Barberry

wsteinhoff

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Here's a barberry I've worked on. It was originally bought for the fall contest but ended up needing to regrow all the foliage with how much I removed. Here it is so far though now that the buds are opening. The second smaller trunk is kind of like a raft style-or what I believe is raft style-with roots coming down from the branch. I may or may not keep the smaller trunk (opinions appreciated). The main trunk is roughly a little over an inch thick at the base.

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GrimLore

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I may or may not keep the smaller trunk (opinions appreciated). The main trunk is roughly a little over an inch thick at the base.

Looks to me from the pictures that you have a wider single trunk buried in there... If that is so I would most likely keep both sides of the twin trunk. Could be very interesting ;)

Grimmy
 
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Vin

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I have a few (well a couple now) Barberry. I worked a Golden Nugget way to hard last year and after an encouraging spring growth it died. I'm going to work the other two (Crimson Pygmy) a lot slower and see how it goes. Mine look to be about the same size as yours. I'm looking for a much bigger one and I know they're out there but haven't found one yet. Based on what I've done with mine, I'd say you have two in there. Good luck!
 

wsteinhoff

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Looks to me from the pictures that you have a wider single trunk buried in there... If that is so I would most likely keep both sides of the twin trunk. Could be very interesting ;)

Grimmy
I believe you are correct about the wider trunk beneath the soil. I trimmed some roots off that were high up the trunk and am waiting until spring when I do more root work before I dig down. It's a mat of roots by the surface and I didn't want to cut through them to see what's below there this late in the growing season.
 

wsteinhoff

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I have a few (well a couple now) Barberry. I worked a Golden Nugget way to hard last year and after an encouraging spring growth it died. I'm going to work the other two (Crimson Pygmy) a lot slower and see how it goes. Mine look to be about the same size as yours. I'm looking for a much bigger one and I know they're out there but haven't found one yet. Based on what I've done with mine, I'd say you have two in there. Good luck!
There very well could be two of them in there. As Grim pointed out there appears to be more below the soil. With the mass of roots by the soil surface you can't see exactly where (or if) the trunks connect.
 
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JudyB

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I would keep both sides, adds interest for me. If they are connected or one trunk you'll be in great shape when you can unbury it. I would be careful with this one going into winter with such new growth. That is why for me, contests like these are better in the spring, when you can do a lot more work without killing things.
But it's a nice choice Will, and you certainly weren't shy about taking it back to the core of what the tree has to offer at this point. :)
 

wsteinhoff

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I would keep both sides, adds interest for me. If they are connected or one trunk you'll be in great shape when you can unbury it. I would be careful with this one going into winter with such new growth. That is why for me, contests like these are better in the spring, when you can do a lot more work without killing things.
But it's a nice choice Will, and you certainly weren't shy about taking it back to the core of what the tree has to offer at this point. :)
I agree about both trunks. If they aren't connected though maybe they could be made to appear as one trunk by keeping them close enough together or slightly burried but not quite as much as they are now.
 

GrimLore

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I would keep both sides, adds interest for me. If they are connected or one trunk you'll be in great shape when you can unbury it.

Good call, serious :)

If they aren't connected though maybe they could be made to appear as one trunk by keeping them close enough together or slightly burried but not quite as much as they are now.

I cannot see that being the case from these pictures but in the Spring when this is starting to show budding PM me and I can direct you on how to figure it out without harming it. I am at this point happy it could be a twin trunk - as I said earlier it is unusual for this plant ;)

Grimmy
 

wsteinhoff

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I repotted this one earlier into a cut down much smaller nursery pot. This is the first of my trees to be repotted so far and the first plant I have done this to besides one last summer with Judy's guidance. Hopefully it survives but it seems to be coming out of the winter good and healthy with all the buds that are ready to open on it. The two trunks were in fact connected just below the soil.
 

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Just be careful now Will, as it won't be frost proof. Glad to hear that it is connected trunks.
 

wsteinhoff

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Yes the thorns are a pain (litterally). Notice there's been no wire on it;). I'd hate to cut them off though, I feel they add character to it. So I'll just be using clip-'n-grow and guy wires.
 

wsteinhoff

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20180723_121029.jpg

I don't think the barberry will be for any winter viewing. More for the leaf color. The branches have been cut back several times. They just don't ramify it seems. It readily buds on the trunk. Here and there on the branches but not enough.
 

raydomz

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I don't think the barberry will be for any winter viewing. More for the leaf color. The branches have been cut back several times. They just don't ramify it seems. It readily buds on the trunk. Here and there on the branches but not enough.

These make great winter silhouette trees, if they flower and get berries that stay through leaf drop.
One thing you can try that has worked for me is: leave the branches longer than you think. In some cases I only remove the terminal bud of last years growth but this seems to encourage them to push new growth out from all of the buds that are left on the branch. Barberry will readily drop branches that are stressed (re: branches that are cut back in hopes of getting new ramification) or they will divert their energy to other areas. This is why you see so many trunk buds. You clip back in hopes of ramification and the trees responds by saying "forget that branch then! I'll grow 3-4 others to replace it."

Give this one some time. My objective would be to try and get the rootball as small as possible and be happy with a mame sized tree. Branch development at that size is better suited to the species and replacement of lost branches is less of a time loss.
 

wsteinhoff

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For whatever reason this one didn't make it through winter. Everything else has.
 

LanceMac10

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Too bad, looks like it could have been a fun little tree...….been there, with WAY more pricey material!!:(:mad::mad:;):D:D:D:D:D:D
 
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