Some of my butcherings

[f1pt4]

As the seasons are turning, I'll be moving my tropicals indoors, and burying most of my hardy plants. As I was triaging, and taking photos, some with a camera, some with a phone, I noticed that even though I've only really been butchering/growing/experimenting for two seasons, I'm starting to see some of my trees come to life.

I figured I'd post some that I'm not too embarrassed about for comments, suggestions, feedback, slander etc.

I guess if they keep on surviving, I'll post updates in the future. In the mean time, enjoy and go nuts.

First one, Portulacaria afra

I picked this one up last fall from a local vendor. I know I have some pictures somewhere of how it looked like when I got it, but the earliest I found sitting on my computer (all my 2014 and previous photos are backed up on externals, and not on my computer) is from April of this year. This is how it looked like after surviving the winter under HO t5's and LED's, and I'm pretty sure I pruned it a bit sometime around February... cabin fever you know...

So the April shot is before it got beheaded. All the cuttings rooted and grew wonderfully this summer.





And then after some more trimming, and growing, this is from about August




Todays shot in next post..

 

[f1pt4]

Todays shot:

 

[f1pt4]

Next up... A Yew.

I collected this on July 1 of this year. I went to go collect a mugo out of someones yard, and I noticed a line of yews which used to be a hedge, all chopped down to 1-2foot stumps. I dug out 2, as the roots were hell. Ironically enough, the one I dug out with lots of roots, isn't fairing too well. This one, I thought was a goner from the get go, as I didn't see any roots whatsoever.... to my surpirse it has adapted the best and put out some new shoots throughout the summer. I know not to count my chickens before the spring, so it will get buried and protected from wind, and we'll see in April.

 

[f1pt4]

And a Mugo... I guess this is my admit one for the mugo train? I've gleaned over Vance's mugo bible synopsis, multiple times. I know I have to force it to back bud. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I see deadwood in its future, and some bending and twisting. I'll probably take it to the club for a workshop next year if it survives the cold months... although it's one hell of a heavy bastard, so maybe I won't take it to the club.. lol.

Also collected on July 1st, on Canada Day. Planted in a mix of pine bark, lava, haydite, pumice and akadama. Basically I threw in most of what I had into the grow box, I just couldn't seem to fill it..

As collected:



And today after sitting under a tree for the whole summer

 

[f1pt4]

A serissa. Picked it up last November. I'm going to find some before photos. But this is all I have now.

It got chopped back. I tried to take clippings. They rooted over winter, and then I went away on a snowboarding trip. My cat sitter/plant waterer forgot to water the clippings.. o well.

Yes I know. The pot is too big... but it'll grow into it..

 

[f1pt4]

Hawaiian Schefflera

Picked it up at Lowes for 4$ at the end of February. I should have pruned it harder initially.



Then in early May it got another haircut.

 

[f1pt4]

Then again in mid August.



And one from today....



I think I'll leave it be for the winter. Heavy cutback in spring.

 

[M. Frary]

The mugo is very nice! And doing very well after collection. It is going to be a cool tree.

 

[f1pt4]

So I bought a ficus on Craigslist... I think it was around February. I took a bunch of clippings, and bound them together. rooted them and let them grow. As I like to experiment, I decided to see if I could fuse all the clippings together into one coherent tree.

Well they arn't quite fused together yet, but I'm pretty sure they will over time.

I have before shots somewhere, but for now, all I got are these.

From last week.







and today...







The ficus... don't know the variety... is planted in lava/akadama/haydite. Top dressing is crushed granite, because it's heavy, and since the tree isn't fastened, I find the granite helps keep it in place.

 

[f1pt4]

The mugo is very nice! And doing very well after collection. It is going to be a cool tree.

Thanks man. I really hope I can do it justice. It stayed in the shade all summer. It got direct light for about 4-5hrs in the early morning hours, but after about 11am or so, it was dappled shade for the rest of the day. Next year it will get the full sun treatment... hopefully get some back budding.

 

[f1pt4]

I signed up to a beginner bonsai class this past April. It was an 8 class course, with a really good instructor.

The tree I worked on was a Hinoki. I've never worked on a Hinoki before.

Anyhow, here it is. It grew nicely over the summer. I have no idea where it's gonna go, but it's alive, and it's gonna go somewhere. I don't like the nasty horizontal root in the back, but it can get buried in a repot i guess.

 

[sorce]

I like the serissa best.

That left section, I'd cut the right branch off, cuz it's going into your canopy, and bring those roots and other remaining left ones in.

Just don't scar it like the ficus!

Good work!

Sorce

Damn good growth on the Hinoki too!

 

[Vin]

The mugo is very nice! And doing very well after collection. It is going to be a cool tree.

That's the one that caught my eye as well.

 

[f1pt4]

A mulberry.

This was my first airlayer. I air layered it last spring. Severed it last summer. It survived the winter, and produced fruit this spring.

I want to carve it in the future, if it's worth while. I think it's suffering from leaf rust? and possibly powdery mildew? It's not in the best soil either. I wanted to give it at least a full season with it's new roots before any repots. Keep it? Carve it? Turn it into mulch? The fruit is tasty though... not enough berries for jam, but enough as a topping on crepes for my wife and I.

This spring, when the leaves pushed out and fruits began to grow. No pix of the fruit, but I'll get some next year.



August...









Today.. It's lost a lot of leaves, but it is fall, and trees are supposed to drop their leaves right? In terms of the leaf problem, majority of systemics are banned in my lovely province of Ontario, if not all of Canada. Unless you have a license to use them, you can't really buy them. Would copper fungicide work? Or should I not worry about it, and repot it in some better draining soil next year, and just assume that's what they're supposed to look like?

 

[f1pt4]

A field maple I picked up last year at the TBS fall show. I came at the end of the show on a Sunday, as I had to work the weekend, and it was standing all by it's lonesome in the sale area. No body wanted it, but I did. I really liked the roots, and it was grown from seed.

From last fall:



This summer while moving, the pot fell and cracked, so it got slip potted into a bigger pot. Didn't muck around with the roots, just gave them more space to grow.

The leader grew huge. Probably about 3 feet of growth. So I bent it and I'll airlayer it off next spring. I'll try the cd technique posted in a thread eons ago somewhere in this forum... for them radial roots of course.

I would like to keep this tree relatively small, probably about 8-12"

 

[f1pt4]

I like the serissa best.

That left section, I'd cut the right branch off, cuz it's going into your canopy, and bring those roots and other remaining left ones in.

Just don't scar it like the ficus!

Good work!

Sorce

Damn good growth on the Hinoki too!

Appreciate it. Ya I was thinking about cutting that right branch off. I will let it do it's thing over the winter. I'll cut and root it next spring. I know that for some of you serissas grow like weeds in the wild. Unfortunately here they're all imported so every clipping counts.. lol.

As for the roots, I kinda like how they're exposed and looking banyanesque?.. that's not even a word. I'll see how well it survives the indoor growing torture this year before any kind of binding ensues.

 

[f1pt4]

A couple of larches. The twin trunk was collected this spring. It's pencil thin, but it has potential. I'll do some wiring this fall before I put it in the ground. The other one I received as a gift. I don't know when it was collected, but it was, and it's sitting in sand. It will get buried without the pot this winter, and repotted in better soil in the spring.

 

[f1pt4]

A collected Thuja.. White Cedar.

I purchased this cedar from a club auction this summer. Unfortunately a club member passed away this spring. He left his collection to the club, to be auctioned off for members. I was lucky enough to score this one.

These white cedars are native to my area, so atleast I know it's hardy. Much like the larch in the above post, it was planted in sand. This cedar will be buried without it's pot for the winter, and will be repotted in some much better soil in the spring. Also will clean the dead wood and look into products for preventing rot close to the soil.

I really love this tree, but it seems a little too tall? Anyone with more experience than me, please chime in..

My primary goal is to get it back to health. I'm hoping that full sun exposure, better soil in the spring, and some good ferting will put a kick back into it's step. Maybe some late summer pruning. I don't want it to get away on me.

 

[jriddell88]

Wow love the cedar. I have 20 acres of river frontage and these are everywhere haven't found anything worthy enough for collection yet. Nice score .I'd let it fill out a lot more then wire pretty sweet

 

[f1pt4]

Wow love the cedar. I have 20 acres of river frontage and these are everywhere haven't found anything worthy enough for collection yet. Nice score .I'd let it fill out a lot more then wire pretty sweet

Thank you. I'm doing my best to get it back to health. I rotate it every 4-5 days, as it's facing south. Mind you it won't be growing much for the remainder of the season, but come spring it will get a pampering... well as much pampering as time will allow.