advice on a pyracantha

[Watto]

Greta to hear everything is progressing nicely. Its still good looking stock and should continue to develop over the coming years. Well done!

[boom64]

Hi Matt, Looking good, great direction you are heading .Keep up the good work. Cheers John.

[kcpoole]

Hi Matty.
any updates on this tree?
I am looking for progression threads for the Wiki

Ken

[matty-j]

Hey Ken

This tree has done NOTHING since the bare root and repot, I was slightly expecting this because the rootball was pure clay so it took some working to get it all out. The only thing it has done is lost a few leaves but I experienced the same process last autumn.
Uni and work has kept me to busy and my trees have been suffering because of it. I am going to try and keep it in good conditions over the winter period so it can bounce back when spring arrives

Cheers
Matt

IMG_5500.jpg

[matty-j]

Just a quick update for this tree

the vigour of this tree has picked up and its looking great with a new flush of leaves, its starting to flower and should pit on quite a show!
once the flowers start to die off I will be removing them before they fruit.
I aam going to re wire the whole tree, I am unhappy with the lower most branch structure, I feel like it is all on a single plain in a sweeping curve. I want to break that line and pull some of the right hand branches down and in front of the truck line.

Any advice or ideas are more than welcome!

cheers
Matt

IMG_6232.jpg

IMG_6234.jpg

[kcpoole]

Nice recovery but it looks like a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde tree.
The large single low branch and the snaking bending upper trunk.

Needs to upper branchign to imitate the lower one or something?

Ken

[shibui]

The second trunk crossing the main branch interferes with flow I think. I can't see any shoots on that second trunk - Is it dead? I think the whole thing would look better with that smaller trunk reduced to a short jin below the line of the main branch.

[matty-j]

The trunk at the front on the right hand side is the live trunk, the trunk on the left and the trunk going to the back is dead.

I agree with you Shibui that the left hand trunk is to tall, I will take some closer photos to put it all into perspective.

I Agree with you too Ken, I have been thinking of lowing the top apex, I was originally going to grow the top of the tree much taller but I now feel like a shorter more rounded apex might suit this tree better.

Thoughts?

Cheers
Matt

[matlea]

Yes think a more rounded / shorter tree might be better.... Here's a very quick vert... Rough and ready! ...also with slightly thicker right branch.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445754784.105748.jpg

[matty-j]

Yes think a more rounded / shorter tree might be better.... Here's a very quick vert... Rough and ready! ...also with slightly thicker right branch.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445754784.105748.jpg

Interesting idea! this is the only semi cascade in my collection so I am rather fond of it haha. If the dead wood on the left rotted and needed to be removed I would definitely go down that path.

Cheers
Matt

[paulpash]

A word of caution if Coral Spot exists over there. I had a similar tree to this and the dead portion got infected with coral spot that eventually led to it getting into the live vascular portion of the tree. One by one the branches collapsed and died, despite me hitting it with every fungicide I had. If this was mine I'd carve the dead section away and then use a dark mix of lime sulphur (with a lot of indian ink) to kill off any potential spores. When I was happy with the colour then a wood hardener would be applied to preserve it. Long term Pyracantha wood is not durable so I'd remove any potential risk.