Acer Negundo (Boxelder Maple) #1

[Orion_metalhead]

I'm surpised at the many lenticels on the trunk : I've never seen that on Acer negundo before... ???

I have a big 'Flamingo' in my frontyard garden, and a couple of self-sowed "plain" ones that I regularly prune in the backgarden jungle, I've never spotted that. It's night here now, so I'll go and check tomorrow between two showers of rain.

@AlainK I think it has to do with the fact that it has been in a pot it's entire life. It grows slow, and restrained, and so the bark matures quicker than it would otherwise if ground grown. I think the texture of the trunk is really awesome - a definite highlight on this tree going forward.

 

[PA_Penjing]

Never touched a box elder, but! I work with acre griseum a lot, which also has the tri-leaflet like boxelder. We just try to make them look good enough to sell so we bud pinch and it produces fairly small leaves and internodes. If spring gets away from us and we miss a pinching, the internodes skyrocket off in super straight lines with large leaves. Seems like wiring young shoots while growing and a very slow and steady approach might give an ok large tree (still speaking about griseum). 99 times out of 100 the reason you don’t see a species used is because it doesn’t respond well enough to bother but if you work big enough you might get a satisfactory result

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Trunk nearly doubled in size. Added 1/4" in thickness this year. Happy with progress. Likely will cut back hard in the late winter.




Lots of buds:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Repotted today. One week earlier than last year. I'm thinking about a week or two of in and out before it can just be left outside. Potted it into a larger container which should give me two growing seasons before it needs to be repotted again.

Before repot:


Root Base out of the pot:


Raked out, pruned up, etc:






Potting... I am trying Nigel Saunders' mix this year with some trees to see how I like it... Half safe-t-sorb and half perlite, sifted:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Into the protective area under my bilco stairs with other recent repots. It does not ever get below freezing in here. Perfect place to keep the trees at night. Getting full though....

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Going to cut the top off this year and focus growth to the lower portion of the tree and get some more dramatic movement using the new lower branches.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Decided not to chop this year since It was repotted. Wont repot next year, though it could likely be done.

 

[Cmd5235]

I like the texture on the bark, even in this small of a tree.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Yeah. It's a definite highlight of the tree. I actually have another sapling I want to experiment with to see if I can recreate the bark texture. I want to wire that one up soon, though, to get the trunk movement set. Maybe I'll do that tonight.

It needs a chop back. It's so vigorous a species they can get out of control if left to grow unimpeded. I think next year we will see this tree really take off.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

End of year. Tree put on some decent growth, but next year the chop needs to happen... its just such an apically dominant tree that energy surges to the apex. Need to restrain the top growth more than I did this year. Trunk thickness added about 1/4"

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Leaving out.

 

[Cmd5235]

How’d this tree do this year?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Pictures shortly. Did very well!!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Heres some pictures from July 23rd.

 

[Cmd5235]

Heres some pictures from July 23rd.

View attachment 459135
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What’s your growing medium?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Here is this morning. Starting to drop its leaves. I think the next step is obvious.

1:1:1 SafTSorb, Perlite, 8822 DE. Also mixed in is crushed pine bark and granite grit in smaller quantities. Bark at like... 1/2part to the others and the grit probably 1/4part. Some old mulch from healing in the tree last winter is evident as well. Moss grows excellent on this medium. Almost all my trees have moss by end of a season. Still drains well after two seasons also. Going to let it ride another year I think.






You can see the tight internodes on the next leader.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Without leaves. Going to chop next year to the low left orientated branch. Repot to follow in 2024. Added 1/4" in girth this year.



With the litter removed.

 

[ajm55555]

Very inspiring information, thank you
I have a very young sweet gum that is perfectly fit for this treatment ;-)

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Looking good. Think its going to respond really well this year.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

With all my other maples doing well and responding well to recent pruning, I did a good prune on this tree. Original plan was to chop down low but i am actually liking the more subtle movement the trunk is developing. There will always be an optio. To chop really low later and this tree is a ways off still from refinement.

Before:


After: