Ideas for this Trident Nebari?

[Scrogdor]

Not entirely sure how to handle this root mass. My initial thought is to ground layer it or maybe plant it deep and hope roots sprout higher up. But maybe something can be done with what ever is going on here with the use of root grafts. There is a dead part as seen in the pictures.

 

[johng]

if it bothers you, there is no question what to do...air or ground layer to form an entirely new root base.

 

[bwaynef]

Hope isn't going to fix this one. Air/ground layering would probably be the route I'd take. You could also threadgraft or approach graft roots. Alternatively, you could slow-layer w/ "windows" cut out around the trunk and plant it deeper ...which is very similar to your hope strategy, but much more likely to yield results you're after.

(I listed them in the order I'd choose, though I'll admit I've failed more with trident airlayers than just about anything else I've tried.)

 

[leatherback]

Normally I am in favour of planting deep and pruning the roots hard. In this case I do not see that solving the issues in a hurry. I guess I would go in the layering direction for this one too.

 

[Scrogdor]

Normally I am in favour of planting deep and pruning the roots hard. In this case I do not see that solving the issues in a hurry. I guess I would go in the layering direction for this one too.

I thought about grafting a bunch of seedlings around the sides, letting them graft and grow out, then pruning the roots hard, but I'd still be dealing with that dead bit. Only thing about the ground layer I'm worried about is the lack of space available while also preserving the length of the first section. Been reading the toughest part about tridents is that they bridge the gap pretty easily.

 

[Scrogdor]

Hopefully this works.

 

[misfit11]

It should given you scraped away all the cambium. I think you made the right decision. That base is a hot mess.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Was this the final placement of your wire tourniquet? I'd try to snug that up as close to the top cut as possible

 

[Scrogdor]

Was this the final placement of your wire tourniquet? I'd try to snug that up as close to the top cut as possible

What would be the reason? I thought the main use was some extra protection against callous reaching. I could still snug it up though

 

[Potawatomi13]

One has to wonder why you got (bought?) this one with such major defect?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Gosh, a tourniquet would work to flare the trunk as is, but I’d just ground layer this tree. It is as safe as you are going to get as a repair job..

If you do, just make sure the green inside the collar cut is all gone. Use alcohol on the remaining white area jic. I cut a plastic disc to fit on the top edge and wire it in place to get a good root spread. Then it’s merely a matter of backfilling and waiting.

The good thing about ground layers for me is that They are a snap to water and I’m much more inclined to wait a longer time before taking a peek.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Scrogdor]

One has to wonder why you got (bought?) this one with such major defect?

Price, seems like a decent/ fun project. Been itching to try a ground layer anyways. Good for practice.

 

[Scrogdor]

Gosh, a tourniquet would work to flare the trunk as is, but I’d just ground layer this tree. It is as safe as you are going to get as a repair job..

If you do, just make sure the green inside the collar cut is all gone. Use alcohol on the remaining white area jic. I cut a plastic disc to fit on the top edge and wire it in place to get a good root spread. Then it’s merely a matter of backfilling and waiting.

The good thing about ground layers for me is that They are a snap to water and I’m much more inclined to wait a longer time before taking a peek.

Cheers
DSD sends

Yeah, this will be my first ground layer attempt. I feel pretty good about it though. Tree is healthy, growth coming out of all sides. I scrapped it pretty good, went around several times.

 

[Shibui]

I cut a plastic disc to fit on the top edge and wire it in place to get a good root spread. Then it’s merely a matter of backfilling and waiting.

My experience says the plastic collar is superfluous on a layer. Tridents love to grow lateral roots. Every layer I have done has produced massive laterals and very few down roots without any intervention apart from the layer.
Everyone is free to put any twist they like on any procedure and I'm sure the collar will produce a great lateral nebari but just be aware the collar may not be responsible for that.

I thought the main use was some extra protection against callous reaching. I could still snug it up though

I agree. It doesn't matter whether the wire is high, mid or low. Just try to have it hard against the sapwood all the way round to get the quickest results.