taxus baccata evolution (2009-2015)

[dirk hoorelbeke]

part 1 (2009-2013)
Found this taxus in a nursery, was in a pot for 25 years so he said.

I do not like this balls so i cut every branch to the last green bit in july

Repotted in spring 2010, and in September the tree has filled in a bit.

in 2011 i forced the growth back a bit and let it grow till 2012, then i took it to a workshop and we removed all the big unusable branches.

i wired and placed the branches so in spring 2013 it looked like this

By the end of the year i planned a workshop again with a full tree.

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Mooi hoor Dirk!
How big is it? Looks like it's a small one, but after 30 years in pot it should be a monster

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

part 2 (2013-2015)
after the last picture in 2013, the growth was selected again and the tree was allowed to grow again here in 2014

selecting branches again

wired and made the deadwood

selected the branches

and wired the basic structure of the pads

december 2015, the basic structure is set.

The long branch is a matter of taste, giving the tree something special. After it is in a more final pot we can adjust the length or even remove the whole thing. Plans for next year, cutting back in summer for the first time, repotting spring 2017 and cleaning out the old rootball a bit more.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Tentakelaertje, it's not that big compared to the big bald guy behind it. It's a midsize tree. It has been cut back in the ball shape for years, so it's not that big (lucky me).

 

[0soyoung]

This (your tree) was just featured on Danny's blog!

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Yes, you have a good eye. Nice that you follow Danny's blog, lots of information.

 

[Djtommy]

Nice start, the long branch can be intersting

 

[sorce]

Belgium?

I was hoping you could run for our Governement.......

Cuz I like the way you TAXUS!

Sorce

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

TAnX you

 

[Dav4]

Nice material! I love yew and wish there were more folks out there working with them. Unfortunately info on how to work the foliage is hard to find, so I'm hoping you continue to post routine, seasonal updates on this one and explain what you're doing and trying to accomplish. Good stuff.

 

[barrosinc]

Thats nice!!!

 

[Cotyledon]

4 yrs .you got a lot done in a pretty short time
That think is great! I'm jealous

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Well, its almost 6 years, but doing ok. Don't be jealous, build one...
Dav4, i'm not that good at writing tutorials i guess, lets try.

Step one, select trunkline,
step two, select the branches you need, wire the beginning of the branches early in the right angle, they grow fast. When you feed and water well in a fast draining mixture branches will keep popping on the trunk (so actually you can start from scratch if you want)
step three, let it grow, remove ingrowing wire in summer, select branches in winter and shorten the ones that are growing to fast or fat. Wire all usable branches to form the basic structure of the pad (see picture) wire with thick wire and ad movement!!
step four, repeat step three until you have the basic of the pad standing so you can build on it. (this tree is between step 3 and 4)
step five, start building the pad. You have a structure standing, so cutting back with scissors 2 or 3 times in a year should be possible to fill in the pad. Build it full in a few years, make it flow and natural.
step 6, thin out the to full pads
step 7, start the soft pinching

no experience with step 6 and 7, working on one in step 5 but doesn't has a lot of character.
might be more experienced folks that can correct or ameliorate what i say?

 

[quietobserver]

Yes, you have a good eye. Nice that you follow Danny's blog, lots of information.

I'm always up for some good reading Trouble you to link to the blog you've mentioned? Thanks regardless..

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

http://dannybonsaicenterginkgo.skynetblogs.be/
He posts every day a post, you have a few years to read. He does not post on the day he works on the trees so adjust the timing of the techniques accordingly.
Have fun.

 

[Giga]

Very nice evolution.

 

[just.wing.it]

Wow, very cool! I love taxus.

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Tentakelaertje, it's not that big compared to the big bald guy behind it. It's a midsize tree. It has been cut back in the ball shape for years, so it's not that big (lucky me).

Until the big bald guy stopped hiding behind it, it looked like a really big tree, excellent work!

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

In the 2016 growing season the tree grew good. The tree was unwired during the growing season and thinned and rewired in late winter. The 2017 growing season started here with a late cold-snap. The new growth of almost all unprotected trees died and it resulted in weakened trees. This tree didn't get protection, i never did with yew. Now i know i have to protect the soft growth on yews too.
Health is the most important for me and my trees so i left this one to grow.


Letting the tree to grow is good for the health and for building a stronger structure. The ultimate goal is to show a tree with minimal wire. Small branches don't carry full pads, thicker branches can. A strong tree also means backbudding to start the formation of the actual pad.

Letting things grow also means growth that pops everywhere, cluttering the branches but also thickening them and creating some taper. Some of the new branches can be used if i need extra secondary branches to fill in the basic structure.

After removing the unnecessary growth.

Ready to wire again (when i find some time)... (sorry for the dark image)

There are shortcuts to create faster results for sure. You can build full pads on taxus in a few years but you will never have mature looking branches.

The base of the cascading branch is bulking up compared to the small twig it was in 2013.

Normally if nothing changes my plan (and apparently that does happen a lot), i'll start cutting back to the structure of the pad this year and start removing unwanted growth.

 

[cmeg1]

Killer tree....great big trunk base too!