AusBonsai

Lovely tree Alpine and when the top section of trunk thickens it will be very nice. More taper in that section via a trunk chop down the track might be in order?

Can you get a photo with something in it to scale from? Hard to get an idea of its size without something to judge from

Ken

Hi kc , mate this started with basically 4 shoots from the start and those shoots are the only branches on the tree . Back budding is not as good as one would expext , they bud at old node only , This has a 110mm base and 500mm high , pot is 360mm x 260mm The tube of no more gaps works extremely well as a wound sealer too .

Die back is continually at the ends of the finer branches so i don't think i will be considering another trunk chop , just keep working with what i have using the new shoots to replace the die back sections , in time it will thicken .

Cheers . Alpine

Thanks Alps
shows how large it actually is

Ken

Another trim for this tree , I hit it hard as with most trainers , Hopefully it will be worth the extra time .

Cheers .Alpineart

Nice!!! Love these trees, so hardy. I can't wait til my cutting starts to take form. At the moment it's a big fat branch with tiny branches, I'm just leaving it til it declares itself a bit more, but it grew a nice bunch of roots in one year so I think it'll be nice in a few years.

That's come along really well Alpine

Hi Beano any shaping with wire is best done very early as they are very brittle and don't like manipulation . I have sapped a few branches off this one . Cutting back hard like this will give a better shape when the flowers appear , last year it was a bit untidy , not enough removed before bud burst .

Hi Damian' it has developed quite well . With all the growth over the last few seasons it hasn't thickened much up top ., it will take time but at the end of the day it will be worth it .

Cheers Guys .Alpine

Do you find the branches sulk a bit after wiring? Like if it hasn't snapped but you moved the branch quite a long way from their original position?

Hi Beano , mate the fine shoots/branches regularly die back in Winter hence the hard cut back . The shoots on the branches a very fine and easily dislodged when wiring that can be an issue resulting in slower budding up . Very little wiring was used here , 2 base branched and the leader , the rest was basically cut and grow. .

Cheers . Alpine

This has suffered die back again so I have cut it back hard re-potted and wired it in a new direction , unfortunately a couple of breakages have occurred so some grafting may be on the cards here .

Cheers . Alpineart

Another season , another flower show beginning. This is very slow compared to the street tree's here in Myrtleford but better late than never

Hey Alpine,
From White flowers previously to now Pink flowers? What kind of sorcery is this...?

Sorcery indeed!?
Do tell!

Hi Guys , come to think of it , it was white . Maybe the smoke from the fires has had an effect on the colour . I have a couple of crab apples here with pink leaves .
My Orange citrus tree dropped all its fruit and has re-flowered , I put that down to the 4 weeks of thick smoke from the fires confusing the tree with no sunlight getting through
My Golden Deodara is now a Blue Cedar , could be climate change

The truth be known I grafted a pink branch or two onto it , it will eventually be a tri-colour when I locate a red to graft onto it . Definately an Alpineart special ,uniqely different

Cheers . Alpine

There's many interesting things about this thread...most importantly, Ian's ripper tree.

Then there's Boics responding at 1.38 am... now... I got called out for responding in the middle of the night one time by Ryceman3... so, Boics... I hope your sleeping ok! As it happens, I cam home from a poker night late last night; I was a little 'maggotted' (for the lack of a better term) - so I decided not jump into AusBonsai.

Finally - is it possible that the flowers are affected by soil type? I am not a horticulturalist - which is plain to see by most of my posts - but I do remember my Grandpa telling me the colour of Hydrangea flowers was determined by the soil. Could it be the same here?