I'm gonna make brooms.

cmeg1

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Next spring will begin the third growing season for some of them.What I would like to achieve is to transition from sacrifice branches to actually start pinching regularly the tips of shoots leaving 2-3 leaves.Then around early summer defoliate.I want to take care of the leaves also for a nice autumn.I am going to not fertilize nitrogen while the first flush or so pushes cause' I really need short internodes.When I do start fertilizing it is going to be a weak dilution of organic with every watering.I am also going to experiment with spraying the foliage with trace elements often.
 

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tmmason10

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Looks good! Nice work, I'm curious to see what they look like under the leaves.
 

cmeg1

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Looks good! Nice work, I'm curious to see what they look like under the leaves.
Thanks.I really want them to look good without leaves.I sprout a crop of them every year and learn a bit each time.Second growing season was full of sacrifice branches to make all branch thickness equal.That seems priority right now.And hopefully build a nice frame work.
 
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cmeg1

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Well,it is that time of year.I am doing a two phase wrap with this years crop.First zip-tie,then wrap with ribbon.It went good.I will wrap with ribbon next week.Some turned a bit crooked,so I will have to straighten with some heavy gauge wire.
 

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cmeg1

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Bole comparison

I was able to get the bole of the trees almost an inch longer on this years crop of zelkova.The ideal is 1/3 the eventual tree height.I am going to aim for yet taller ones in next years crop.
Somewhere around post # 58 I explained how I do it,concerning the deep shade I sprout them in.

Here is a good comparison from my first attempt and then this years.A 17 month and a 6 month zelkova.
 

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cmeg1

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Season start and finish comparison

Here is season start and finish comparison.
 

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Brian Van Fleet

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That's a respectable year. Will you be shortening the secondaries a little more in the spring? They look relatively long.
 

cmeg1

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That's a respectable year. Will you be shortening the secondaries a little more in the spring? They look relatively long.
Thanks,Brian.I thought it would be best to wait till' spring to do anymore shortening cause' I figured the buds will swell more in late winter and I know where to cut better.
 

cmeg1

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Thanks,Brian.I thought it would be best to wait till' spring to do anymore shortening cause' I figured the buds will swell more in late winter and I know where to cut better.
I had noticed that sometimes the first node only leafs and does'nt bud on a given shoot.Maybe that had something to do with my errattic approach on this tree this season.Through better technique I am hoping to have more predictable,fluid growth next season on this tree and especially the new,taller ones I've sewn this year.I am going to keep them all though until I have too many of them and then start culling the pack for the straightest and nicest looking.Thanks again!
 
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Brian Van Fleet

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Right on...looking forward to seeing another couple years of growth.
 

Dan W.

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They're looking good Cmeg. Are you working the roots too? If not, at what point are you planning to?
 

cmeg1

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They're looking good Cmeg. Are you working the roots too? If not, at what point are you planning to?
Thanks,Dan.I will be working the roots in spring on all of them.The three 17 month ones are definately in need of a re-pot,their first actually.I could tell during late summer by the condition of the leaves that there was probably tons of roots in the small pots.Also on the 6 month ones that I've sewn this year ,some of the trees are raising out of the pot.I noticed since I switched to all organic fertilizer with every watering,that there is more root growth.Thanks again.
 
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cmeg1

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Comparison of wrap methods

I like using zip-ties alone instead of fumbling with ribbon to wrap these up.I was able to wrap them tighter and quicker.We will see how they set up with the tighter wrap.I may remove it on one a bit early to make sure they aren't too straight.I also applied wire to straighten some of the crooked ones.
Here is a comparison from last fall and this fall's approach.
 

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cmeg1

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A week of color on one tree

Here is all the color on this tree from 10/29/13 through 11/5/13 .So many stages,I can't decide which I liked best.
 

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cmeg1

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I am going to keep growing a new batch of these every year and keep the straightest.I am considering layering the ones with ugly roots/bole to make smaller trees.Perhaps an informal broom or globe of zelkova in the shallow pots.Here is my first attempt at a photo montage.The original photo with a quarter too.
 

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cmeg1

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Plans for 2014

The tree on the left,in both photos,seems to be the best of the 20 month olds.I only had three at that stage.Some I do not like are going in the ground for air layering trees in the future.I have ten of the thinner 8 month olds.
I am also sewing seed again this year for ten more trees.I am going to aim for the absolute longest trunk sections I can achieve ,so I can get bigger trees with this method and let sacrifice branches go longer.
Somewhere around post #79 titled 'sacrifice branches' is a method of sacrifice branches that can be employed on these trees.
Around post #58 is the method to sprout from seed the favorable long trunk or bole section.
Around post #55 is first year technique and an explanation of it being quite simple.
 

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cmeg1

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Shortened the secondaries

Jeesh! All kinds of winter left here in my area.Well,I know it is not that bad,but I am getting a tiny bit impatient.I followed the advice of another member,and felt the need to trim it up a bit for growth this spring.Buds have swollen over the winter and I took it back to a minimum.
Here is a before and a couple front and back after's.Though if everything goes as planned there really will not be a front or back to these trees as I am aiming for a broom form.
Here is a picture of the deep cold frame the rest of them are in.Quite frosty as you can see,but consistent temp in the shade.
Nothing but moss on the tables now.
We are getting close to repotting time.Their first actually.
 

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Adair M

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Your zip tie method looks like it works pretty well!
 

cmeg1

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Utilizing all the seedlings

There is no getting around the fact that this technique will yield some unexpected tree forms,not turning out as planned.I am constantly on the lookout for ways to deal with this situation.
The first technique would be to just remove the upper part of the tree that is not proper looking in the picture below marked at the red line.I feel confident it would re-bud and I could have a second chance.And if it is too short ,I could air layer it down to make a broom globe without a bole.
 

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