Mulberry trunk

[dtreesj]

I've had this for over a year now and I'm still not sure what I want to do with it. The sideways trunk has a dead core inside it where it grew back around its own dead trunk, and I was thinking about trying to hollow that out. Aside from that I'm not sure.

 

[BobbyLane]

Ever thought about asking Mother nature?

IMG_9922 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_9921 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_8322 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

Richmond park

The Royal OAK tree and others

www.flickr.com

 

[dtreesj]

Yeah! I kinda wanted to do something almost exactly like the top picture, but I wasn't sure if the cut ends would work out.

 

[JonW]

I like those designs. I think the main things to attend to are the directional movement, set by the lower sub-trunk - the main apex then arches over the sub-trunk. Similar to mother-daughter designs except the sub-trunk isn't right at the base like most twin trunk trees.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Yeah! I kinda wanted to do something almost exactly like the top picture, but I wasn't sure if the cut ends would work out.

That seems like a good direction. My suggestion would be to carve the transitions now to start the tapering process. I would also tip the tree over to the right at the next repotting to get away from the horizontal and vertical trunk lines. It's got the makings of an awesome tree.

 

[sorce]

@BobbyLane got a billion photos in his head!
I will never stop admiring this skill!

I don't think you should hollow it out.

I think you should layer it where the high roots are, or higher, because leaving em as is, is going to add to the reverse taper it already has, and lifting it up can't be as good as what you can achieve growing new roots.

I reckon you can make that top tree, but all those clustered shoots are going to make it less and less convincing.
Try to figure out how those good thick shoots grew, cut timing, elimination of competition, etc. You really have to stay on top of these or those knots get nasty.

Me and the boy must have eaten mulberries off of about 20 trees over the last couple weekends.
Fire.

Sorce

 

[dtreesj]

@BobbyLane got a billion photos in his head!
I will never stop admiring this skill!

I don't think you should hollow it out.

I think you should layer it where the high roots are, or higher, because leaving em as is, is going to add to the reverse taper it already has, and lifting it up can't be as good as what you can achieve growing new roots.

I reckon you can make that top tree, but all those clustered shoots are going to make it less and less convincing.
Try to figure out how those good thick shoots grew, cut timing, elimination of competition, etc. You really have to stay on top of these or those knots get nasty.

Me and the boy must have eaten mulberries off of about 20 trees over the last couple weekends.
Fire.

Sorce

If I want to layer it, can I use a piece of wire, or do I need to cut it? Can I do it now?

 

[sorce]

If I want to layer it, can I use a piece of wire, or do I need to cut it? Can I do it now?

I find cutting it to be more difficult (read, not that difficult) but can produce better results.

I used a thick "zip tie" meant for securing large flexible ducting to cinch a couple in the old yard and they produced a ton of roots, but I never dug them up to see see.

I have some documentation here on it I think, but it's lost, maybe searchable.

I'd do it early spring.

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I would not layer it. Mulberry is easy enough to find. If you want more mulberry, just look around fences, alleys, untended yards, they are everywhere in urban and suburban landscapes.

I like Bobby Lane's suggestions. I'd use most of what you have there. Making it hollow I'd save for a couple years down the road.

 

[dtreesj]

I would not layer it. Mulberry is easy enough to find. If you want more mulberry, just look around fences, alleys, untended yards, they are everywhere in urban and suburban landscapes.

I like Bobby Lane's suggestions. I'd use most of what you have there. Making it hollow I'd save for a couple years down the road.

Yeah, I think sorce is talking about a root layer to get higher roots. At least that's how I understood it.

 

[BobbyLane]

do you like rafts? ever thought about slanting it steep left and making a raft from it, thats another idea

 

[dtreesj]

do you like rafts? ever thought about slanting it steep left and making a raft from it, thats another idea

That's what I originally wanted to do when I pulled it out of the ground. It used to have a much longer branch sticking straight out to the left, but I was suggested to cut it off...

 

[BobbyLane]

saw a couple in park today

yes raft will make use of the poor base and give you a nice zig zag raft rather than a straight flat one

 

[dtreesj]

View attachment 387585

Yeah, something like that. I already carved the nub on the left side though.

I think I might go with my original plan. the tree was already rafted naturally which is why I pulled it to begin with.

 

[BobbyLane]