Safe To Prune?
- Thread starter jimlau
- Start date
Gr8tfuldad
Chumono
Once new growth hardens off I would air layer it. Something is potentially gained from something being lost.
jimlau
Shohin
Not sure what you mean in relation to my question on taking those 2 branches.
You're suggesting I shorten the trunk?
Gr8tfuldad
Chumono
My point simply is to maximize your design changes and gain a new tree instead of just removing it.
jimlau
Shohin
I don't understand what you are meaning, specifically.
SexyGArdener
Sapling
I’m assuming he meant if you were to chop/remove both of those branches off and you should at some point in the future because they suck (lacking taper and movement), then you could/should air layering them to make more trees since they would give you two additional thick trunk trees rather than growing more from seeds or cuttings. You may or may not need more tridents, but it a viable option. Regardless, I also think you should remove the thick branches to get taper and movement. However, I would wait because I would want the trunk thicker before trunk chopping/layering. But you do you brother, it’s your tree and if you are happy with the current thickness of the main trunk, chop away if you don’t need more tridents.
eugenev2
Shohin
To add on to the other advice. Tridents grow extremely fast and yours seems to be healthy, so you can easily remove the branch with no adverse effects.
Last spring i cut a 7 feet tall trident down to 1 foot, it's back to 6 feet again.
Only caution would be if you repotted it now/ recently, then i wouldn't cut the branch now, i prefer to be safe rather than sorry.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Large branches can be pruned any time of year but I avoid late winter through to full leaf because they sometimes 'bleed' a lot. After the leaves are open there's no problem.
Hollow out the cut sites a little and apply wound sealer to help speed growth of new callus over the chops.
The earlier suggestion to layer was just to make new trees from the branches you are cutting off. That can be done but will obviously delay the removal and consequent healing over. Tridents are generally easy to get and not that expensive and I don't think any of the branches here would yield great trunks so I'd skip the layers and just chop.
Hollow out the cut sites a little and apply wound sealer to help speed growth of new callus over the chops.
The earlier suggestion to layer was just to make new trees from the branches you are cutting off. That can be done but will obviously delay the removal and consequent healing over. Tridents are generally easy to get and not that expensive and I don't think any of the branches here would yield great trunks so I'd skip the layers and just chop.
jimlau
Shohin
Thanks. 1 of my concerns is the fact that the 2 large branches are on opposite sides of the trunk. So I would be disrupting maybe 30% of the circumference of the tree {if looked down from above) and wondered if interupting that much cambium layer amy be problematic. I'm not sure if the cambium has made of vertical tubes and chopping so much would be an issue.
And is this trees growth hardened off so I can remove the branches {i.e. can I do it now}?
Thanks much.
And is this trees growth hardened off so I can remove the branches {i.e. can I do it now}?
Thanks much.
jimlau
Shohin
Not sure if it is crass to ask here, but the seller wants $275 for this 3" diameter tree. Does that seem reasonable?
eugenev2
Shohin
Hard to precisely say whether the are hardened off or not without physical having the tree in hand, but simply by looking at the picture, they do not look like it, they look a week or so away. The generally droop less, when they're hardened off, but you'll only know by touching them, new leaves have a very soft almost silky feel to them
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
I am flabbergasted it is leafed out already in zone 6
Was this recently purchased from a warmer climate?
Was this recently purchased from a warmer climate?
jimlau
Shohin
I have not bought it yet, but it is from South Carolina. I believe once shipped the weather here is not supposed to get below freezing. If it does, can the trident handle sub-freezing when leafed out?
BobbyLane
Imperial Masterpiece
You should be able to get a pic without leaves. I rarely buy trees otherwise.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Sounds like a big price, but I am not sure what is common in your neck of the woods..
jimlau
Shohin
Do you know of other online sources of tridents?
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Not ones that ship to you.
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Oh sorry i didn't see that in the op.
It would be fine in ur climate.
I would 2 step it till May providing shelter from heavy frost.
April/May trending cooler for us this year is the prediction despite the warm Winter.
As to whether or not you should purchase this tree i can't help.
SexyGArdener
Sapling
I would NOT pay $275 for that trident based on what’s above the soil. Perhaps it would be a fair price if the nebari is good, but I can’t draw that conclusion based on the posted pics.
SexyGArdener
Sapling
For your reference, I bought this trident last year for less than $200 and it’s twice or even three time as thick as the one you posted. Perhaps you should make a trip down to NE GA to pick & dig your own trident my dude.
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