Nybonsai12
Masterpiece
Needless to say and based off my avatar it should not be a surprise, I approve of the pups name.
Southern Hackberry project
- Thread starter Dav4
- Start date
Giga
Masterpiece
Dogs are the best!
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
This has continued to grow strongly and many of the shoots have been wired and cut back and are budding back vigorously. Unfortunately, the apex never popped any buds. Today, I bit the bullet and started down the road of rebuilding the apex. The deadwood was cut back to live, putty was applied, and the new leader was wired up into place. I figure it'll take a sacrifice branch a few years to grow the new apex to the right girth and taper.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Bummer about the apex! That happened to a couple of my trees during/after one of those really cold winters we had a few years back.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Pretty much what happened to my sweetgum. I waited and waited and it just didn't bud out. Eventually it did, but only from the trunk and the older branches. All the finer growth was lost. Well, in this case not such a big deal because the structure wasn't great anyway, but years lost...
thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
I took over 50 cuttings and only 2 are growing and they didn't start pushing leaves until mid July. I was planning on having 20-30 for next spring's re-pot
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thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
I think my result with the hackberry root cuttings is like yours. I've started conventional cuttings that I'd like to use for root grafts.I took over 50 cuttings and only 2 are growing and they didn't start pushing leaves until mid July. I was planning on having 20-30 for next spring's re-pot
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
I'm wondering if this is the best for fall coloring on this one this year...
Ummm... yup, I guess so.
Now, to grow out that new apex!
Ummm... yup, I guess so.
Now, to grow out that new apex!
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Yeah, my hackberries are still green or brown, color was a miss this year.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
This one was re-potted yesterday. I would’ve preferred to wait, but the two surviving root cuttings from last year were beginning to grow, and I intended to use them to improve the root base. And encouraging sign was all the new roots that have grown after the tree suffered so much last year. I decided to cut back the existing branches and rebuild them as well.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
Much happier this spring…
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Looks very happy!
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
Apex!!
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
The new apex is already half an inch thick... shooting for an inch by September.
just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Nice recovery!
Mike Hennigan
Chumono
Always nice when a tree refuses to die! I was convinced that my Japanese snowbell had bit the dust at the end of last summer when it dropped all its leaves and didn’t grow any more. I overwintered it on a lark, and now it’s pushing incredibly vigorous growth. It died back down the trunk a bit, but only to where I would have chopped it anyway, so a pleasent surprise for sure.
There’s a couple things that catch my eye, design wise, when I look at your hackberry and I was curious if you had any thoughts on this.
First thing is that the first set of branches and the second set up branches appear to be bar branches, almost exactly opposite each other on the trunk. I think pruning off a branch at each location would create a more dynamic and pleasing design.
Second, is the long taperless section of trunk between the nebari and the first primary branches. Airlayering for a new base up closer to the first branch could create a more powerful image. Or thread grafting a branch into this section and growing it out as a sacrifice branch to create further taper could be a great option.
Really love this tree. Have been wanting a hackberry of my own for a while now. Looking forward to watching it develop!
There’s a couple things that catch my eye, design wise, when I look at your hackberry and I was curious if you had any thoughts on this.
First thing is that the first set of branches and the second set up branches appear to be bar branches, almost exactly opposite each other on the trunk. I think pruning off a branch at each location would create a more dynamic and pleasing design.
Second, is the long taperless section of trunk between the nebari and the first primary branches. Airlayering for a new base up closer to the first branch could create a more powerful image. Or thread grafting a branch into this section and growing it out as a sacrifice branch to create further taper could be a great option.
Really love this tree. Have been wanting a hackberry of my own for a while now. Looking forward to watching it develop!
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,466
- Reaction score
- 32,094
- USDA Zone
- 6a
I appreciate your post and should tell you I've thought long and hard about the two issues you've brought up. Understanding that my goal is to create an image of a large and tall tree growing in a field, I hope my response makes sense to you.
So, as I understand it, this is a collected tree. With collected trees, you try to work with what you have, and the rules can be more easily bent or broken. The trunk has several old chop scars on the back side where the original trunk was cut back to induce taper, and does so well. I will admit there is less taper in the sections between those chop scars, but it's there, ever so subtly. The current root base is a bit one sided right now, but it's fairly wide now and becoming more developed every re-pot. As far as the branches you asked about go, I'll agree that they are bar branches... almost...
. The 2 sets of branches are actually not leaving the trunk at the same height, but almost so... sort of like some trees in the woods surrounding my house. Personally, I feel this tree has a very natural feel to it and losing one of those two lowest branches would not improve the tree... feel less strongly about the pair of branches higher up but still think the tree is better with both of them... and I think the tree will only get better as the branches and apex develop. Fingers crossed.
Mike Hennigan
Chumono
I appreciate your post and should tell you I've thought long and hard about the two issues you've brought up. Understanding that my goal is to create an image of a large and tall tree growing in a field, I hope my response makes sense to you.
So, as I understand it, this is a collected tree. With collected trees, you try to work with what you have, and the rules can be more easily bent or broken. The trunk has several old chop scars on the back side where the original trunk was cut back to induce taper, and does so well. I will admit there is less taper in the sections between those chop scars, but it's there, ever so subtly. The current root base is a bit one sided right now, but it's fairly wide now and becoming more developed every re-pot. As far as the branches you asked about go, I'll agree that they are bar branches... almost...
For sure, I can fully support the more naturalistic design. Looking at the first two branches closer again, I do see they are slightly staggered. There are surely other ways to keep them from fighting each other for dominance in the design than removal. I think if I had the material and kept both branches, I would keep one of them shorter than the other as to compliment each other. Even a slight difference in their length could give it a more natural feel and break up the big plus sign shape they create in the viewers eye. Thanks for the thoughtful response!
