Fused Trunks, Multiple Trees

[penumbra]

I am curious as to what others have attempted with fusing multiple trunks. So far I have the following to attempt this spring: Chinese Hackberry, European Beech, Trident Maple, Black Gum, Bald Cypress, and probably a couple I have forgotten in the back of the fridge. Really would like some input here. What has worked for you.
Thank you so much.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I've not done any fusions yet. But my many years of experience suggests that all the trees listed could work.

Beech, genus Fagus, all species are slow when grown in pots, and are a bit tricky in their horticulture. Beech is not a good choice. It would work, but very slow.

Bald cypress grows quickly enough that I can hardly imagine the need to do a fusion.

trident maple are what the prototype fusions we're done with, so of course they work.

 

[BrianBay9]

I've only done this with Ficus. This one was six small trunks and fused after one year. One of the six died.

 

[Adair M]

If you’re going to do this, don’t use seedlings. Instead, start a lot of cuttings from one tree, and once they get big enough, try to fuse them.

I have seen a couple of the trident fusions that were on a form. The fusing pretty much worked, the trunk was really lumpy and fissured. Not my thing, but it was interesting. The reL issue was they started with seedlings. Each tree had slightly different leaves. Different shapes, different shades of green, there were different bark characteristics, some had tight internodes, some long internodes, some leaves were small, some large...

You get the idea. It didn’t look like a tree. It looked like a science experiment because of all the variation.

If they had all been clones from the same tree, the variation in the leaves wouldn’t have been an issue. And it would have looked orders of magnitude better.

 

[B.uneasy]

Do oaks work?

 

[Mikecheck123]

I've got some curly willow fusion projects in progress this year. I got the idea because they rapidly absorb crossing branches.

 

[sorce]

I think everything will, and also won't.

Slow growth can be good.

Amen to using cuttings.

Anyone can think it's a good idea now, but by the time it fuses, everyone will wish they had used cuttings.

Sorce

 

[B.uneasy]

I think everything will, and also won't.

Slow growth can be good.

Amen to using cuttings.

Anyone can think it's a good idea now, but by the time it fuses, everyone will wish they had used cuttings.

Sorce

If I grow out three acorns from the same tree and fused them together, wouldn't they all be the exact same?

 

[sorce]

If I grow out three acorns from the same tree and fused them together, wouldn't they all be the exact same?

I don't reckon necessarily.

Can't scientifically say.

What I do know, is waiting a year and taking cuttings from one is worth waiting for.

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

I have 9 Lime seedlings in process from 8/20/18 to now & beyond. I have unwrapped them 2/6/19, 9/20/19 & 2/26/20 partly to look and partly to make certain I didn't wait long enough to get wire marks. All four times I put a fabric on first, then electrical tape, then wire. They are conforming to each neighbor but I can't actually "see" them merge or fuse. It does appear that all nine are still there and alive, although they are hard to count. The saplings were two year old West Indian Limes, or seeds from same. I'm growing them/it for the fruit, not for bonsai, but with a little luck, both!

 

[Michael P]

If I grow out three acorns from the same tree and fused them together, wouldn't they all be the exact same?

No. The whole point of sexual reproduction is genetic variability.

On the original question, I'm trying a dwarf schefflera fusion this year. If it works, I've made multiple cuttings for a bigger fusion project next year.

 

[Forsoothe!]

No. The whole point of sexual reproduction is genetic variability.

Yes, and that's why you buy cutting-grown stock if you're putting in a row of something. If you look at a line of seedling grown Scots Pine or Blue Spruce or whatever, you can the different colors and heights and there will always be 1 out of 10 that will look different enough to stand out as an oddball.

 

[Emanon]

quarantine. Spending way too much time staring at my trees... This is a bald cypress and I have no idea what will happen as this new leader(s) grows out. Probably nothing. I chopped back to two branches that were virtually coming out of the same spot on the trunk and then tied them together.

I know it's is frowned upon to end up with a tree that has similarly sized trunks but I really like this tree down the street from me (second and third pics) and was inspired (cabin fever?). Sorry for the bad quality but they are actually screen shots from Google Maps.

 

[Forsoothe!]

If you spend your life growing trees to someone else's taste, shame on you. Grow what you love and to Hell with the rest.

 

[Malix]

Dont Know if the original poster has seen this but here is one way to do it.

 

[It's Kev]

Dont Know if the original poster has seen this but here is one way to do it.

Watched this the day it was posted. This guy is roundabout the same age as me, so I have good reason to kick my own ass for not starting out when he did

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Watched this the day it was posted. This guy is roundabout the same age as me, so I have good reason to kick my own ass for not starting out when he did

There's no better time to start than now!
I watched the same video, then I went out and collected maybe 100 new maple sprouts from this year, plus a few seedlings that are 1-2 years old, from a neighbor's yard (with her permission of course).

I wired this 5 tree clump like Bjorn did.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Fusion and cuttings will work fast from crepe myrtle

 

[jason biggs]

 

[jason biggs]

ficus burtt davyi. I just tie cuttings together with string and they fuse nicely
after a few years. 1st pic cuttings from this year. 2nd pic about 4 years. Good fusion about 6 years in the last one.