maple with some potential?

[crust]

This is a good and sensitive job of trunk reduction taper cutting. My temptation would be to leave the base as is and start refining the top but then I like it..especially its decrepitity yet uprightness. It needs to be a ghost tree. Pot selection will be big.

 

[Dav4]

Nice, Judy. This tree is looking older and gnarlier then ever...it reminds me of some of the old, half dead oaks I have on my property. A few years of refining and we'll have something really decrepit!! Cool stuff!

 

[Ang3lfir3]

Excellent work ... as this tree develops you _may_ find that lowering the crown will bring the focal point (the gnarled wound) into focus more .... this will help with age in the tree as well since the large straight sections will see incongruous with the age the trunk evokes ...

you may not get the feeling you were intending for awhile but with a few more years of attention like this you will be able to grow out a crown that has all the characteristic gnarliness required to compliment the wonderful trunk....

still jealous .... and still glad to see it evolve

 

[JudyB]

Thanks all, it took me a lot of staring at it to determine the cuts. And then I cut it slowly watching every cut and what it did to change the tree.

I bought a pot that I think will be good for it in a few years. What do you think of it? I agree that pot selection is very important. My only concern is the pot depth, it's only 2.5". But I think the overall texture/color is good.

(Sometimes with trees like this I feel like Eliza Doolittle...)(like I'm getting it...)

 

[Klytus]

It certainly looks like something dug from a tomb.

 

[JudyB]

I'm going to be buried with work for the next week or two, so thought I'd update this today...

This tree has been fun to see leaf out. I put it in a pot that I think I like it in. It's an Erin pot, that I had my olive in previously. The pot seemed too deep for the olive, so when I looked at it with this tree....
Well you'll have to let me know what you think of the combo. It's unusual, but I think it will be good.

The large pass thru root is interesting, there is actually a solid flat plate like part of the root that is connecting it to the main trunk. It's just at the soil level, I can see bringing it up to expose it more in the future. It's a true claw foot, and I probably did a bit too much rootwork, but as I'd reduced so much top, it felt safe.
I may also try a bit of a turn...

 

[edprocoat]

Judy, that is real nice! I think the stump of dead protruding off the trunk would look better hollowed out a little below the trunk , like you see where old trees lose a major branch and it starts to rot a hollow out in the trunk. Looking at it in the third picture in the last post above I seee the natural " v " shape of the scar at the bottom and I feel that carving this out down into the natural " v " shape at the bottom of the scar would really emphasize the bend in the trunk and I would think allow it to naturally drain water out of the hollow to minimize rot. I see in nature that any place that can hold water rots away quicker. Either way its a unique and very nice tree.

ed

 

[Si Nguyen]

Cool tree Judy! Very gnarly!
Good luck!

 

[JudyB]

Thanks Ed, and Si.
This one has been fun so far, will be an interesting one to see where it goes from here. Ed, more carving is in the future...

 

[JudyB]

Here is an update on this tree. I decided to start the branching over, I think if I can direct the growth from the trunk, I'll wind up with something far better than if I leave the bits on that are too straight/ or bothersome. So after some reductions, and a bit of lowering into the pot to try for some roots. The branch at the bottom back will serve as a thread graft later... Oh yeah and an old pic so you don't have to go back.

Thoughts?

 

[MACH5]

Judy your pruning now have set this tree in the right path. It is by far a great improvement from what you had in my opinion. Well done!

As Ang3lfir3 said before, you have now brought the gnarled trunk into focus which should be the main feature of this tree. Also I would probably be tempted to add a rock between those roots? Just a thought. Could add to the ruggedness of the design.

 

[JudyB]

Thanks Mach5, feels right to me too. I hadn't thought of a rock. When I bought the tree, I didn't know this opening was there. It was packed with mud and looked like trunk. I wonder what kind of rock would work. It would have to be a pretty perfect shape match wouldn't it? Maybe I could cheat and carve a wood cutout hollow and stick it in.

 

[mcpesq817]

Coming along nicely I like the pot - I remember seeing it on their website a while back, or at least one similar to it, and really liked it.

 

[MACH5]

Thanks Mach5, feels right to me too. I hadn't thought of a rock. When I bought the tree, I didn't know this opening was there. It was packed with mud and looked like trunk. I wonder what kind of rock would work. It would have to be a pretty perfect shape match wouldn't it? Maybe I could cheat and carve a wood cutout hollow and stick it in.

Yes I was thinking the same. You may have to do some carving in order to better fit the rock. Obviously, it would need to be the right shape, texture etc. Also maybe place it more vertically and expose more of the roots?

In my view, gaps of this nature tend to work against giving an impression of age and stability.

 

[JudyB]

Obviously, it would need to be the right shape, texture etc. Also maybe place it more vertically and expose more of the roots?

What kind of rock would you think about doing with this? I'm sort of clueless about what to use.
I've placed it deeper into the pot for now, working on rootage. When I get better roots, (I may have to graft, tried one last year that failed in the horrid heat) I'll lift it up again.

 

[MACH5]

Judy honestly there are so many. It can even come from your own backyard. I've seen people use Lace rock as a substitute for the classic Japanese Ibigawa rock. But again many types can be used. For deciduous varieties, I personally would keep to somewhat of a smooth surface rock than something really rugged which I think fits more with conifers.

Perhaps someone with more experience with these tree over rock plantings can chime in for more specifics on rock types.

Below is a very quick sketch of what you could possibly do with your tree and a rock.

 

[rockm]

I would avoid putting a rock in there. Rocks seldom look "right" when they are placed after the roots have become so thick and dominant. The roots don't adhere to the rock in a believable way and look, well, like you jammed a rock in there to hide a fault.

In the case of this tree, it would also be strange-looking because the trunk is tall. ROR trees have shorter primary trunks, as the roots and the rocks form the lower half or more...

Ground-layering just above or in the middle of the current gap would result in a more even nebari...

 

[coh]

Rather than trying to fit a rock completely into that space in a "root over rock" arrangement, how about putting a rock in from the back side to eliminate the "see through" but maintain the cavern? If you like that aspect of the tree, that is (which seems to be the case from some of your comments). It's hard to really evaluate it from photos.

Chris

 

[JudyB]

Ground-layering just above or in the middle of the current gap would result in a more even nebari...

Which would also shorten the tree, and make the gnarly part even more dominant. Good idea, do you think I could get away with doing it this year? I just repotted it last week, so would have to drag it back out, as It'd need to go into a deeper pot to work it.

I like the idea, actually, and when I cover it up to that point, it looks like it'd be good for the image. Thanks Rock.

@Mach, thanks for the virt. It's pretty nice. But I think I may try the layer, just never really thought of taking it up that far on the gap spot, only trying to get roots at the plate level.

Hey Smoke, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this too....

 

[JudyB]

Rather than trying to fit a rock completely into that space in a "root over rock" arrangement, how about putting a rock in from the back side to eliminate the "see through" but maintain the cavern? If you like that aspect of the tree, that is (which seems to be the case from some of your comments). It's hard to really evaluate it from photos.

Chris

That gap is one of those things that I kinda like cause it's different, but it's starting to be something I'm not sure I'm sold on for the overall image. So maybe time to start thinking of resolving it.