Raintrees!!!

Anthony said:

Bright light, no heavy breezes and water only when it needs it.
Use the bamboo skewer technique to check for moistness.
Good luck.
Good Day
Anthony

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Check, check and check!

LanceMac10 said:

Did you have any one water it? Container growing and vacations don't mix well........

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I can attest to that. Dead Chinese Elm from last vacation. Son forgot about it

Has it perked up yet? Mine lost most all it's leaves after being shipped, but bounced back very quickly, and is growing like crazy now.

Carol 83 said:

Has it perked up yet? Mine lost most all it's leaves after being shipped, but bounced back very quickly, and is growing like crazy now.

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Not yet. It's still a bit sulky, even this morning, but I have noticed some new buds and a new thorn growing.

The one I planted in the ground has started to bounce back already. It's only been a week since I popped it in the ground, but it looks taller. I'm going to have to keep a record on it.

So I notice this little guy, every morning when I water, he's just hanging around. Pretty much stays with the BRT and only moves to the other trees when I'm watering.

I live in Dallas and have similar looking little guys like that. Lots of them. There not to scared of me. They don't bother my trees. Yours is cool looking. Maybe he's keeping the bugs off for you?

He might be. The BRT I have planted in the front yard has a little lizard that's taken up residence in it too. I hope they're useful.

I bet they are. Mine run around eating bugs.

So, I thought I'd practise my guy wire skills (actually, first time I've done it) and try to get some width into one of my BRTs. Also, I wanted the branches a little lower as well, they're very stiff so wiring wasn't going to work. This one in the pot hasn't done as well as the one I've got in the ground. This is the last thing I'm doing to the poor tree for a long while other than just watering, fertilizing and touching. I'll see how it goes.

It's the soil. Probably not able to retain enough moisture between watering's.
If I lived down there, I'd probably put it in a tub of water between watering's during the day.
But I am off...so....but seriously, this thing should like Shaggy....


Only if it was in full sun, and I would be home in 4 hours, and it wasn't going to rain.....that sort of thing.
water light and lotssa' food....these like all three in abundance!
You could always wet your BVD's and drap 'em over the top during the day?

With water.....

Haha!!!

The soil is actually pretty water retentive, I watch the watering pretty closely. Lately, it's been quite humid and overcast, but you're right it should be shaggier. The one in the ground is verrrrrryyyyyyy shaggy.

If anything, maybe too wet?

Lobaeux said:

So, I thought I'd practise my guy wire skills (actually, first time I've done it) and try to get some width into one of my BRTs. Also, I wanted the branches a little lower as well, they're very stiff so wiring wasn't going to work. This one in the pot hasn't done as well as the one I've got in the ground. This is the last thing I'm doing to the poor tree for a long while other than just watering, fertilizing and touching. I'll see how it goes.

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Those guy wires should be doubled up the entire length and the ends connected together. What you have done wont really stay secure and the branches can move very easily. When the wire is doubled it can then be twisted together to further tighten up the whole length and with the two wires twisted it is much more stable. See the pics below - all of the branches that are being pulled are all much thicker than the ones on your tree.

I'd be tossing potting soil in there!!!

Look at the particle size in @choppychoppy container. That's water retentive.

Water, light and food. What is deficient and what is to excess.....?

Lobaeux said:

The soil is actually pretty water retentive, I watch the watering pretty closely. Lately, it's been quite humid and overcast, but you're right it should be shaggier. The one in the ground is verrrrrryyyyyyy shaggy.

If anything, maybe too wet?

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It would be tough for these to be 'too wet'. I dont ever let these get totally dry. That lave rock mix is way! too dry as the spaces in between them will dry and prevent root growth. I mean you can grow trees in almost anything but to have em grow well you gotta get em in something better. I probably get enough growth on this one tree to equal your entire trees foliage weekly that gets cut off. This should be growing as fast or faster than any tree you own, especially in south fl.

choppychoppy said:

Those guy wires should be doubled up the entire length and the ends connected together. What you have done wont really stay secure and the branches can move very easily. When the wire is doubled it can then be twisted together to further tighten up the whole length and with the two wires twisted it is much more stable. See the pics below - all of the branches that are being pulled are all much thicker than the ones on your tree.
View attachment 117014 View attachment 117015 View attachment 117016

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I'll try that. One of the books I have described setting the wires like you have demonstrated, but other training medium show a single wire. The branches "appear" to be firmly set with no movement in them. Maybe I'll change the wording and method when I do a repot.

choppychoppy said:

It would be tough for these to be 'too wet'. I dont ever let these get totally dry. That lave rock mix is way! too dry as the spaces in between them will dry and prevent root growth. I mean you can grow trees in almost anything but to have em grow well you gotta get em in something better. I probably get enough growth on this one tree to equal your entire trees foliage weekly that gets cut off. This should be growing as fast or faster than any tree you own, especially in south fl.

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The lava rock is a top dressing. Under the lava rock I have a soil comprising lava, NAPA and organic. Looking at the soil, it appears moist, but maybe it has compacted too much?

Lava, napa and some soil would work fine. I add some soil to my mix also. They drink a lot of water. If your soil is compacted, water it several times with a few minutes in between. This will make sure its soaked.
Was looking at your tree and a simple way of training it for you could be clip and grow until your comfortable with wireing the whole tree. Let it grow then clip the direction you don't want it to grow and don't clip where you want to fill in. This can be up, down, sideways directions. It would fill in all the gaps you want filled up and slowly you can figure out what looks good to you. This method works real good on raintrees.
Good soil, plenty of water, mix of sun and shade, works great for mine.

I hope you don't mind me asking a question @Lobaeux. I got a raintree this summer, and have done nothing but put it in a different pot. It is growing like crazy. My thinking was to just let it grow this season, and get it through the winter. Should I be pruning now, with so little time left before winter?

Thanks guys!!! Clip and grow is my intended method, besides the guy wires with this tree.

The soil appears to be moist, I'm wondering if it's still reeling a little from the repotting. One thing I didn't take into account is the "jostling" that was happening by moving my table under the awning during storms. Maybe this is disturbing the roots? I'm going to stop sliding the table back under the awning.

@Carol 83 im by no means an expert, but I'm not sure I'd run your tree this late in the year. Here in Fort Lauderdale it's partly cloudy and 88F, and looks to stay this warm for quite awhile. I think I would just let yours grow, but if it's growing crazy, maybe NOT pruning will help thicken it out a bit. From what I understand it's a little difficult to get a tree to thicken in a pot, best buried in the ground for that. I have one BRT planted out front, it's growing massively and am expecting some thickening of the trunk. I'd like to see a pic of yours.

This is the one I have planted up front, you can compare with the one I have in the pot. Both were purchased about the same time. I pruned the one in the pot a bit when I did a touch of root work and repotted it.

@Lobaeux , lucky you living in FL! This isn't the best picture, I took it real quick while I was home for lunch.