markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
OK - so this is the furthest along of several tridents I've been growing in the ground. I've not done this before, but have had a lot of fun trying and learned a ton about what to do (and not to do) when doing this.
I purchased this as one of several trees about 5-6 years ago in 25 gallon nursery pots. I wish I had a picture from then, but I'm sure you can imagine - stick straight and no taper and a big bush on top. I got a deal - I bought them in the fall at one of those 80% off sales when the garden center was clearing the lot for Christmas trees. I brought it home and, motivated by one of Smokes posts, I'm sure, dug it up, worked the roots into the best semblance of a flat base I could muster, and chopped it 8" above the nebari. Felt weird tossing 9' 6" of a ten foot tree. But there ya go.
I planted it the ground in the full sun and hammered in several fertilized spikes near the rootball. The next year, I trained a new leader and watched it grow about 10' that year. I recut the top at a 45 degree angle with the new leader at the apex and sealed the cut. The next spring, I cut it back to a couple of nodes above the old chop and trained a new leader again - and so on until today, when I dug it back up for the first time to work the top. Here's a picture taken right after I dug the tree and a closeup of the healed wound from the original chop. It took about three years to close.
Scott
I purchased this as one of several trees about 5-6 years ago in 25 gallon nursery pots. I wish I had a picture from then, but I'm sure you can imagine - stick straight and no taper and a big bush on top. I got a deal - I bought them in the fall at one of those 80% off sales when the garden center was clearing the lot for Christmas trees. I brought it home and, motivated by one of Smokes posts, I'm sure, dug it up, worked the roots into the best semblance of a flat base I could muster, and chopped it 8" above the nebari. Felt weird tossing 9' 6" of a ten foot tree. But there ya go.
I planted it the ground in the full sun and hammered in several fertilized spikes near the rootball. The next year, I trained a new leader and watched it grow about 10' that year. I recut the top at a 45 degree angle with the new leader at the apex and sealed the cut. The next spring, I cut it back to a couple of nodes above the old chop and trained a new leader again - and so on until today, when I dug it back up for the first time to work the top. Here's a picture taken right after I dug the tree and a closeup of the healed wound from the original chop. It took about three years to close.
Scott
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