Olive stump

[leatherback]

I would leave the width of the trunk as is, just taker off the deadwood?
You can reduce the width of the canopy compared to what you have now

If anything, the balance would be better?

 

[ConorDash]

I would leave the width of the trunk as is, just taker off the deadwood?
You can reduce the width of the canopy compared to what you have now

If anything, the balance would be better?

Yeah it'd definitely be an improvement, at the moment it has no direction or style, to my eye. Its completely without style.
The deadwood needs work in the stump, although not much to work with in terms of intact bark/wood. Will have to think..
Thanks for the input, helpful.

 

[BobbyLane]

This started to wake up for the year, the sacrifice branches were cut but still needs a few more branches removed.

DSC_2102 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

DSC_2101 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

DSC_2100 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

I'm not overly happy with the design of this tree, the stump isn't very attractive.. its an early buy before I thought about things more. Still, I'll turn it in to something cool, just might need to add a few more years on to it, if I decide to remove large bits.
The left long tall branch, in the last pic, is my biggest problem!

its beginning to look like an olive now. leaves look like theyve reduced too. not sure what youre expecting really, its a stump and if you look at the ancient olives in italy and greece they more often than not are short stocky stumps with a round canopy. if youre using those as inspiration then good, if youre hoping for something more then you may be disappointed.

 

[BobbyLane]

 

[ConorDash]

No expectations for the tree, currently just keeping my mind open to any and all. This is a tree I don't put too much pressure on these days, I make sure its heading in the right direction and healthy, it has the bones in it now, so will just keep ramifying. If at some point I get the mind to, I might decide a more major restyle needed.. but this is pretty applicable to any tree I guess!

I think in time the stump will get better and better, but will take some time.
Im thinking of more carving on the stump to have it look more rough and wild, like trees in nature, what is your thought to that?
I've not given it enough thought yet.

 

[BobbyLane]

No expectations for the tree, currently just keeping my mind open to any and all. This is a tree I don't put too much pressure on these days, I make sure its heading in the right direction and healthy, it has the bones in it now, so will just keep ramifying. If at some point I get the mind to, I might decide a more major restyle needed.. but this is pretty applicable to any tree I guess!

I think in time the stump will get better and better, but will take some time.
Im thinking of more carving on the stump to have it look more rough and wild, like trees in nature, what is your thought to that?
I've not given it enough thought yet.

do you have an example of the look youre going for?

i think the the top of the trunk here looks too straight, i would create a little V right between the two branches.

re the carving, enough has been done already, the tree is hollow, its a small trunk. but what you could do is attach a rotary wire brush to a dremel and get some ridges and detailing in the deadwood, you can also use the wire brush to edge out the V.

i think you could also shear back the tree at the red line and allow it to grow back

 

[ConorDash]

do you have an example of the look youre going for?

i think the the top of the trunk here looks too straight, i would create a little V right between the two branches.

re the carving, enough has been done already, the tree is hollow, its a small trunk. but what you could do is attach a rotary wire brush to a dremel and get some ridges and detailing in the deadwood, you can also use the wire brush to edge out the V.

i think you could also shear back the tree at the red line and allow it to grow back
View attachment 313568

Sorry for the slow reply, I must have forgotten to reply.

The V cut is a good idea, thanks.

Its difficult to get an image of my thoughts.. The trunks of all the old Olive trees that one would find on Google, are full of holes, not white and very different. So I am having a hard time putting this tree in there place.
As it has started to grow this year, I need to go in and adjust things. I also set this design and style a few years ago, and I feel I'd do it differently now... I'm a little better at knowing what I want.
I could hedge cut it, as you say, but I think I want to be more precise with branches first and get comfortable with the arrangement. I'm currently, not.

One thing for sure, with olives, the trunks are a small part of the image. They are all have huge heads of foliage, so this one is matching in that sense.

 

[ConorDash]

This guy was repoted yesterday, after some good advice from guys in this thread: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/olive-repoting.44946/

He was planted in 100% cat litter/molar clay, fairly small-medium sized particle.
Now planted in 80-85% Pumice, medium sized, and rest is medium sized molar clay.

It wasn't badly pot bound yet but certainly close enough to need the repoting. I didn't bare root, but did root prune. For most part very happy with its root system, quite radial, barely any large thick roots. All very good. I think I have potted it highly this time, it has a wide flaring base which I believe is getting wider. Can't quite tell if its potted higher or not! Ill look at historical pics and see.
I left it to be a dry for the day when repoting, it was watered thoroughly afterwards. As a species that can handle dry, wasn't worried. Some long branch tips have drooped and not picked up again yet but will see.















I also moved the organic fert piles from the old to the new, so it has some small molar particles attached. Didn't wanna waste the fert

 

[ConorDash]

September 6th:

DSC_2340 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

October 1st:

DSC_2380 Front by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr
DSC_2384 Back by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

 

[leatherback]

Good stuff. The tree is clearly happy in your yard!

 

[ConorDash]

Due to being cut quite late, it pushed new growth but I don't image they'll do much now and may well die off over winter. Lesson learnt. Hoping the front branch that I cut short, will also bud out next year too.. but it'll have to go another 8-10 months with no leaves, unsure if that's possible. Not a huge loss, if its lost.

DSC_2464Editted by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr
DSC_2468 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr
DSC_2469 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr
DSC_2466 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

 

[BobbyLane]

the leaf size is coming down nicely now.

 

[ConorDash]

It has been weeded, since these pics...
Its growing very slowly, even throughout winter, just grows very slow..

You'll notice the front small branch that was cut, has sprouted 2 shoots. Both in really perfect locations, so they will be kept to grow. With the movement of the initial primary branch, should make for a nice tight little foliage pad.

DSC_3092 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr
DSC_3094 by Conor Dashwood, on Flickr

Ill quote what I said to Bobby. "She got a real FAT ASS".


@Clorgan

 

[leatherback]

just grows very slow..

fertilize and wait for sun. It might surprise you

 

[BobbyLane]

think a little hollow in that dead wood will look great now. you should be able to to this with a drill bit on a dremel. will be light work as the wood should grind away easily, its nice dry n weathered. see that straight edge where the red line is, use knob cutters and chip away at the edge. take off the straight ridge.

 

[ConorDash]

fertilize and wait for sun. It might surprise you

Oh, no it does grow when we get some proper sun. Its growing season is very short in the UK, or I guess for your place too. It grows well. Just throughout the year it seems to grow slow, doesnt stop.

View attachment 376407

think a little hollow in that dead wood will look great now. you should be able to to this with a drill bit on a dremel. will be light work as the wood should grind away easily, its nice dry n weathered. see that straight edge where the red line is, use knob cutters and chip away at the edge. take off the straight ridge.

Yep you've reminded me. It has a very straight edge the whole way around it + Id like to make the centre hard wood look better, as you've pointed out. Could certainly make it all look a lot better once that central carving bit is done.

 

[leatherback]

will be light work as the wood should grind away easily, its nice dry n weathered.

My experience is that olive wood should be worked as soon as cut. The older and drier it gets, the harder to work?

 

[BobbyLane]

My experience is that olive wood should be worked as soon as cut. The older and drier it gets, the harder to work?

dry wood is much easier to carve, shape and detail than wet wood, on any tree.

 

[leatherback]

dry wood is much easier to carve, shape and detail than wet wood, on any tree.

Sorry, but I disagree that this is a universal truth. In my experience, olive wood gets rock hard as it matures, and you need much harder tools to work it. Similar to Yew, which is soft as a chicken tender when fresh, yet can break (has broken!) steel tools when dried.

 

[Shibui]

dry wood is much easier to carve, shape and detail than wet wood, on any tree.

Easier to get detail and smooth finish on dry wood but dry wood is harder and blunts tools much quicker. I also find it much quicker and easier to remove bulk material when I carve green wood on any species I have carved.
Olive wood can get exceptionally hard when properly dry.

I also operate a sawmill sometimes. Green logs are quicker to saw and blades last longer.
Chainsaws are also designed for green wood but we usually use them on dry logs for firewood. Dry wood is much slower cutting with the chainsaw but unseasoned wood does not burn very well.