Are all old corkers fragile?

[cmeg1]

My yatsubusa elm I just got.There are a few chunks of old bark that are barely clinging on.Am I the only person to think of a way to re-attach and secure it?They are fairly wedged and tucked in,but just wondering.I can now see how moss could destroy a tree like this.It is 5" at base.

 

[prestontolbert]

Is that one of the yatsubusas I've been drooling over on Brent's website?

 

[cmeg1]

Is that one of the yatsubusas I've been drooling over on Brent's website?

Yup,branch-o-rama.

 

[edprocoat]

Yup,branch-o-rama.

Merry Christmas to you, huh? Nice tree, you got any ideas yet?

ed

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Am I the only person to think of a way to re-attach and secure it?

Not at all. A few years ago, I attached a piece of bark to a pruning scar near the front of this corkbark JBP with a straight pin. Can you spot it?

 

[cmeg1]

Merry Christmas to you, huh? Nice tree, you got any ideas yet?

ed

Thanks.As for ideas,I am going to be looking at masterpieces and search for them.The obvious thing I see to do is get it very vigorous and then stub the awkward branch that is shooting up on the left and create something different from that.A really powerful branch comes to mind from that,but I have not put much time into branch type yet,as I pondered ways to reinforce the Anderson flat it is in mostly first.I completed that today.I do not even know where the front is yet.I want to create something different.Maybe branches that undulate and possibly circle around the trunk circumference a bit.I need to reasearch this.Thanks again!

 

[cmeg1]

Not at all. A few years ago, I attached a piece of bark to a pruning scar near the front of this corkbark JBP with a straight pin. Can you spot it?

Would the straight pin be gold colored?There is a piece of bark on lower left that looks maybe attached.That would work,thanks for the idea.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Would the straight pin be gold colored?There is a piece of bark on lower left that looks maybe attached.That would work,thanks for the idea.

That's it...actually been there so long it's rusted now. Had lots of people through the garden, even shown the tree a few years at our club show and nobody has ever noticed it.

Wood glue or gorilla glue would work for larger areas too, though wood glue can be spotted if it oozes out at all. I've also used cut paste and embedded bits of bark into it to disguise a pruning cut on an arakawa maple. Worked just fine.

 

[fredtruck]

Cut paste is good. I've used that.

 

[edprocoat]

I twice have used a dab of two part quick setting epoxy to attach bark that came off.

ed

 

[tmmason10]

I've been drooling over those elms too. Wow, good luck with this one.

 

[lordy]

The obvious thing I see to do is get it very vigorous .... I pondered ways to reinforce the Anderson flat it is in mostly first.I completed that today.

Containers really do need to be rigid. Flimsy plastic nursery pots and even Anderson flats with larger material can allow the growing media to shift and cause damage in the root system. Sometimes that damage goes unnoticed until you realize that the vigor is not there, or no real progress has been made this year. I cringe every time I see someone pickup a tree and the sides of the container twist out of shape. If done frequently enough, the tree can be lost. Handle with care!

 

[cmeg1]

Containers really do need to be rigid. Flimsy plastic nursery pots and even Anderson flats with larger material can allow the growing media to shift and cause damage in the root system. Sometimes that damage goes unnoticed until you realize that the vigor is not there, or no real progress has been made this year. I cringe every time I see someone pickup a tree and the sides of the container twist out of shape. If done frequently enough, the tree can be lost. Handle with care!

I definately cringed when I first lifted it.The mesh sagged.I made a very simple carry platform for it to mainly reinforce the bottom.I also made seating blocks on the 2x12 plank to keep the platform from sliding either way.kinda' locks in place.
I am still undecided whether I will use the Anderson flat or the 10 gallon root pouch fabric pots I have.I could cut them down.I have read that they keep roots from circling with good aeration too.

 

[coh]

I've got a couple of plants that are in flimsy containers...one is a cut-down nursery pot and the other is one of those clear plastic bins from walmart. Pick them up to move and the sides deform and the contents shift. My temporary solution was to simply place each container on a heavy wooden slab. Now if I want to move the plant I just pick up the slab and the pot comes with it, without any deformation. It's not an ideal solution, but it works until I can get them in better containers.

Chris

 

[cmeg1]

Yea,it probably has a lot to do with the soil one uses too.The elm is in pure perlite,rather large type chunks.I am happy cause' it probably did not do any damage.I am actually pretty curious to see where the roots are growing in the flat.It seems to have been root pruned recently cause' it definately was not tight with roots.I have the feeling they are all pointed downward and air-pruned from the mesh bottom.I like the platform I made because I feed with every watering from a 2 gallon can and I tend to tilt the pot a bit to get the root ball completely soaked.Now it is stable.If perhaps I used cakes and watered with a shower wand I probably would not have to tilt the plant when watering.

 

[mcpesq817]

I've been using Anderson flats for years - they really dont bend or sag all that much. It is important, however, to make sure that your trees are tied down securely if necessary.

I have one of Brent's big seijus - they are nice trees. I'm not a big fan of his soil (I know it works for him and reduces weight/shipping cost), so I try and repot his trees at the first earliest convenient time. The bark should grow back so I wouldn't worry too much.