Hornbeam #3

Cadillactaste

Neagari Gal
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Its crazy walking into seeing green in the greenhouse and still barren trees outside. My husband commented on it...as well the spider webs which creeped up over winter in far away places...sorry, I didn't crawl under the bench dear... rolling eyes.

Sorry for venting...

Lovely tree...how wide is that trunk!?!
 

cmeg1

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This tree is always nice to look at!
I have a bunch of seedling of the turczaninowii type I put shape into and planted,just something to do.
 

justBonsai

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Great looking hornbeam. I love spring, seeing trees with lush new growth.
 

AlainK

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Probably around 9” or so?

Er...

One inch is 2.54 cm, that I know for sure.

9" must be nine inches, correct? So, that would be well over 20 cm, two-thirds of a foot or so, right?

Wow, that's a big one...
 

MACH5

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Beautiful Judy! I do love that pot with it! Did it give you good color last fall?
 

JudyB

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Beautiful Judy! I do love that pot with it! Did it give you good color last fall?
It was not the best fall color I've seen with KH, the weather would not cool down and then it got too cold too fast. But there is always next fall! I have flowers this spring, although they are very small, and hard to see.
Yes the pot was a stroke of luck, (to find) a stroke of genius (you told me it was right) and a fortunate fit. It's perfect. I'll take a better shot when I can get my greenhouse clearer. It gets better every year.
Er...

One inch is 2.54 cm, that I know for sure.

9" must be nine inches, correct? So, that would be well over 20 cm, two-thirds of a foot or so, right?

Wow, that's a big one...
Well it's not super large, it's not terribly tall. I have one that is a huge monster! It's well over 2' tall and 14" wide at the base...
 

Vin

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Very nice and the perfect pot! Mine is covered in swelling buds but no leaves yet. Everything else is leafing out so I'm not sure why my Hornbeam takes its sweet time. Same thing last year though.
 

MACH5

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Such a great tree! I am surprised you did not get stronger coloring being a KH? Some of my trees did not quite color up this year like my sharp's.
 

JudyB

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Such a great tree! I am surprised you did not get stronger coloring being a KH? Some of my trees did not quite color up this year like my sharp's
It was too hot for too long, and then we had some sharp frosts, I think that is what happened here. This one has had nice reds in the past. Another couple pics.P1030328.jpgP1030324.jpgP1030325.jpgP1030328.jpgP1030324.jpgP1030325.jpg
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Trick to try, for better red autumn colors.

Red pigments in leaves are usually due to purple anthocyanins layered over yellow carotenoids. Anthocyanins require nitrogen to make, and especially if you are using organic fertilizers, there may not be as much ''spare'' nitrogen laying around for pigments, as organic fertilizers tend to be lower in nitrogen. Hitting the trees with a liquid chemical fertilizer, especially an ''acid loving plant food'' fertilizer with the N number being the higher number than the other ingredients. For example a 12-1-4, or Mira Acid, the hit of fertilizer in early autumn while everything is still green will help form more anthocyanins. The acid plant food tends to have at least some of the nitrogen as ammonia, which is absorbed more rapidly and easily by the trees. Nitrate fertilizer is absorbed, but needs some metabolic activity on the tree's part and this requires the consumption of potassium to absorb the Nitrate. Ammonia just soaks right in without a metabolic cost. (maybe this is a little too deep? Details are not always important?) Anyway, a little fertilizer in early autumn will help bring out the reds.

Also, anthocyanins are produced as a response to direct sunlight. They function as ''sunscreen'' to protect chlorophyll from being destroyed by too much sunlight. So increasing the amount or hours of direct sun the tree receives in early autumn would help produce brighter reds. This trick works if a tree is being grown in part shade for most of the year. Increasing light as autumn approaches will also bring out more reds, if you don't accidentally burn the leaves with too much light.

Third factor - moderately warm days anthocyanins are created, cool nights help preserve the anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are relatively short lived molecules, breaking down within weeks of being created, so cool nights are a help to preserve the anthocyanins.

Or just wait, the random vagaries of year to year temperature and weather variations will eventually give you better colors one year over the next.

These are tricks I originally learned from raising orchids, and trying to get better flower color intensities just before exhibiting the orchids. I noticed it does apply to trees too. I'm not sure how dramatic a change you will see, but you should see some incremental change.
 
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