Boxwood Oak Repost

[Vin]

I'm pretty new to this site and I may have posted this in the wrong forum: I collected this Boxwood last year and decided to split it in two last weekend. After using a reciprocating saw on it for about a half hour I placed a hatchet in the slot and wacked it with 2 pound sledge. It's going to take a few years to get it in a bonsai pot but it should look pretty majestic by then. Any thoughts on what I can/should change in the coming months?

 

[Vin]

and one more of the trunk..

 

[JudyB]

Why did you cut it in half? Maybe there is something I don't see here, but the massive wide trunk was fitting for the branches, not that the new trunk isn't nice...But I'm not sure I would've gone there.

 

[Vin]

There were two trunks above the soil line and it looked like two trees that didn't belong together once I excavated the soil. I'm playing around with some ideas for the other half. Should I have kept them together?

 

[bonsaibp]

I'm with Judy here- unless there is something we're not seeing I don't get the reason for splitting the trunk. How about some pic's of both trunks now?

 

[coppice]

I'm not sure this is going to be seen (by you) as a two-fer as the years roll on.

 

[Poink88]

There were two trunks above the soil line and it looked like two trees that didn't belong together once I excavated the soil. I'm playing around with some ideas for the other half. Should I have kept them together?

Seeing this...you MAY have done the right thing. I am off to church but will do a virt on this one hopefully this afternoon. I believe this is a much better tree than the other half.

 

[Vin]

Seeing this...you MAY have done the right thing. I am off to church but will do a virt on this one hopefully this afternoon. I believe this is a much better tree than the other half.

Here's another shot of the before..

 

[Vin]

I'm not sure this is going to be seen (by you) as a two-fer as the years roll on.

Do you think I just should have tried reducing the root ball in the coming years before committing to the split? I have a couple more that I decided to take that route with before deciding on what to do. I'm a "no reverse" kinda guy so all I can do is work with what I've done at this point.

 

[coppice]

I have been talking to myself at morning coffee about ground layering a crab apple I have. Its only been a couple three years I've been thinking about it.

Hold onto a one or two of these stumps (whole) and let the divided one sell you one way or t'other. Root pruning does not preclude a latter division.

 

[Poink88]

Here is my traditional take on the 2nd half of your tree--for your consideration. Note that this will only work IF you know how to graft.

Good luck!

 

[Vin]

Here is my traditional take on the 2nd half of your tree--for your consideration. Note that this will only work IF you know how to graft.

Good luck!

What if it was flipped?

 

[Poink88]

What if it was flipped?

Not sure I got what you meant but if it is to go with windswept instead, it can work. I will just caution you that with that style, you will be constantly fighting your tree because it will want to go another way. The branches you have now was formed because it is against a wall (compounded by it being a hedge) and the tree is seeking light.

BTW, nice inspiration. That is by Russel Coker if I am not mistaken.

 

[Poink88]

Here is a marked possible chop/reduction areas for the other one.

 

[Vin]

Not sure I got what you meant but if it is to go with windswept instead, it can work. I will just caution you that with that style, you will be constantly fighting your tree because it will want to go another way. The branches you have now was formed because it is against a wall (compounded by it being a hedge) and the tree is seeking light.

BTW, nice inspiration. That is by Russel Coker if I am not mistaken.

I see.. I just don't want to be too hasty but then again it's not like they're going to stop growing tomorrow. I have three of these boxwoods from the same location. I know for a fact they have been in the ground since 1984 and they were probably 5 or 10 years old when planted. They were in really bad shape when I got them. Chopped on, hacked on, held together with zip ties, bits of wire, nuts, bolts, screws,,, you get the idea. They're in a better place now and they deserve my attention.

 

[Vin]

Here is a marked possible chop/reduction areas for the other one.

I was planning on making similar cuts but don't I need to wait for the lower parts of the branches to leaf? I don't need to fatten the trunk so I was going to keep the leaves a little thin on top in the hopes I get foliage forming deeper in the tree.

 

[Poink88]

I was planning on making similar cuts but don't I need to wait for the lower parts of the branches to leaf? I don't need to fatten the trunk so I was going to keep the leaves a little thin on top in the hopes I get foliage forming deeper in the tree.

There should be green at the ends after the cut and I believe there should be where I marked these...not sure on some spots though...I had to assume and guess based on what I see.

Cutting now will ensure you channel everything to those "new" terminal buds because boxwood is apically dominant. As long as you have green or dormant buds, you will be okay. I constantly chase mine back until they reach the goal but you cannot always rely on the tree to give you the branch placement you want/need so I (approach) graft.

Here is a blog entry of a friend how he shrunk his collected boxwood. http://hotbonsai.blogspot.com/2013/07/japanese-boxwood-18-too-tall-thread.html

 

[Vin]

There should be green at the ends after the cut and I believe there should be where I marked these...not sure on some spots though...I had to assume and guess based on what I see.

Cutting now will ensure you channel everything to those "new" terminal buds because boxwood is apically dominant. As long as you have green or dormant buds, you will be okay. I constantly chase mine back until they reach the goal but you cannot always rely on the tree to give you the branch placement you want/need so I (approach) graft.

Here is a blog entry of a friend how he shrunk his collected boxwood. http://hotbonsai.blogspot.com/2013/07/japanese-boxwood-18-too-tall-thread.html

Great blog! I wonder if T-Budding would work on boxwoods?

 

[Poink88]

Great blog! I wonder if T-Budding would work on boxwoods?

Sorry, I am not familiar with "T-budding".

 

[Smoke]

Sorry, I am not familiar with "T-budding".

I looked this up on google and you wouldn't believe what I got. I must have misspelled it.....