Persimmon - the Thinning of a main branch
Posted: July 12th, 2009, 2:39 pm
Found a stocky miniature persimmon [male] at Ray Nesci's and liked the lower trunk but it had two nearly identical main branches going straight up as twin leaders. I had to make one leader but didn't want to cut the extra trunk off because of the thickness of the cut and the resultant scar, I opted to get the tree and pare the branch back. Investigating the trunk at home I found a large sunburn damaged area going down the secondary branch and into the main trunk - ideal for what I had planned.
I reduced both trunks to appropriate buds or, in the case of 'A' trunk, a new leader. To protect the main trunk I wired plastic screening around it and started Dremeling down and into the secondary trunk. I'm used to doing long bouts of carving on olives and short bits on other trees. This was an interesting exercise because the wood rolled off the aggressive bit as fluff, downy fluff. And the nutty smell - that is still hanging around the kitchen. [Yes, too miserable to work outside and I wanted to do it NOW, even tho it was raining NOW, and it's MY house!!! MY rules!! My clean up!!].
I have scooped out a lot of the innards and sealed the edges of the wound to encourage callous. The tree is not done yet but the wood is quite soft and I want to see how much it will decay naturally to promote the feeling. Further down the track when it is warmer and I can work outside I will put some character into the carving on the main trunk but I don't want this to be a 'carved' tree. I want just enough work to naturalise the wound and I want nature to do a bit more than I am. So for now the tree can sit, lick its wounds, rest, get ready for the major root prune and into a training pot and growth.
Sometime this year I hope to pick up a female persimmon. Both trees flower but only the female fruits. The tree ramifies very beautifully indeed and should develop into a beautiful deciduous bonsai.
I reduced both trunks to appropriate buds or, in the case of 'A' trunk, a new leader. To protect the main trunk I wired plastic screening around it and started Dremeling down and into the secondary trunk. I'm used to doing long bouts of carving on olives and short bits on other trees. This was an interesting exercise because the wood rolled off the aggressive bit as fluff, downy fluff. And the nutty smell - that is still hanging around the kitchen. [Yes, too miserable to work outside and I wanted to do it NOW, even tho it was raining NOW, and it's MY house!!! MY rules!! My clean up!!].
I have scooped out a lot of the innards and sealed the edges of the wound to encourage callous. The tree is not done yet but the wood is quite soft and I want to see how much it will decay naturally to promote the feeling. Further down the track when it is warmer and I can work outside I will put some character into the carving on the main trunk but I don't want this to be a 'carved' tree. I want just enough work to naturalise the wound and I want nature to do a bit more than I am. So for now the tree can sit, lick its wounds, rest, get ready for the major root prune and into a training pot and growth.
Sometime this year I hope to pick up a female persimmon. Both trees flower but only the female fruits. The tree ramifies very beautifully indeed and should develop into a beautiful deciduous bonsai.