cbrshadow23
Shohin
I posted about this tree a while back when I was considering digging it out of a yard, but the thread got long so I thought I'd put up a new post now that the tree has been dug up and has progressed.
I had a friend that was clearing an area of his yard and this tree was going to be scrapped, so I got his permission to take it. It was about 15' tall and leggy, but the base looked pretty good.
Here's the base after I chopped the top 12' of tree off.
Here's a better view of the root base after I dug it out of the ground. It's big and HEAVY, especially with so much soil/gravel still attached to the rootball. I could have spent time working that soil out, but thought it too risky after so much work.
I put the tree in a big concrete mixer (drilled holes for drainage) and kept it in pumice. The branches want to grow straight upward, so I wired them to spread them out a bit. I'd let them grow 3-4' long and then chop them back, then repeat that a bunch of times.
I decided to put the tree into a mica pot and remove a bunch of that heavy gravel-filled soil and reduce the roots quite a bit. I treat this tree like a Bougainvillea generally, and we had a few weeks of lots of heat so I figured it was a good time.
Here's the base of the tree after the repot. I was probably too aggressive with the root reduction during the repot and the tree looked pretty rough for several weeks. It did snap back though and is very vigorous again.
Here's the tree as it stands now. I haven't really touched it since the repot other than removing some shooters. The tree is healthy and flowering!
I'd like some advice on styling this tree. I know it needs to be cleaned up, but what shape should I go for? What size canopy would be fitting for this trunk? Is my pot selection appropriate style and size?
Any thoughts appreciated!
I had a friend that was clearing an area of his yard and this tree was going to be scrapped, so I got his permission to take it. It was about 15' tall and leggy, but the base looked pretty good.
Here's the base after I chopped the top 12' of tree off.
Here's a better view of the root base after I dug it out of the ground. It's big and HEAVY, especially with so much soil/gravel still attached to the rootball. I could have spent time working that soil out, but thought it too risky after so much work.
I put the tree in a big concrete mixer (drilled holes for drainage) and kept it in pumice. The branches want to grow straight upward, so I wired them to spread them out a bit. I'd let them grow 3-4' long and then chop them back, then repeat that a bunch of times.
I decided to put the tree into a mica pot and remove a bunch of that heavy gravel-filled soil and reduce the roots quite a bit. I treat this tree like a Bougainvillea generally, and we had a few weeks of lots of heat so I figured it was a good time.
Here's the base of the tree after the repot. I was probably too aggressive with the root reduction during the repot and the tree looked pretty rough for several weeks. It did snap back though and is very vigorous again.
Here's the tree as it stands now. I haven't really touched it since the repot other than removing some shooters. The tree is healthy and flowering!
I'd like some advice on styling this tree. I know it needs to be cleaned up, but what shape should I go for? What size canopy would be fitting for this trunk? Is my pot selection appropriate style and size?
Any thoughts appreciated!