Pyracantha Progression - A beginning

[Paulpash]

Hi,

I've just read Smoke's post about the importance of documenting & doing - I've learnt a lot from him and have decided to post more pics of work done (work permitting). A few steps like this will be done over 7-8 or more years, depending on growth to get it to a refinement stage. Some notes before we start about Pyracantha that I've noticed over the years and tried to commit to memory:

They are very rhizogenic and develop root mass quickly
They do not callus well - cuts take a long time to blend in - any cuts at the front will be 'in your face' quite some time
Don't cut deep - they heal shallowly
Pyracantha backbud easily - even from old wood
Common pests I've had in the past - scale and pyracantha scab
They like a moisture retentive mix
Propagation is a breeze - cuttings and layers root easily

OK here's the intended victim - a Pyracantha taken from an air layer and left to grow for a further 2 years. It's about 5 feet tall and was put in a big planter because all space in the garden had been used.

Better get any tools I need ready and sharpened....

A close up of giant lolly sticks I use for nebari work. You can also see BBQ skewers in my tools pics above - these are very useful too as I'll demonstrate in a few posts time.

 

[Paulpash]

Time to dig it out of the box and see what's there! IF YOU ARE DIGGING ANY PYRACANTHA WEAR STURDY GLOVES - THE THORNS ARE VICIOUS

Out and straight into the repotting tray

A view of the roots - a pretty good start but a bit unbalanced

A view of the base - a low branch has been removed to allow me to see what I have, See the white roots? These are new, proof that the tree is coming out of dormancy and starting to grow.

Straight away an obvious problem that needs to be rectified - multiple branches congregating at one point - left unchecked for a few more seasons this may cause reverse taper - take action now and remove them. This will give energy and light to better placed sacrifices right at the base (these have been left alone). The big obscuring branch I initially cut back for the photo needs removal too - inside of a bend and is neither a 'keeper' nor sacrifice.

 

[Paulpash]

Like I said at the start, Pyracantha throw out roots for fun. Here's a small branch that laid on the soil - a freebie and a good start as a shohin maybe.

The offending branches have been removed and sealed. The edges of wounds on Pyracantha dry out easily and die back. I have therefore sealed these fairly sizeable cuts with a dark cut putty.

An opportunity to address old wounds from when I severed it from the parent plant. The shot is a bit blurry but I have scraped at the base of the existing callus on this wound to reactivate the healing process and keep it rolling over. You can just about see the green cambium outline around the wound.

 

[Paulpash]

Here's the tree base and nebari. You can clearly see the sacrifice now on the left and then bending over - it's right at the base in a perfect position Low branches like this can make the difference between good trees and excellent trees and should be developed early on if you intend to ground grow for a bigger trunked tree.

You can see that the root mass is clearly unbalanced - far more volume on the right than the left - equalising root volume will give us a more even nebari.

Time to get stuck in and sort this tangle out a bit. Golden rule no 1 for root work REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM UNDERNEATH FIRST - TRY AND GET IT AS FLAT AS POSSIBLE. This pic shows the underside of the nebari - all roots have been cut coming from here. Also notice the fat right root - this needs cutting back hard to slow it down and let the others catch up. In successive repottings I will have to come back and continually keep it in check, leaving the others to gain mass and catch up

 

[Paulpash]

Poorly placed roots cut on the under side.

Now a series of pics showing various ways of placing roots to get an even spread.

One root wedged apart - another raised - using BBQ skewers!

Thinner roots moved into place using freezer bag ties to guy wire them - thinner roots have been placed on top of the guy wire. The beauty of these is that as roots thicken they can push the ties out - they won't cut it.

Green garden tie used to stop thin roots moving up:

 

[Paulpash]

Now we can move onto the final part of the root work - ensuring future roots keep on this horizontal plane.

An eight inch square piece of hardboard was drilled in the centre and at 4 corners so it looked like a 5 on a dice. The base of the tree was pilot drilled - you can see it in the second pic of the post above ^^^. Tree and board were screwed together with a stainless steel screw. Screws were added at the 4 corners and 3mm wire used to anchor down lolly sticks arranged in a flattening diamond. Roots under the lolly sticks are now sitting dead on the hardboard. Screws were also used to secure and spread thicker roots. Once I was happy with the radial arrangement it was then planted in the garden to grow on. We'll see what we have in 2 or 3 seasons and another opportunity to further refine the nebari so I'll update then. Hope this was informative, Pash

 

[CWTurner]

Very nice. Are you using garden soil, potting soil, or bonsai soil while its in the ground?

CW

 

[ColinFraser]

Thank you so much for sharing this.

How long do you intend to leave the hardboard attached?

 

[DougB]

Well done. Thanks for the information and exceptional photos. Look forward to updates.

 

[Giga]

That's pretty cool, I just got one of these this last fall. Should be fun to work with and your very true about the roots. I can't see the roots circling the pot in mine.

 

[Smoke]

That is exceptional. Really good clear pictures and concise text. You will be really happy down the road you took the time to do this. people do not understand what it takes to photo document wrk done on a project that ones hands all dirty and wet. one has to set up a place to photograph, towels nearby for the hands a bucket of water to rinse the hands of all the stupid soil that sticks to them.

I also appreciate the small ground layer you shared that backs up my point about no need for cutting plants to make layers. All thats needed is a way to keep the bark wet and it will root. Cutting a ring insures we will have roots in that area so as to make a tree with roots in a certain spot. Pyracantha responds well to wire around the trunk low to make a good flare. You can let the plant just grow over the wire it will do no harm. They also graft really well. In fact you can almost lay a branch against the trunk and it will inarch in 30 days. I totally concur about healing and wounds. wehatever is done to the trunk usually must be handles as a deadwood feature since they never really heal. keep any exposed wood dry though they rot in a heartbeat.

Good luck with your projects, you are really doing well with this one.

 

[Paulpash]

Very nice. Are you using garden soil, potting soil, or bonsai soil while its in the ground?

CW

Normal garden soil. I'm very lucky though as it's a good, loamy soil. Having said that I've probably dumped a good tonne of spent bonsai soil in it too!

Thank you so much for sharing this.

How long do you intend to leave the hardboard attached?

I'd say 2 to 3 seasons depending on how it responds.

That is exceptional. Really good clear pictures and concise text. You will be really happy down the road you took the time to do this. people do not understand what it takes to photo document wrk done on a project that ones hands all dirty and wet. one has to set up a place to photograph, towels nearby for the hands a bucket of water to rinse the hands of all the stupid soil that sticks to them.

I also appreciate the small ground layer you shared that backs up my point about no need for cutting plants to make layers. All thats needed is a way to keep the bark wet and it will root. Cutting a ring insures we will have roots in that area so as to make a tree with roots in a certain spot. Pyracantha responds well to wire around the trunk low to make a good flare. You can let the plant just grow over the wire it will do no harm. They also graft really well. In fact you can almost lay a branch against the trunk and it will inarch in 30 days. I totally concur about healing and wounds. wehatever is done to the trunk usually must be handles as a deadwood feature since they never really heal. keep any exposed wood dry though they rot in a heartbeat.

Good luck with your projects, you are really doing well with this one.

Thank you Al. I've just got in from wiring a Potentilla in my mini, deluxe multi-use studio (aka my garage) so apologies for the late reply. This project is Pyracantha #2 - I had to carve #1 due to reverse taper and allowing several non keeper branches to form in the 'front' of the tree. You learn by experience so now in the ground the front is pointing straight at me so I can snip off unwanted shoots early doors - you don't want to have to tiptoe around a firethorn in a growing bed - it'll spike the crap out of you

#1 is all but done - silhouette in place and just needs to fill out now. Do you have any pics to share of inarching? Grafting is a very handy skill and I will have a go at doing one when I get a decent sized piece of stock out the garden to experiment on.

 

[sorce]

I use skewers too. Bent for a root hook, straight, to poke rosette in my bottles.

Odd thing I was watching a model railroad video and a guy was using one to fluff model trees. I went into a hobby twilight zone!

Great post. Nice to see tool arsenals.

Sorce.......

And now that you are finished posting...(sorry)...great look at how to adjust the roots!

Just getting that work done is hard, let alone all the pics in the situation like Smoke described!

I always intend to take pictures, but then it completely evades me!

Bottom shot. Tarantula? Lovely!

Sorce

 

[Paulpash]

I use skewers too. Bent for a root hook, straight, to poke rosette in my bottles.

Odd thing I was watching a model railroad video and a guy was using one to fluff model trees. I went into a hobby twilight zone!

Great post. Nice to see tool arsenals.

Sorce.......

And now that you are finished posting...(sorry)...great look at how to adjust the roots!

Just getting that work done is hard, let alone all the pics in the situation like Smoke described!

I always intend to take pictures, but then it completely evades me!

Bottom shot. Tarantula? Lovely!

Sorce

Thanks for thinking to delete your initial post Sorce to keep the thread flowing. This is going to be a long term project - Pyracantha aren't the fastest thickening species out there. I hope by that stage the nebari is almost plate like.

 

[Kimberley82h]

Oh Im glad I found this thread, I grabbed one yesterday when looking for azalea on the spur of the moment, its only small so I think I need just allow to grow for now.....

 

[Paulpash]

Looks like good starter stock. The low left branch is in a good spot for a sacrifice. What colour berry is this one?

 

[Kimberley82h]

This one is orange so should be nice and colourful, but how to turn ^^^^ that into below I do not know.... hehe

 

[Cypress187]

Ooh nice work man, i have permission to airlayer a simular plant (the top/branches) with approximent the same size, any tips on airlayering (timing/technique) and soil-mix for this species?

 

[Paulpash]

They air layer very easily. Ring bark method after leaves have hardened which is about another 2 weeks in the UK. Soil mix is slightly moisture retentive (I put 10% bark in my inorganic mix) as the berries tend to soak up a bit of water.

 

[Paulpash]

This one is orange so should be nice and colourful, but how to turn ^^^^ that into below I do not know.... hehe

View attachment 71490

Lots of time in the ground They don't thicken very quickly.