What would you do with this trunk?

[MattA]

Malus ioensis 'Plena', Nebari 18cm, bulge 10cm

100_3444rz.jpg

[kcpoole]

Tall and straight, with an ugly bulge

1st option would be to Layer it at the bulge.

Alternatively, Drill out the heartwood and open up one side of the bulge to give room to compress it. Then apply large bending tool of some kind, and bend the trunk at the bulge.
This will do 2 things, Give movement in the lower trunk that will suit the upper bend you have, and to reduce the affect of the bulge. ( it also might just break and kill the top off too)

Ken

[cre8ivbonsai]

Nice ideas Ken, though, just to check, is the bulge a graft or just a result of previous wounding

Cheers Ryan

[alpineart]

Hi cre8tive , certainly looks like a graft site .Does the same type of bark surround the trunk ,if so i would say it was the graft site .I did a prunus layer using the tooth pick method with such a bulge .I made sure the tooth picks were drilled just below the center of the bulge hoping to pick up the root stock inside of the graft union , to make sure i had the rootstock actually produce the stronger roots .Full leth bamboo tooth picks were inserted .It was hit and miss , from memory i set 24 tooth pick and 21 grew roots 3 failed .Obviously the failures were in the layer stock after closer examination .

The topic is "flowering plum" May 2011, sorry cant cut and paste the topic ,simple don't know how . If you search for the topic it will show the basic , you just have to fill in the blanks . Hope this helps .

Cheer Alpineart

[Craig]

i think this is the link Alpine

viewtopic.php?f=104&t=8387&p=92887&hili ... um+#p92856

[Jamie]

two options matty.

one has been said and that is to layer it off, the other, chop it and grow the lower root stock. that bulge will take years and years to match up if ever. what I would do is the old chop suey and rebuild, being in the ground this should shoot quick especially done at the right time

good luck

[alpineart]

Hi Jamie ,why waste an ornamental graft and use just the root stock .If you Layer the graft off you can still chop and hack the root stock , this gives and ornamental and a ordinary tree. The reverse taper is mostly taken off when the layer is severed . This give 2 for 1 and 2 varieties .The root stock to the ornamental plum is just a green leaf variety but it will no doubt become something .

A plus for this is personal experience at Bodhidharma's tooth pick method he showed a while back , does it work on apples Try it bud , only got personal experience to gain and possible an extra tree.

Cheers Alpine

[alpineart]

i think this is the link Alpine

viewtopic.php?f=104&t=8387&p=92887&hili ... um+#p92856

Hi Craig , thanks for that, i will learn how to do this thing one day . Cheers Alpine

[MattA]

Maybe a bit of history might help

I bought & planted this tree in the first few years of my bonsai life (late 80's) when I had a common newcomers obsession with all plants used by the japanese, for me especially, deciduous trees.....

Bechtel's Crab as its commonly known is the last of the crabs to bloom & bears beautiful large scented semi double blooms. It grew happily if not fast in my parents garden until about 2003 when it was shortened to the first branch. In 2006 it was dug & potted, then returned to the ground in '08 until I found a 'solution' to the trunks 2 main issues of taper... & that leads me here

The bulge is a graft & I have known for many years a layer would be the only option...But is it worth it for the next stage in the trunk? the taper difference hasnt greatly changed in 8yrs.

I am attached to this tree but does it have to be a bonsai or even a bonsai in training????? Ugly trunks are always welcome in my garden

Matt

[Scott Roxburgh]

Not worth the time and fert!