature, or try to go flush and see if it heals without being too unsightly.

 

[Tieball]

I find myself staring at that bulging growth and trying to figure out how it happened. I haven’t seen a growth like that other than below ground when roots get wild and crazy.

My thought is to remove it in a way to create a broken off branch feature.

 

[I_I_am_not_a_cat]

I find myself staring at that bulging growth and trying to figure out how it happened. I haven’t seen a growth like that other than below ground when roots get wild and crazy.

My thought is to remove it in a way to create a broken off branch feature.

You may not be exactly incorrect. When I bought this tree, I thought the trunk was a lot shorter. That branch was bent down and tucked inside the burlap bag along with half the trunk.

 

[rockm]

Sorry. I misunderstood exactly where you wanted to cut. Cut it flush to the trunk--unfortunately that is probably going to leave a scar that is just as weird looking. Deodar never really have great trunks. They're always pretty bland and featureless.

FWIW, make that weird piece of whatever it is, into a deadwood feature not by cutting it off, but by peeling the bark off it and leaving it on the trunk.

 

[Relic37]

I have nothing helpful to add, but I will say that scar looks a little bit like the Harry Potter sorting hat...

 

[BobbyLane]

Sorry. I misunderstood exactly where you wanted to cut. Cut it flush to the trunk--unfortunately that is probably going to leave a scar that is just as weird looking. Deodar never really have great trunks. They're always pretty bland and featureless.

FWIW, make that weird piece of whatever it is, into a deadwood feature not by cutting it off, but by peeling the bark off it and leaving it on the trunk.

Thats another option

 

[Baku1875]

it's not a problem, it's a feature!

 

[Tieball]

You may not be exactly incorrect. When I bought this tree, I thought the trunk was a lot shorter. That branch was bent down and tucked inside the burlap bag along with half the trunk.

That helps explain how it happened. Thanks.

 

[Shibui]

What about timing--do it now so it can begin healing or wait until spring after it has had a chance to recover from the repot?

The stub is already dead (or at very least, inactive as it has no green needles) so working on it any time will not affect the tree - apart from any trunk movement possibly affecting emerging roots but I assume the new roots will be advanced enough by now.
Healing starts as soon as you make the cut. Doesn't make much difference when that happens. There is persistent belief that trees put on more new wood in late summer than earlier. If that's true wounds should heal better in summer and fall than in spring.