drew33998

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For much my own purpose, I am begging a thread to follow this tree and all it's air layers and cuttings. Some of those may remember Smoke called this a "slingshot" when I posted it originally. And he was right. So my plan to correct was to use the tree for cuttings and air layers to produce bonsai stock. I will eventually layer one of the two sides of the slingshot off the tree to make use of the base. This spring I repotted this tree as it was severely root bound in its container, not letting any water at all into the roots when watering. It has popped right out this spring super healthy and is growing great. Acer Palmatum "Glowing Embers", cultivar founded about 6 hours north of me in Atlanta, GA. It is a clonal variety, able to grow on its own roots. This tree also had very bad girdling roots, which I have begun to solve by ground layering. It is potted a good bit deeper than it was originally with sphagnum around the base and multiple nicks in the base to encourage root growth. Thanks
 

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Neli

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I dont see anything wrong with the tree. You can develop one side...and later use the notch method to remove the other...
 

drew33998

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I dont see anything wrong with the tree. You can develop one side...and later use the notch method to remove the other...

That is the plan. Prob next season I will do this.
 

drew33998

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Update. A couple of air layers later. One died and one made it. Now my question is which side should I keep? The right side has more movement but the branch collar is also on this side meaning that if I cut off the left side I will be cutting through the branch collar. Ideally a lower shoot would be optimal but it hasn't put one out down there and I didn't want to chop below the lowest shoot and kill it (which has happened before). It has a decent base which is mostly covered because I reported it this year and removed a good deal of crossing and problematic roots. I uncovered some of them to show part of the flaring base
 

drew33998

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Spring update. New leader will need to grow for a while and obviously some backbudding or grafting will need to hsppen. Still lousy but it may be turning a corner to somewhere...


20170415_171459.jpg
 

Bonsai Nut

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I think you are thinking about this last step the wrong way. You are thinking about developing a tree off that last leader. In fact, I would recommend the best option would be to prune that short, and hope that you will get buds all over that stump. The tree you want to start working with is probably not much taller than that stump - like 12".
 

drew33998

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Well I chopped it back pretty severe and it was a very warm winter so I wanted to keep something alive on the tree. I highly doubt it will back bud any lower than that leader. But next year will see me cut it back to the first viable bud on that leader. I was unsure how it would respond with such a large chop. And actually it has two wounds because I flushed up the other one
 
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