Mayhaw or Hackberry for a forest?

[Brian Van Fleet]

How do you plan to avoid this look over time?

 

[Cajunrider]

How do you plan to avoid this look over time?
View attachment 438865

I hope not. From the top it looks like this. I am also planning to allow a few water shoots to develop and fill in. The big one will be encouraged to grow big while the out side ones will be prune to attain the triagle from all direction. Some under brush vegetation is also in the plan.

 

[Cajunrider]

 

[Cajunrider]

All 9 trees are leafing out.

 

[Cajunrider]

 

[Cajunrider]

 

[Cajunrider]

 

[Cajunrider]

 

[Cajunrider]

The forest is filled out and looking really good. Now come the next question: how do we train the forest? Do I do branch selection and wire every tree? I am leaning toward clip and grow. What's your thought?

 

[Cajunrider]

I think the primary task ahead of me is to manage the newly grown foliage to make sure that the ones with more aggressive growth do not crowd out and kill the slower growing ones.
While thinning out my friend's Mayhaw grove, I see the same thing. I don't yet have a plan for how I will train this forest nor do I have a vision for each tree in this forest. However, at least I will manage the branches and foliage to make sure all will get the amount of sunshine they need.

 

[Cajunrider]

Looking down from the top. The foliage is thick enough now. It is almost time to work on them. I’ll give them another month ti get their roots to bind together.

 

[Cajunrider]

Ready for bonsai pot next year.

 

[TinyArt]

Handsome forest coming along -- I'm imagining the hint of a game trail through the underbrush?

 

[Cajunrider]

The forest got a bit too tall and was pruned back to maintain the overall shape. Chopped one side trunk another 2” because it was interfering with another trunk.
Before


After

 

[Cajunrider]

Added two more small ones to improve the perspective.

 

[Cajunrider]

In a 26” mica pot 3/19/2023 with some rearrangement.

 

[Cajunrider]

In a 26” mica pot 3/19/2023 with some rearrangement.
View attachment 477432
View attachment 477433

Oops. I forgot to say that I added a big tree for focus and a few smaller ones in the back to improve the depth. Trunk shaping and branch development is forth coming.

 

[Cajunrider]

Big pruning 2/3rd of the foliage was pruned for ramification development. The shoots were 2-3 ft long.

 

[namnhi]

Big pruning 2/3rd of the foliage was pruned for ramification development. The shoots were 2-3 ft long.
View attachment 488042

Lovely Uncle!

 

[Cajunrider]

Lovely Uncle!

No one ever told me I’m lovely before!
Carving is next