JBP damage repair.... and a candle question.

[Mike Corazzi]

I just picked up this JBP because I liked the general overall shape and that nice graceful curve on the lower right branch upsweep.

BUT.... the previous owner had ...tried... thread grafting that didn't "take" and it has left some ugly scars.

What should I do with those scars? They won't go away without some attention of some sort.
They are shallow enough that I think I could get away with stripping them off and cutpasting the wound and hoping for a decent "heal."

Or maybe go for making a "hole" as pictured in the last photo on my Scots pine that had to have SOMETHING done about a "too short" cut stub. It has healed and isn't awful as I see it.

Got some ideas on the wound/s? As you can see, there is a lesser wound above the worst one that is much shallower and I think I can cobble and chip around it to disguise it.

Now.... the candles.

My inclination is to wire the longer ones more horizontally, but I wonder if just cutting them off part way would be a better choice.

?????????????

 

[Adair M]

The best way to heal the scars on the trunk would be to let a sacrifice branch grow at he apex. Or anywhere up above them. If you keep the whole tree decandled, there will be little healing.

You can fill the voids with the clay cut paste. You can disguise them by pressing a little bark into the clay cut paste.

This tree doesn't need any more cutting back. There's hardly any foliage as it is.

It does need wiring.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

And do what with a sacrifice branch? Graft to the trunk?
If I conceal it with cutpaste will it just grow around it?
I mean just LEAVE it concealed.....forever...or nearly so?

 

[Cypress187]

And do what with a sacrifice branch? Graft to the trunk?
If I conceal it with cutpaste will it just grow around it?
I mean just LEAVE it concealed.....forever...or nearly so?

I think he means just let it grow and wait, and the sac branch will help with that.

 

[petegreg]

And do what with a sacrifice branch? Graft to the trunk?
conceal it with cutpaste will it just grow around it?
I mean just LEAVE it concealed.....forever...or nearly so?

Pick one of two top branches as a sacrifice branch and let it grow for few years. The second one will be your new leader.
You can play with the new leader and the rest of the tree when it is strong enough - decandling etc.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Okay. Got it. Did some wiring and it looks better already.
Thanks all.

 

[Adair M]

The sacrifice branch will thicken everything below it on the trunk. And promote callousing over. It's the rapid growth of a strong leader branch. It will produce raging hormones! Which will promote the callous.

Once we start decandling everything, the hormone level, the auxin, is reduced dramaticly! One of the side effects of auxin is trunk thickening. Remove it, and it doesn't happen. So... Letting a sacrifice branch run to heal cuts and scars is the best therapy. Of course, when you eventually remove the sacrifice, you'll have a new scar, so try to choose a sacrifice branch that's in the back.

Once the sacrifice is growing rapidly, it will fill the scars with callous, and push the putty cut paste out.

Wiring it out, splaying the things out horizontal will expose the old dormant adventitious buds in the interior to the sun, and will promote back budding.

Wiring pines is essential. You simply cannot train pines with clip and grow.

If you, or anyone reading this, are/is unfamiliar with JBP you cannot do better than viewing Boon's DVD series on JBP. You can buy the DVD's or rent them to be streamed. The rental option is very economical.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I am splaying out the branches (and shoots) like a duck's foot. I am anticipating good things to begin happening and ESPECIALLY this spring when I get it OUT of the damn kakadama that the previous owner says is in the soil in a 1/3 ratio.

It's gonna get a BIT of organic mixed with LAVA and some Vance charcoal w/ a bit of pumice .... and exposed to the FULL SUN (like my avatar Scots) and it's gonna get DROWNT in regular fertilization.

(only ONE.....tiny.... shoot ...got whacked.)

 

[Adair M]

Mike,

I don't care if you choose not to use akadama (more for me!), but you would be a fool to introduce organics into a tree that is grown in all inorganic soil!

50/50 puncice and lava would work just fine.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

The "organic" I use is cactus mix. And only almost a ...dusting... of it.
Only as a sop to the concept that soil should have ....some.... organic in it.

I would estimate about 5-7%

Almost an embarrasingly tiny amount.

And...as I say.... "symbolic" mostly.

 

[Adair M]

I am splaying out the branches (and shoots) like a duck's foot. I am anticipating good things to begin happening and ESPECIALLY this spring when I get it OUT of the damn kakadama that the previous owner says is in the soil in a 1/3 ratio.

It's gonna get a BIT of organic mixed with LAVA and some Vance charcoal w/ a bit of pumice .... and exposed to the FULL SUN (like my avatar Scots) and it's gonna get DROWNT in regular fertilization.

(only ONE.....tiny.... shoot ...got whacked.)

I'm not sure I understand the duck's foot reference, but you should be wiring out like Figure 15:



Note the alternating branches. Also note the angle the side branches come off the main branch. NOT 90 degrees!

The "90 degree" mistake is very common! If you make the angle 90 degrees, you build a very round branch, rather than triangular. Triangular makes better pads.

 

[Adair M]

The "organic" I use is cactus mix. And only almost a ...dusting... of it.
Only as a sop to the concept that soil should have ....some.... organic in it.

I would estimate about 5-7%

Almost an embarrasingly tiny amount.

And...as I say.... "symbolic" mostly.

Then why bother?

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Then why bother?

To be "good."

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I'm not sure I understand the duck's foot reference, but you should be wiring out like Figure 15:

View attachment 118326

Note the alternating branches. Also note the angle the side branches come off the main branch. NOT 90 degrees!

The "90 degree" mistake is very common! If you make the angle 90 degrees, you build a very round branch, rather than triangular. Triangular makes better pads.

That's the way I'm headed.

SOME of the branches are starting at the top of the parent branch so they are not being cooperative in going out angularly (is that a word?) but are having to be taken sideways....if angularly... from a place I would not CHOOSE but which in the past has worked....okay.

Time will tell.

 

[Adair M]

This tree has NO organic component in its soil:



It does have about 1/3 of its soil as akadama. The other two parts are lava and pumice.

Again, you can use whatever mix you please. But the idea that tree "need" some organics is just wrong. This tree has been in inorganic soil at least 15 years.

 

[Adair M]

To be "good."

Can you elaborate on that?

 

[jcrossett]

No organics just ferts

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Okay on the akadama. But I had such a TERRIBLE experience that I almost feel improper regarding it as INorganic.

No longer have pic, but it was a swamp. Would NOT drain.

 

[Paradox]

I repotted a scots pine this spring into 1 part akadama, 1 part pumice, 1 part lava and 1 part gravel with a handful or so of horticultural charcoal per gallon.

The roots on this thing right now are amazing. Inch long new white root tips. The thing went nuts this year with root growth. More than it did in the last 3 years combined in crappy soil.
Healthy green needles over an inch long.

Im sold.

 

[Adair M]

Okay on the akadama. But I had such a TERRIBLE experience that I almost feel improper regarding it as INorganic.

No longer have pic, but it was a swamp. Would NOT drain.

Akadama DOES break down. When it does, it's time to repot. About every other repotting, it's good to get in under the trunk and clean out old soil, remove old roots to make room for new feeder roots.

There's plenty of threads about akadama, no need to rehash them again. But, I will repeat that going from inorganic soil with a JBP to organic soil is going in the wrong direction.