Fused Trident..

fredman

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I'm devided about this. Throw away...surrender it as a landscape tree...or accept the challenge and try and make some kind of bonsai from it.
Some years ago I did quite a few fusings. Some worked and others are a challenge. This is one of them. Biggest problem I see here is creating taper...
Any ideas out there?
IMG_20200710_121928.jpgIMG_20200710_121906.jpgIMG_20200710_121830.jpgIMG_20200710_121819.jpgIMG_20200710_121814.jpg
 

fredman

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You've already put so much time into it.....I say grow it out and carve the dead spots.....go do a clumpy/broomish thing.
Yeah that's my idea to, but the flat tops in the centre is the problem. I can cut and carve outer trunks and create some movement there, but the centre boggles me?
 

fredman

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Yeah that's my idea to, but the flat tops in the centre is the problem. I can cut and carve outer trunks and create some movement there, but the centre boggles me?
Just had a proper look at the centre. I over reacted some. I can carve the trunks some there and grow two trunks from the centre.. 👍
Maybe treat it as a weird fairy tale tree, with trunks coming out from different levels... 🤪
I'll stare at it some more and probably give it a go.
I'll keep this as a progression thread.
 

JoeR

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To me, it would depend on what the nebari looks like. Is the nebari good? If so, it would be worth the time and I would do a broom almost banyan style tree... if not, I would use it for cuttings and layers in the landscape
 

Hack Yeah!

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You've got a central leader, cut it back, paste it up and put it in the ground or biggest container for a few years
 

Hack Yeah!

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Btw, what are the dimensions and how many years? I have a few seedlings I was considering such a project
 

fredman

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To me, it would depend on what the nebari looks like. Is the nebari good? If so, it would be worth the time and I would do a broom almost banyan style tree... if not, I would use it for cuttings and layers in the landscape
Yeah it's got the makings of a nebari. Each fused trunk has pushed roots, so it has a radial spread. I'm not to worried about that now. It's a Trident. I'll definitely put it on a board to spread and develop the nebari better.
 

fredman

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You've got a central leader, cut it back, paste it up and put it in the ground or biggest container for a few years
Btw, what are the dimensions and how many years? I have a few seedlings I was considering such a project
Nah I don't want to send a single leader up, not for now anyways...that might change, who knows. For now i'm thinking broomish.
The trunk is 5" wide. Can't remember how long ago...maybe 5 years ;)
 

jason biggs

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no ways would I throw that away.
leave the shoots long and you can thread graft branches to form a cool broom like tree....
You will never get taper but it can still look awesome.
 

fredman

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no ways would I throw that away.
leave the shoots long and you can thread graft branches to form a cool broom like tree....
You will never get taper but it can still look awesome.
Yeah thread grafting will be a must in future. It's screams broom to me to.
 

KiwiPlantGuy

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Hi Fredman,
Do the broom, as you have the beginnings of a great broom. The 2 attached photos from my inspiration library are the formal and informal etc. I know these are both Zelkova or the like, but the foliage from tridents in the seasons win any deciduous battle.
Wire for movement straight away and have fun, at least that’s the advice I have been given. There’s a thread on here by Walter Pall called “Zelcowa #1” think, love the spelling error there. Where he shows the start and making of a broom which is so cool.87F81303-61E2-485B-A5C5-F66FFC01531F.png
B5D15750-A99B-491E-A25E-5C45B9E167CD.png
Charles
 

Brian Van Fleet

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I'm devided about this. Throw away...surrender it as a landscape tree...or accept the challenge and try and make some kind of bonsai from it.
When I’m in this mood with a tree, I stick it in the ground and forget about it for a few years.

Bjorn has one of these fused tridents in his garden, and while it’s big, and does have movement and taper, it doesn’t look at all natural. It’s ironic, that in this climate, it’s just as quick to grow a big fat trunk out to 12” in diameter as it is to get 60 cuttings to fuse together into an unconvincing lumpy mess of a trunk.
 

sorce

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I wonder if you couldn't cut an orange safety cone down to that size, and thread some of those new shoots through it before forgetting it for a while.

If you use one of them good rubbery ones, it may stretch enough to remain safely forgotten.

I think the base is close enough to keep it from getting reverse taper.

Dunce that Bitch!

Sorce
 

fredman

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Well i'm busy doing unspeakable things to it atm. To abrehensive to post a pic...I might be torn apart 🤪
I'm cutting and carving each trunk to a different level. Opening up the centre. The idea is when it starts growing, to direct the bulk of the bulging inwards. It surely will be a different looking broom. Don't yet know good or bad...but i'm the glass half full kind ;)
As Brian said, best is to put it in the ground....so that's where it'll go, as soon as the soil warms up.
 

Pitoon

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I would prune all branches around the perimeter and let those two inner branches run free. To speed up the process of growing the new apex plant it over several tiles in the ground.
 

MrWunderful

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I know you dont care for a central leader but I would put it in the ground and let a leader run to make an exaggerated super tapery wizard hat.
 

fredman

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I would prune all branches around the perimeter and let those two inner branches run free. To speed up the process of growing the new apex plant it over several tiles in the ground.
I know you dont care for a central leader but I would put it in the ground and let a leader run to make an exaggerated super tapery wizard hat.
I have another one that I did together with this one. It's similar in diameter, but less fusing. I plan the let the centre go to get some taper with that one.
 

fredman

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Well this place is about show and tell so here goes. Plz feel free to give your opinions. This is a bit of a 'unorthodox' project so i'm going with my gut feelings. I'm stuck on a broom...not sure where this will end up, but i'm committed now...forward we go 🤪
I'm going to do a thread graft here as it's the only place I couldn't cut to growth.
IMG_20200712_115845~2.jpg
IMG_20200712_115916.jpgIMG_20200711_164749~2.jpg
This area still need to be fused and there's growth to make that happen.


Some other views..
IMG_20200711_164737.jpgIMG_20200711_164756.jpg
It's all properly trimmed, sealed and resting in the green house. Come spring i'll cover the scars with sphagnum and tinfoil and plant it in the ground.
I saw Peter Warren wrap grafting tape and insulation tape around to stop bulging. I might do that to. For now I need I rest... 👍
 
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