ROR Trident project

[Djtommy]

I would not cut the top as sorce suggested though just cut back all those branches and keep the apex in check.
That left branch i would develop into a dropbranch seeing as the stone seems tall enough. Also in the back maybe develop a dropbranch
Crappy virt and also the backbranch i mention is missing on it but ..

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

 

[sorce]

Mame the top!

Or knot!

I still Love that pot!

Sorce

 

[LanceMac10]

That got everyone's attention!

View attachment 95988 View attachment 95989

 

[Smoke]

Awesome.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here we go...

 

[Dav4]

You should take a picture of this one from the same spot every day for the next 6 weeks then post as a slide show...could be pretty cool.

 

[sorce]

You should take a picture of this one from the same spot every day for the next 6 weeks then post as a slide show...could be pretty cool.

Easier said than done hey!?

Man, I think about that all the time...
Won't a gopro do it?
A trail cam?

Something you can set and forget.

Awesome it will be.

Sorce

 

[AlainK]

Great job you've done!
I've planned to start a couple with 2-yr-old seedlings this long weekend (Monday is a day off here) but I don't have so many nice stones: here, it's only limestone and sometimes they split after a few years because of the alternance of hot dry periods and wet days followed by temps under 0° c in the winter.

For instance this Acer monspessulanum - Montpellier maple (with two "l"s, like the French city it got its name from, not with one "l" like the state capital of vermont). You can't see it very well on the photo, but there's a crack at the base of the bump before the top part, and when the rock splits, it will ruin the whole design. It's a pity because it's from seeds I collected in "Ardèche", in limestone chaos, so the rock was an exact match to the natural environment of the tree...

PS: 0°C is 32°F

 

[markyscott]

Really nice work, Brian. I love these real-time progressions of yours - it's fun to go back and see what your tree looked like just a few years ago.

 

[JudyB]

Acer monspessulanum - Montpellier maple

Nice little one. I sent you a PM, I have one and am looking for tips!

Hey Brian, nice bold move. Looks great.

 

[coh]

Looking good Brian! Very interesting thread. I've got a bunch of trident and JM seedlings and have been thinking of attaching some to rocks so this will be helpful if I get to that point. Gotta find some good rocks, though.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Update. I made a time-lapse thing but I'm not 100% happy with how the images line up. For now, just a few photos...

 

[AlainK]

Excellent!

The roots really cling to the stone, which to me is the main feature in such a project because the rest of the tree can be shaped later, and the overall design is very coherent.

The only thing that I would criticize is the loop in one of the roots on the left. Maybe you can scarify the roots (green), then when they have fused, remove the loop (red)?... And I like the way the roots fuse in the middle.

 

[M. Frary]

I like the way the roots look Ike a hand trying to crush the rock. The tree looks like it's actually straining.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Thanks, @AlainK but I actually like the loop. It grew that way on its own, and has been an interesting quirk, IMO.

 

[AlainK]

OK then

 

[Smoke]

That loop won't last too long. It will soon just be a round plate of root.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Update...interesting timing. You doin' surveillance?

That loop won't last too long. It will soon just be a round plate of root.

When it happens, it goes...

 

[Paradox]

Very nice Brian. Love the roots.