Ugly tree thread: Ondae corkbark JBP

[fredtruck]

Going for the shorter tree seems to be the best bet. Unlike most corkers, that tree would have really great taper.

 

[Dav4]

Hey Brian. This tree, without a doubt, is the ugliest tree you have in your yard by a significant margin. I have been in the camp of chopping it since the beginning, but never bothered to say so, mainly because others had already said it, and I knew you were hoping not to resort to such a drastic reduction. I'm wondering if you've considered just planting this one out in your grow garden and forgetting about it for a few years...maybe try to put a smidge of movement in that straight section first. Time can fix many things...and you can always chop it down the road. Just a thought.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Update...since I couldn't get any grafts to take, here is the result of the plan in post 15, about a year later. Now, with better taper and movement, and foliage closer in, we can work to reduce needle length and building branches.

 

[fredtruck]

Update...since I couldn't get any grafts to take, here is the result of the plan in post 15, about a year later. Now, with better taper and movement, and foliage closer in, we can work to reduce needle length and building branches.

This tree, which has given you so many headaches, might have one more for you. It seems to fall away from the viewer, then shoot back, and then go straight up. I feel this is because the Ondae doesn't have a firmly defined front. Reading my description, if this described a side view, it would be fine. When I look at the picture, I don't see the tree from the side, I see it at about 3quarters. To be successful the ondae needs to be anchored.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This tree, which has given you so many headaches, might have one more for you. It seems to fall away from the viewer, then shoot back, and then go straight up. I feel this is because the Ondae doesn't have a firmly defined front. Reading my description, if this described a side view, it would be fine. When I look at the picture, I don't see the tree from the side, I see it at about 3quarters. To be successful the ondae needs to be anchored.

Hmmm...must be the image, because it's pretty-well anchored, and actually bows forward. After this season of growth, I think you'll see where it's headed. Of course, that is if the new owner wants my help. Sold it yesterday! Almost regretting it...almost.

 

[fredtruck]

Well, your headaches are over!!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have a lot of problems with cork bark pines because they are (at least for me) very weak. They do not tolerate things that a standard JBP would take without trouble. I repotted several cork pines this last Fall, and killed almost all of them. Meanwhile, at the same time I repotted standard JBP and didn't lose one - not even a branch. My current cork bark pines I am growing out - skipping a year of candle pruning - because I want to see if I can ever really get them "strong".

 

[fredtruck]

Do you know the cultivars of your corkers? Some cultivars are weak and others are very vigorous. For a starting point, it helps to know what you've got.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yeah...my fascination with them is waning. My big KY dropped a couple important branches after I wired it out last fall. My small hachi-gen turned yellow when I chopped the top (seems to be ok though). Think I'll keep the rest, but not expect to do much with them year in and out, like a standard JBP. I don't candle-prune any of them.

 

[fredtruck]

I don't know. I haven't had any difficulties you describe, Brian. I'm not sure why. There may be differences between our general cultivation practices that might account for some of the differences. For example, I protect my corkers against mid-30s temperatures, and never let them freeze. Along with that, I keep them out of the winter wind keeping them in my garage from November to at least mid-April, sometimes mid-May. The real weather test for my corkers is in the spring and summer when weather here is often violent, but in a fairly predictable temperature range. I am not sure this accounts for my lack of described problems, but it probably plays some part.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I only run into problems when I work them as aggressively as a standard JBP; which you don't tend to do.
If I could be satisfied to leave them mostly alone, they'd be fine.

 

[fredtruck]

I agree. Wow, people who knew me when I was 40 would really be surprised to find me on the "let it be" end of this approach, but that's where I am.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yeah, my corkers are going to forever dwell in the realm of "Let it be".

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I had:

(2) Gyokoho Yatsubusa - (1) died (or is in the process of dying - I think I am going to lose it)
(2) Kyokko Yatsubusa - both are alive
(3) Ondae - (3) died
(2) Unidentified cork bark black pine (grafts from Gary Ishii) - (1) died

So out of a total of 9 trees over the last ten years, I am left with 4. Of the 5 that died, 4 of them died after repotting. One just slowly withered and died and nothing I could do would save it. At the time I killed these trees by repotting, I also repotted several standard black pines, and none of them showed the slightest stress.

Very different from my standard JBP.

Now, I am sure that I just need to change my technique and be much more careful with these trees. I probably need to just let them grow and only wire young shoots. One thing I learned was to NEVER repot 100% of the roots, regardless of how strong the tree is.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Yeah, but I'm not fond enough of the cultivar to bother. If I go with the lower part as the tree, it's a chop.

That's no problem either. Layer it and sell or pass on the top part to someone else and keep the lowest branch as a cascade or semicascade.

 

[Adair M]

I don't do corkers, either. I liked them 30 years ago, but I got over it! LOL!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

That's no problem either. Layer it and sell or pass on the top part to someone else and keep the lowest branch as a cascade or semicascade.

Well, it is a problem in the sense that the post you quoted was made nearly 2 years ago and the tree has been completely reworked, and will be moving out of my garden tomorrow.

Know what's better than making 2 Ondaes from 1? Making it into some cash toward a "new" pot...