Trident Maple...did you really think it would be anything else?

[Smoke]

Its almost the end of the year, and it dawns on me that I have not made a post for 2024. So I thought I would show this thing and how its doing after two years. I did look and didn't find a thread on this, and if I missed it, sorry, here it is again. The stump was dug from a field in 2022. It was actually still in a container but allowed to escape and grow big. The grower feels its the best way to grow them allowing the tree to be hacked from the ground but still keeping a good rootage in the container allowing the tree to experience absolutely no shock.
I did the usual stuff removing nearly all the branches from the tree reserving a few in good places and the one large branch on the left to use as a first branch utilizing the girth of that branch.







Now two years later this is how its shaping up

 

[Smoke]

The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.....Yes I still have trees.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Lookin’ good stranger. Glad to see some of these old trees again. Hope you are well.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Wow! That's a lot of nice trees. @Smoke I'm a noob, and I'm wondering what the plastic screens are doing here? Wiring method?

 

[Smoke]

very observant and good question. I have no idea....

nah...long ago I sought a way to train branches on soft trees without wire scarring. Pulling down small mass of branches gets them going in the right direction with out the chance of wire scarring due to fast growth. Three or four months does the trick and then I can prune them back and the stub moves downward in the correct position. Then as it grows out I pull the branches in a different downward direction and let that grow out three or four months. In a year I have branches with branches that look trained but not scarred. I'm just too busy doing nothing to take the wire off before it ruins a branch! Maybe next year in 2025 I can come back and post a pic without leaves and we can see what two years did!!

 

[pmalelis]

Great Tree , glad to see you're still kicking around.

 

[milehigh_7]

Always love your work my friend!

 

[defra]

It was actually still in a container but allowed to escape and grow big. The grower feels its the best way to grow them allowing the tree to be hacked from the ground but still keeping a good rootage in the container allowing the tree to experience absolutely no shock.

Nice progression and good to see you have been ressurected!

I was going to plant some stuff in the ground next year and was looking at these fabric plantbags and plant those with tree in the ground but the roots cant escape those fabric bags so no long escaping roots but i wonder if it actualy will be a good idea Then

 

[Smoke]

Nice progression and good to see you have been ressurected!

I was going to plant some stuff in the ground next year and was looking at these fabric plantbags and plant those with tree in the ground but the roots cant escape those fabric bags so no long escaping roots but i wonder if it actualy will be a good idea Then

I think the roots escaping is the ticket. Many of the roots on this tree were so large that they split the plastic where they went thru the holes that were about 3/4 inch and had swollen to about 1 1/2 inch across. Look at the size of that wad growing out of the can. Thats where the power for growing trunks fast comes from.

 

[gooeytek]

That's a chunky one. I like it!

 

[stewarjm192]

im Sure youve explained before, but whats this tubing ontop of your soil....watering?

 

[Smoke]

im Sure youve explained before, but whats this tubing ontop of your soil....watering?

yes, micro soaker hose. wrapped with wire like styling a branch to keeps it's shape and staying flat and around the tree.

 

[stewarjm192]

yes, micro soaker hose. wrapped with wire like styling a branch to keeps it's shape and staying flat and around the tree.

do you use this setup constantly? only deciduos? or do you have a differnt sort of flow rate for conifers?

 

[Paradox]

@Smoke
Nice seeing you again.
Nice chunky monkey you got there

 

[Smoke]

do you use this setup constantly? only deciduos? or do you have a differnt sort of flow rate for conifers?

They run for four minutes four times a day, soaks the pot in that time. still in the 100s here for a few more weeks. they all get the same, pines or maples. soil is 3/8" aggregate so water goes right thru.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

very observant and good question. I have no idea....

nah...long ago I sought a way to train branches on soft trees without wire scarring. Pulling down small mass of branches gets them going in the right direction with out the chance of wire scarring due to fast growth. Three or four months does the trick and then I can prune them back and the stub moves downward in the correct position. Then as it grows out I pull the branches in a different downward direction and let that grow out three or four months. In a year I have branches with branches that look trained but not scarred. I'm just too busy doing nothing to take the wire off before it ruins a branch! Maybe next year in 2025 I can come back and post a pic without leaves and we can see what two years did!!

Interesting technique, and thanks for sharing. I'd like to see it next year for sure, sounds effective and efficiecnt.