Sliding Under the Wire

EEK, April 20 and still repotting.

  • Trident into a colander

  • Larch into a colander

  • JBP into a colander

  • A number of Redcurrant rooted cuttings

  • A number of cork bark oak seedlings

Trident

  • Plan: slow trunk growth for a more delicate Shohin. Consider adding more interesting movement or twist, if an informal upright. Define primary branch or cut back hard to stimulate more options.

Trident

  • Plan: bulk up trunk, has good movement, let it grow out. After repotting in the fall or next spring, slow down growth and cut back to stimulate new branch options.

Trident

  • Plan: Develop exposed roots while bulking up the trunk. An experiment in style, or repot over a rock option.

JBP

  • Plan: inspect & improve nebari, build trunk size, and add more movement (before it bulks up).

Redcurrant Mame or Kusamura

Cork Oak Seedlings

  • Plan: inspect roots and cut the tap root, repotting in good soil to grow year 1. Add early movement and twist, all will grow milder over time.

First week of April, temps in the 70’s, last weekend to repot—if not too late.

Repotted 3 Santa Rosa Plums that had a full year in organic soil have leafed out: 1 gal pots moved to colanders. Some had fine roots, but not a great deal. Surprisingly, lower half of the pots were sometimes dry. Protected bends with wires, attempted guy wires or zip ties to create movement.

Santa Rosa Plum

  • Plan—build nebari and increase trunk base: develop finer root system than in organic soil

  • Force lower back budding if desiring a shorter tree.

Repotted Coast Redwood into 70% Akadama

  • Plan: slow down trunk growth and refine roots, balance direction at the apex, develop foliage pads.

Repotted Eastern White Pines

  • Plan:add interesting movement for a Shohin, bulking up trunk

  • Was in pond baskets with felt disc. Flat root base, now seated on a 3” Hex tile

Japanese Black Pine

  • Plan: slow down growth of the trunk, to select primary branch design, then begin to ramify branches. Shohin.

Red Alder

  • Assessment: are the middle internodes too long and the angles 90 deg?

  • Plan: consider air-layering the top as a Shohin and develop a new, lower apex. It’s a sensitive species with die-back. Ask John Eads. [or refine canopy and sell off].

English Oak

  • Plan was refine Shohin oak and build primary structure. Should cut back closer so branches can grow with taper. Will push back-budding and ramification closer to the trunk. Leaving the lower branch long for now can add lower taper—reduce length later.

  • Correction: oaks are generally masculine so bulking up the trunk may help. A colander would be preferred

Boxwood

  • Nebari & base are thick and interesting—finish carving and apply wood hardener.

  • Goal: primary branching is very high, unless the apex is to grow further. Assess the tree’s direction on how to adjust the apex. Extend the lower primary branch and lower bottom of the pad(s). Develop secondary branches, then fill out the canopy.

Michael Wei