Leatherbacks Deshojo Maple renovation

[leatherback]

Sooo.. Was helping out at the nursery this week and my eye spotted a largish dehojo maple. It has a dead spot in the trunk and has been left to do its thing for a looong time. Nobody bothered to clean up the dead part of the trunk, so now it has stopped closing over. I decided to hassle the owner and negotiate a good price. Took a few branches off and put it in my car. At home I repotted as the rootball was one big jungle of grass and weeds. Good think I did, as the roots were in poor condition, and the last repot has been an uppot, without even removing the drainage hole mesh.

The plan is to let it settle into the new pot, with open substrate for the first time in several years, I am sure. It lost 95% of the rootball, so I guess not much else will be done this year, hare vss turtle. In summer, once growth tells me it has settled in, I will take some carving tools and grind away the dead stump and restart the closing of the wound. Eventually, it will be a lot smaller. None of the branches seem suitable, so I might grow a new canopy from one of the lo branches, and layer off some usable bits. I have a plan on where to go from here, but would welcome suggestions.

At some point I will download the pictures from my camera. For now, just the after repotting image.

 

[just.wing.it]

Nice! Worth the hassle then, I suppose.
Very cool.

 

[leatherback]

Decided that as it was only deadwood I was removing, and the tree had not re-rooted, I might as well even out the dead stump right away. In the process I also started removing the skirt of dead bark on the edge of the wound. That however quickly got into living tissue, and I will deal with it once the plant is fully rooted and vigorous.

 

[skychaser]

keep us updated.thanks

 

[MrWunderful]

Looks good. I would probably layer most of those branches off and stop from scratch.

 

[JudyB]

Good find!

 

[leatherback]

As I was referring to this thread in another post, a show of the extent of the rootball renovation. I realize I could have documented better.

Before:


Cleaned roots:



The fine roots were after this trimmed back to about 1 inch long.
The bottom of the tree has had all roots removed, including half inch thick roots running across the bottom of the rootball.

I find it pays to do this work properly. However, it also means this tree stands in the shade, out of the wind for the first 2 months, or till it is pushing extension growth, and then requires a slow transition into the sun. I could have been less aggressive, but then I would have had to do this work next year. Note, this is the latest to do this invasive work.

 

[leatherback]

Looks good. I would probably layer most of those branches off and stop from scratch.

I do not disagree! Not much is usefull in the current form!

The top branch will keep the first 4 inches. There is a side-branch at that point which will become the trunk continuation. Added benefit will be: I have loads of growing on the tree to so, aiding the closing of the old dead area.

One of the 2 lowest branches might stay, partially. It might be time-efficient to leave the stum to create goot taper & solid mass at the connection to give an impression of an old branch.

 

[BobbyLane]

I do not disagree! Not much is usefull in the current form!

The top branch will keep the first 4 inches. There is a side-branch at that point which will become the trunk continuation. Added benefit will be: I have loads of growing on the tree to so, aiding the closing of the old dead area.

One of the 2 lowest branches might stay, partially. It might be time-efficient to leave the stum to create goot taper & solid mass at the connection to give an impression of an old branch.

i dont get it, theres a whole canopy here! guess it comes down to styles preference, informal upright then you chop off the right side and go with the left as one trunkline, but if you go naturalistic there is certainly a tree in there now with some work
in that case i would of only reduced to the red line.

i see the informal upright but i also see this type of image


although Brian has since cut his tree back harder, hence my red line.
so the natural type (informal broom)image would not even be a consideration for you guys??
Bryans tree is gorgeous.

 

[leatherback]

i dont get it, theres a whole canopy here!

I understand what you are saying. There are a few elements.

@Brian Van Fleet 's tree is nice. If you look at the main trunks in his trees, you see they are in relation to eachother, nicely paired. WIth my deshojo, the 2 main branches grow away from eachother too much. The lower one really is a side branch rather than a secundary trunk.

Next to that, the two trunks lack taper.

On top, both of them have less movement the higher up you go

Knowing there is a hugs scar which I really want closed, and as a result, a lot of top growth s still needed, I have decided to over the next 2 years layer of the main branches and rebuild. One of those, two steps back, 3 steps forward.

In dutch there is a saying "zwakke heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden". Translated it means something like "Weak doctors make for smelly wounds". Better bite through the pain and do it right than look back in 10 years wondering why I did not do the fundamental rebuild.

 

[BobbyLane]

I understand what you are saying. There are a few elements.

@Brian Van Fleet 's tree is nice. If you look at the main trunks in his trees, you see they are in relation to eachother, nicely paired. WIth my deshojo, the 2 main branches grow away from eachother too much. The lower one really is a side branch rather than a secundary trunk.

Next to that, the two trunks lack taper.

On top, both of them have less movement the higher up you go

Knowing there is a hugs scar which I really want closed, and as a result, a lot of top growth s still needed, I have decided to over the next 2 years layer of the main branches and rebuild. One of those, two steps back, 3 steps forward.

In dutch there is a saying "zwakke heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden". Translated it means something like "Weak doctors make for smelly wounds". Better bite through the pain and do it right than look back in 10 years wondering why I did not do the fundamental rebuild.

your two main trunks are a little wide yes, but thats only a matter of filling in negative space with more twigs as the middle isnt very full yet. taper can be introduced with cuts. i see your points about wanting to close the cut though, i think that is your main concern with the tree.

Brians tree started out with two main bits and an offshoot filling negative space in the middle


im sure it will become a nice tree though, i wouldnt mind having it myself.
carry on

 

[misfit11]

I understand what you are saying. There are a few elements.

@Brian Van Fleet 's tree is nice. If you look at the main trunks in his trees, you see they are in relation to eachother, nicely paired. WIth my deshojo, the 2 main branches grow away from eachother too much. The lower one really is a side branch rather than a secundary trunk.

Next to that, the two trunks lack taper.

On top, both of them have less movement the higher up you go

Knowing there is a hugs scar which I really want closed, and as a result, a lot of top growth s still needed, I have decided to over the next 2 years layer of the main branches and rebuild. One of those, two steps back, 3 steps forward.

In dutch there is a saying "zwakke heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden". Translated it means something like "Weak doctors make for smelly wounds". Better bite through the pain and do it right than look back in 10 years wondering why I did not do the fundamental rebuild.

I agree with you here. This has a very different structure than Brian's tree. He has a somewhat informal broom with multiple trunks emanating from the same area. Yours has two trunks that are very far apart from each other. This is a slingshot as it stands. I think you're making the right choice letting it grow to heal the scar (that scar is straight up ugly and doesn't work as a feature IMO) Ultimately, I think you can keep both trunks but one needs to be significantly shorter than the other. Personally I'd choose the left-hand trunk as the main trunk and the one on the right as a secondary trunk.

This could be a very nice tree down the road. I'm interested to see how it develops under your care.

 

[leatherback]

As the leaves are unfolding (hesistantly and slowly due to the rootwork and the silly spring we are having, so ignore dried foliage tips ) more and more I am committed to say.. NOT deshojo.

The question is though.. How similar is this to Seigen? Looking at the trunk this tree most likely is an old Japan import which makes me feel this is not just a random strain which would make Seigen the most logical candidate; more pint than red. Light colored veign, 7 lobes which are long and narrow..

 

[SeanS]

Whatever it is, it’s beautiful

 

[leatherback]

Whatever it is, it’s beautiful

YEs, and a very different color from all the other plants in the garden. This is great!

 

[Owen Reich]

Seigen comes out Pink. Deshojo the best red imaginable; except maybe Shin-Deshojo.
As a big fan of Nick Lenz, I say go creepy.
One vote for Lenzian:

 

[leatherback]

Seigen comes out Pink. Deshojo the best red imaginable; except maybe Shin-Deshojo.
As a big fan of Nick Lenz, I say go creepy.
One vote for Lenzian:

Too late. The deadwood is gone already. And.. it hink, this variety is worth trying to develop in a more wide-open japanese canopy style. I have also always admired those.

Doing a more lenz' kind of trident-over-statue

 

[Davidlpf]

Deshojo and shindeshojo may have different color depending on the temperature and the maturity stage.

Peter Chan talk about that in this video click,click

I have some plants, form airlayers of the same tree (labeled as shin-deshojo when I purchase it), and each one have different leaf form and colour You can see how then have sprouted this year 2021

Cheers

 

[Clicio]

As the leaves are unfolding... ...I am committed to say.. NOT deshojo.

Well, I happen to have a Deshojo and a Shin Deshojo and the leaves look definitely very different from yours (which is BEAUTIFUL btw).
The color could be a variation, but the shape tells it all.
Lucky guy!

 

[Carol 83]

Well, I happen to have a Deshojo and a Shin Deshojo and the leaves look definitely very different from yours (which is BEAUTIFUL btw).
The color could be a variation, but the shape tells it all.
Lucky guy!

Glad to see you posting again, hope all is well.