Some of my butcherings

To me your cedar is the definition of a bonsai. A battle against nature this is a prime example. Tough tree! Look forward to seeing it progress as I continue my hunt for the right red cedar. The ky river palisades should award me eventually I canoe miles up and down the ky river searching the cliffs can't wait !
 
f1pt4,

Great post. All nice trees and useful interesting descriptions.

You have a good eye and nothing to be embarrassed about.

That field maple has odd leaves. Looks like they are becoming lobed instead of the typical pointed tips of maple leaves.
CW
 
jriddell88 said:
To me your cedar is the definition of a bonsai. A battle against nature this is a prime example. Tough tree! Look forward to seeing it progress as I continue my hunt for the right red cedar. The ky river palisades should award me eventually I canoe miles up and down the ky river searching the cliffs can't wait !
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That's very kind of you to say. The split in the trunk and deadwood really attracted me to it. It's the "roughest" looking tree I own. I'm sure a cedar will present itself to you along the river side. Majority of club members that collect Thujas go by the water, where the ice and snow builds up and crushes them on an annual basis. Where are you located? Just curious, because it's not in your profile.

Cheers,

Mike.
 
CWTurner said:
f1pt4,

Great post. All nice trees and useful interesting descriptions.

You have a good eye and nothing to be embarrassed about.

That field maple has odd leaves. Looks like they are becoming lobed instead of the typical pointed tips of maple leaves.
CW
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Thanks. These are the least embarrassing.. that's why I posted them. you should see the rest of my hack jobs.. well.. maybe you won't see them.. ha.

I believe field maples are SUPPOSED to look like that. At least their leaves are. If you search for Acer Campestre, you'll notice the 'lobed' non pointy leaves.

I tried to give a concise history of my experimentation's, hopefully giving people some ideas for their own tree care, especially beginners, and especially those in northern climates. I know I lurked in the shadows of forums for a while before being brave enough to post. As a beginner, which I consider myself, I try to soak up as much info as possible. Other members posts on forums were and are an invaluable asset for learning about caring and maintaining my trees. I only hope that in a small way I'm able to contribute to that pool of knowledge myself.

Mike.
 
Geo said:
Beautiful Thuja. I used to live in NOTL had a few natives. I remember a shohin Juniperus communis very well. Still not homesick though! Well, maybe a bit.
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Ya, but you get like 4 growing seasons a year... up hear we get one..... one very short one.

Mike.
 
I remember all too well. but I did like the natives and the only one I have here is a Box. You win,you lose. Your post sent me down ole memory lane though. So thanks for that.

George.
 
all your trees are nice, all are well on their way. They all have a lot of potential.

Your Thuja is the best, the trunk is amazing. Excellent. In terms of getting it healthy, a year or two in the ground with no work might be best for it. Or move it to a larger pot in spring and don't do any work on it other than water it, feed it and let it get healthy. It looks like it is root bound and had not been repotted in so long that health is suffering.

I would 2 or 3 years down the road consider where or how to shorten it. The top third of the tree seems too young and not needed to create an old tree image.
 
Leo in N E Illinois said:
all your trees are nice, all are well on their way. They all have a lot of potential.

Your Thuja is the best, the trunk is amazing. Excellent. In terms of getting it healthy, a year or two in the ground with no work might be best for it. Or move it to a larger pot in spring and don't do any work on it other than water it, feed it and let it get healthy. It looks like it is root bound and had not been repotted in so long that health is suffering.

I would 2 or 3 years down the road consider where or how to shorten it. The top third of the tree seems too young and not needed to create an old tree image.
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Thank you kindly. I will be repotting the Thuja in the spring. Much in a similar sized growbox like the Mugo, which is significantly larger than the one its in. I don't plan on doing any work on it next year except sun, water and fert. I agree, I will wait at least a few years before even considering the removal of the top portion.

In terms of the Mugo, I gather next year by promoting it into a full sun location it will help with back budding. Should I remove the buds that are currently at the tips of the branches now? or wait until spring? I was reading Vance's Mugo Bible, and it says to remove all less 1/8" of the bud to push the energy lower. Am I understanding this correctly?

The Mugo won't be buried with the other trees, but will be in a sheltered position. It's frigging back breaking heavy. Would it be ok in a shaded protected corner for the winter? It's sitting in a 90% inorganic mix.

Lastly, in prep for winter dormency. Should I spray the Mugo and Cedar with some Bordo or Copper fungicide as a preventative measure against fungus/needlecast in the spring? I heard it's good to give coniferous evergreens that treatment before putting them to winters sleep.

Thanks.
 
Mugo - I would not do any bud removal this year. it needs to get healthy and growing first. Only begin bud technique if it responds with vigorous growth in 2016, otherwise let it recover until 2017. Too much, too fast or too often will kill it.
It should be fine for the winter placed as you describe.

half the secret to curing or avoiding fungus and bacterial rots is location. An exposed location with good air movement during the growing season is essential. I use an unheated well house to winter trees, I keep a fan running in there 24 hours a day just to keep air moving. Full sun will help keep fungus at bay too during the growing season..

any sprays you use be certain they are labelled for the species of tree you are spraying and get the dose right. Death is possible if you over do the sprays. Personally I never use sprays for fungus except when a specific tree has a specific problem. Then only rarely.
 
Leo in N E Illinois said:
Mugo - I would not do any bud removal this year. it needs to get healthy and growing first. Only begin bud technique if it responds with vigorous growth in 2016, otherwise let it recover until 2017. Too much, too fast or too often will kill it.
It should be fine for the winter placed as you describe.

half the secret to curing or avoiding fungus and bacterial rots is location. An exposed location with good air movement during the growing season is essential. I use an unheated well house to winter trees, I keep a fan running in there 24 hours a day just to keep air moving. Full sun will help keep fungus at bay too during the growing season..

any sprays you use be certain they are labelled for the species of tree you are spraying and get the dose right. Death is possible if you over do the sprays. Personally I never use sprays for fungus except when a specific tree has a specific problem. Then only rarely.
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Thank you for your knowledge. I was at a club meeting earlier this week, and the camp is torn in half. Some say spray the mugo with a light copper bordo spray in November, while others say only spray when a problem arises. One thing was clear, don't touch the white cedar. Bury it, and replant it in bigger pot/better soil in the spring.

The mugo will receive full day sun come spring/summer. Unobstructed south facing all day every day.

I do have a cold storage room at home, but seeing as this is a new house, I will not be over wintering any trees there this year. I will however be monitoring the temperature in there between end of November and end of March. If I find conditions are favorable for overwintering, next year the shelves of preserves will be replaced with shelves of trees.. :)

Thanks again!

Mike.
 
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I did my first forest planting a couple of days ago. I was lucky enough to have an experienced member from our club help me out with this one.

We were limited for time, so it's a little rough, but after evaluating it further, I think I'll add a couple more larches next repot in 2017, as well as move a couple trees around. The largest trunk was actually leaning a little more to the left, however while tying down the roots, I must have tightened them a little too much, and it straightened it out. Regardless this is just the beginning stage. I'm excited to see how this will evolve.
 
I collected this apple last weekend. I potted it in lava/haydite/sifted black soil/sifted peat.

It was growing upright, but I think it has potential on its side.

One of the top branches has got to go, and I will try not to wire the overall tree too much as I want to keep the lichens in tact as much as possible. I don't know if it will flower. I don't know if will produce fruit. Right now just focusing on building some roots, as it was bare rooted, and didn't have many roots to begin with. However since potting it up, it's been pushing leaves, so I take that as a good sign.

Any suggestion on the front?

I'm leaning towards the right.

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I repotted my Schefflera today into a nice Erin pot. Much better than the tupperware home it had for 18 months. The pot is a little too tall IMO but it'll stay planted in it for at least a couple of years. I had another, more narrower one, but it wasn't long enough. I didn't touch the crown at all as I pretty much chopped this guy down 5 times since last spring, and removed some thicker branches/trunks in February. I'll let it grow freely until about July when it will receive another haircut. I'm surprised by how resilient this thing is. Cuttings also root in a glass of water. If only all clippings were that easy to root.

Still a long way to go, but I'm hoping in another 2 years I might have something here.

It's sitting in 75% black soil and 25% lava/growstone mix. Topped with a thin top layer of lava/haydite/growstone

Although the right photo is the front of the pot, I'm still torn on the actual front of the tree.

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I picked up this Sageretia theezans, Chinese Bird Plum from Kim's Nature a couple of days ago. Of course I didn't take a before photo, but I chopped down about 2/3rds of the tree. It had a long S trunk coming out of it's side. I cut it off and took a bunch of clippings, and we'll see what happens.

It was sitting in black nursery soil for the past two years, so I repotted it in about 75% Akadama and 25% Growstones. Put it in a nice VANZ pot, which I picked up recently at a club auction.

I have no experience with this species. I've been reading up on it, and I think it will do fine in the winter tropical grow room. For now, it's waiting for stable double digit temperatures (Celsius) so that it can go outside. Any experience, tips and tricks with Sageretia Theezans are always welcome.

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Youre right on the schef pot...
It looks Damn good though!

And this last one is a great start!

Nice!

Sorce
 
You got some great trees! I always love to see native trees, we have so much material in Canada! I will be in Toronto on the weekend, for a plant sale at the botanical gardens.
 
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