AusBonsai

i just recently bought a dremel it cost me an arm and a leg but the privet stumps i collected was an eye sore. the removalist got there before me and chopped all the trees at the front to around 10cm so im left with short stumps with a big horizontal chop across the top

this is before and after shots and this is after carving


so what do you guys think??? does it look better or did i make a hollow log out of my tree?

I like the top section, but dunno about the root bit tho.

Got photos form the the other sides?

There is a technique where thick roots are carved down the middle splitting it in two to some degree. as it heals over it turns one large root into two much better finer roots. Maybe you could take the root carving down below the soil to use this technique

the carving looks alright to me mate, i am a bit concernened that you have carved "pools" in there though, if when watering you water pools in the carving it will rot further,you need to allow some form of drainage, other than that when the tree fills out i think the carving work on the roots will be fine

Carving is one of those activities that needs to be done, then refined at a later date, and probably refined some more. The initial work is good and has set the tree in the right direction. Jamie's comments are correct, just watch there is no pooling of water, otherwise - sweet.

jamie111 wrote:the carving looks alright to me mate, i am a bit concernened that you have carved "pools" in there though, if when watering you water pools in the carving it will rot further,you need to allow some form of drainage, other than that when the tree fills out i think the carving work on the roots will be fine

NO theres no pools i made sure it all runs down a lane or so called i hade to drill straight through my other one because there was a pool in the middle

the root was damaged so i just carved it to see how it looked i was goin to fix it later on


ANYWAYS THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE ADVICE AND OPINIONS u guys are very helpful

do you put lime sulfur on 100% ??

are u SUPPOSE TOI MIX IT

Deemon wrote:do you put lime sulfur on 100% ??

Just be careful when you put the Lime Suphur on. If the tree is actively growing. It is going to try and heal the scars. This can lead to the tree sucking in Lime sulpher so to speak and causing damage.
I usually let the wood dry before applying it. Plus it does allow the wood to split and crack naturally. Which no matter how good you are you will not replecate that.

JMHO Pup

Strongly agree with pup and the sulfur discussion, try and avoid sulfur on "wet" wood where there may be sap only a couple of mm's under surface. Lime sulfur will kill and kill quickly once in the sap flow. The benefit of doing it on a privet is that not even a blowtorch can kill a privet so 2 litres of lime sulfur shouldn't hurt

IS2SXC wrote:

jamie111 wrote:the carving looks alright to me mate, i am a bit concernened that you have carved "pools" in there though, if when watering you water pools in the carving it will rot further,you need to allow some form of drainage, other than that when the tree fills out i think the carving work on the roots will be fine

NO theres no pools i made sure it all runs down a lane or so called i hade to drill straight through my other one because there was a pool in the middle

the root was damaged so i just carved it to see how it looked i was goin to fix it later on


ANYWAYS THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE ADVICE AND OPINIONS u guys are very helpful

thats the thing with carving mate, as stated you will probly have to go back2,3,4 maybe 5 times over until you are happy with it, and drilling the hole where it pooled was a good idea, this way you will minimse chances of water sitting there and causeing further rot.
and as you have been warned you should be carefull with lime sulphur it can kill a tree quick smart, i have learnt this the hard way on some stock early on when i first started. like stated your best bet is to wait for the wood to dry out before applying, this can help aswell as you will get cracks and grains in the wood that you could never reproduce with a dremel. as much fun as the dremel is and for sure put detail into it, it helps to leave it till the wood has dried out before sulphuring as this will get some cracking in there, and i have found that lime sulphuring after the wood is dry can also help with the dry out process after you have waited too, i found this on an elm i had that needed the rotten wood taken out, i wasnt sure bout lime sulphur on a deciduous species and when advised to do it as it will help protect the wood, the detail i put into the carving, had it dry out then sulphured a couple of weeks later i had cracks and lines come out in it and was really nice.
just a few tips and my opinion

regards jamie

Thye bleached look doesn't seem to be right in deciduous trees. Some peeps adjust the bleached effect of lime sulphur by adding soot or water colour to it.
I personally use a preservative which enhances the grain but does not change the colour of the exposed wood.
http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/shop/produc ... cts_id=896

It is true that a healthy Juniper will find a way to get the nutrients flowing as long as the removed portions of bark don''t run horizontally. This is a way to direct life lines in the future. I don't see any argument against Privet doing the same thing. Its a jolly resilient customer. Exposed wood does have the reputation of rotting easily on Privet so some form of preservative is recommended.

masekeane wrote:Strongly agree with pup and the sulfur discussion, try and avoid sulfur on "wet" wood where there may be sap only a couple of mm's under surface. Lime sulfur will kill and kill quickly once in the sap flow. The benefit of doing it on a privet is that not even a blowtorch can kill a privet so 2 litres of lime sulfur shouldn't hurt

YEAH THATS WHY I ONLY TRIED ON IT THE PRIVETS SUCH GOOD TESTERS

THANKS EVERYONE AGAIN HAHAHAHHA

Next time you lime sulphur [after letting the tree rest and any nicks in the cambium to heal before applying!!] spray the areas to be carved several times and apply the 100% LS when the wood is damp [but not dripping]. Your LS will go on yellow and overnight age to whitish grey. Putting LS on dry wood means you have to live with the yellow until nature ages it - weeks and weeks. LS on wet wood is the only way to go.

MelaQuin wrote:Next time you lime sulphur [after letting the tree rest and any nicks in the cambium to heal before applying!!] spray the areas to be carved several times and apply the 100% LS when the wood is damp [but not dripping]. Your LS will go on yellow and overnight age to whitish grey. Putting LS on dry wood means you have to live with the yellow until nature ages it - weeks and weeks. LS on wet wood is the only way to go.

ill try that thanks