AusBonsai

Not much root there for 2 years!
They look healthy enough, What hapopened?

Ken

kcpoole wrote:Not much root there for 2 years!
They look healthy enough, What happened?

Dunno Ken...

Usually after even one year in this pot, I would expect the entire pot to be full of roots, like this:



In this case, all I have done is to pull the trunk from the pot and shake out the soil - no trimming of the roots when I had taken the photo. I suspect that the mix - while 90%+ inorganic - was of such a structure that water did not drain freely, thus the roots didn't receive enough air. When I repot, I'll look at amending the mix with a goodly amount of vermiculite and/or attapulgite, as both will retain moisture while aiding drainage and airflow.

In the meantime, I need to address that sun-burned RH root... It is too ugly to keep, but without it, the line of the trunk will be made less favourable. I also hope to start working towards a more desirable root flare.

Updates to follow...

Thanks.

Fly.

Did you notice a reduction in top growth over the period?
What was your last mix?

Maybe a silly question??????? What is the orange peg for...is it a wedge maybe???

Loretta

Bretts wrote:Did you notice a reduction in top growth over the period?
What was your last mix?

Gday Brettles!

I don't think I noticed a drop in upper growth, but I have known to pay attention to my deciduous trees ONLY during Winter...

The mix that I once used for this tree (all of my trees) was mostly sifted 'premium' potting mix - the type with granular chunks rather than fibrous strands. As time has passed, I have replaced the organics with gravel/coarse sand - more through convenience than anything else. So far as I can gather, it was the decomposing remnants of the potting mix and the sand which had combined to reduce drainage and airflow. When I ran my fingers through the spent mix, they came out 'muddy', for want of a better word. As mentioned earlier, I amended the tree's old mix with good portions of attapulgite and vermiculite when I repotted this afternoon.

I promise to keep a better eye on it over the leafy months this time around.

Loretta wrote:Maybe a silly question??????? What is the orange peg for...is it a wedge maybe???

Gday Loretta!

The 'orange peg' is indeed a wedge (assuming you mean the one sitting on the bench next to the tree). Plastic carpenter's wedges are readily available from most hardware stores. Or are you referring to the red wedges in the roots of the Trident? Those are tiler's wedges, also available from hardware stores.

▼▼▼

So, here is what I "achieved" this afternoon:
Thanks.

Fly.

Well done Fly! On its way to greatness for sure!!!

Hi Fly , those new grafted roots will feed the beast for sure .Look forward to seeing it in leaf .Cheers Alpine

Any reason for using the approach graft?

I have been doing a number of thread grafts on both Trident and J. Maples, I chose thread grafting because it meant that I could make them come out of the trunk just where I wanted?

Anyone elses thoughts would be great too?

Scott Roxburgh wrote:Any reason for using the approach graft?

I have been doing a number of thread grafts on both Trident and J. Maples, I chose thread grafting because it meant that I could make them come out of the trunk just where I wanted?

Anyone elses thoughts would be great too?

Gday Scott!

Wherever possible, I would prefer the thread-graft over the approach-graft, for exactly the reasons you outline. (If you look at the back view, you will see a couple of thread-grafts on the LH side, as well as one right in the middle of the front view.) However, there are occasions when drilling through a trunk is very difficult or impossible, and the next best option is the approach-graft, I believe. In this case, I am less concerned about the placement of the branch on the other side than I am about the placement of the root(s).

Thanks and good luck!

Fly.

This Trident has progressed much better in its new soil. The thread grafts have largely been a great success, but I'll let them continue to grow for another season. The approach grafts didn't take so well, so I've left them in place and re-screwed them. I've removed the large, mostly dead root at the right, and put another thread graft near there.

Sorry I don't have time to write any more, but I'll be happy to come back and answer any questions later.

Enjoy!

Fly.

Scott,
I have used thread grafting to place roots on tridents. Some were very successful but a number of times when the seedling united with the tree the top part took off and grew well while the roots withered and died. Maybe my technique???
Like Fly I have found plenty of occasions where thread grafts were not possible - trunk too thick to drill through, wrong angle to get the drill near, etc so
approach grafts do have their place.

Like yours Fly, not all my approach grafts take for some reason, even if left for several years. Any ideas most welcome.

This series is absolutely amazing! Thank you for posting such a detailed progression of this tree. I'm looking forward to following this thread until you deem the tree finished

shibui wrote:I have used thread grafting to place roots on tridents. Some were very successful but a number of times when the seedling united with the tree the top part took off and grew well while the roots withered and died. Maybe my technique???

Gday Neil!

I've thought about this, and the best theory I can come up with is this:

• When thread-grafting roots onto a more mature tree, the tree will likely put on bark more quickly than the graft seedling, as the tree will have far more roots, branches and latent buds than the seedling.
  
  Depending on the vigour on a given side of the tree (and the vigour of the seedling), it may seal the "exit wound" before it seals the "entry wound". If this happens, the flow of sugars from the seedling will be diverted into the tree's vascular system, and the seedling below may wither and die. Rather than a root-graft, we have created a successful branch-graft.
  
  Conversely, if the "entry wound" is on a strongly growing part of the tree, it may seal before the "exit wound", creating a successful root-graft (again, possibly at the expense of the seedling above). Of course, there will be occasions when both wounds heal equally, creating both a viable branch and root from the grafting process.
  
  Assuming my theory is correct, I imagine that the outcome (branch or root) could be affected by means of varying the sizes of the "in" and "out" holes in the main tree. In order to encourage a successful root-graft, a smaller "in" hole and larger "out" hole might be of benefit, as the smaller hole should seal over faster than the big one. The opposite would then be true for branch-grafts: a bigger "in" hole and smaller "out" might help.
  
  [DISCLAIMER] I am not a botanist, and haven't tried any of this in my own Bonsai practice. Just thinking aloud, really...[/DISCLAIMER]

What do you reckon? I'm afraid I have no long-winded and boring theory for the success/failure of approach-grafts, but if I come up with one, I'll be sure to post it here.

* * *

This Summer I have managed to spend more time with my trees than usual. This Trident is normally allowed to grow unchecked all season, and I would only ever prune when I repotted. In the interests of getting some branches to choose from, I have trimmed this tree once already this Summer (besides, it looks neater on my benches). Please find photos of it as it was this morning:
So, after having tip-pruned twice this Summer, I will be interested to see if I have given myself better branching options for next year. For now, I will feed and water it like a BOSS, and hope for the best.

Thanks!

Fly.

Hi FlyBri, I am glad to see an update of this trident!
When the time comes I hope you post some pics without leaves so we can have a closer look of the branch structure etc.
To a lay person such as myself, your explanation of why root grafts sometimes end up as branch grafts, and visa versa etc made perfect sense...and I would be interested to know what horticulturists/botanists think of this theory and if they have witnessed this themselves?
Good to see that once the soil mix was amended the tree took off and root growth is better!
Thanks for updating, Dario.

Mate, that is one saucy trunk. Nice use of the tile wedges too. I can now put another part of my daytime job into my hobby