Japanese Black pine / Japanese Brown Pine

[alpineart]

Here is a very unusual situation that has occured to my layered /inarched JBP . The base and apex are thriving

100_8877.jpg

however the middle has completely died off

100_8878.jpg

, the bark itself is brown and dry with no sign of green or sap anywhere . Can anybody come up with a reason for this to have occured . Its got me stumped .

This should be interesting .Cheers Alpineart

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Alpineart,

I am sorry to see that... I am guessing that the top portion is possibly on its own roots before the middle died off?

Did you do them at the same time? Or the top portion first?

If at the same time, then it is really strange.

Best regards.

[kcpoole]

that is weird
Obviously the top has roots and is ready but the lower one?
Maybey the low one got dried out recently? shadowed from above

Ken

[LLK]

Hmm. The top of that middle section is ring barked. The bottom of that middle section is ring barked. Where was the middle section supposed to get its food?

[alpineart]

Hi Alpineart,

I am sorry to see that... I am guessing that the top portion is possibly on its own roots before the middle died off?

Did you do them at the same time? Or the top portion first?

If at the same time, then it is really strange.

Best regards.

Hi Daiviet , all done at the same time . Its a strange .

Cheers Alpine

[alpineart]

that is weird
Obviously the top has roots and is ready but the lower one?
Maybey the low one got dried out recently? shadowed from above

Ken

Hi kc, to top hasn't got roots yet ? there adds another dimension to the mystery ..

Cheers Alpine

[alpineart]

Hmm. The top of that middle section is ring barked. The bottom of that middle section is ring barked. Where was the middle section supposed to get its food?

Hi LLK , HMM ,the top actual has 2 layers .1 layer is on the previous inarched apex , look closely for the black pot amongst the top needles . and the other is on the main trunk from which the inarch was attached ..Niether of these were ring barks on this tree all were wire tornaque's .I have managed multi layering JBP before but this has me stumped , it was perfectly heaLthy and growing well then suddenly wheels up it went .

Cheers Alpine

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Alpineart,

I always imagine up the worse case when I look at things. If the top portion has no roots yet, I think you are going to lose it too? It is on reserve energy at the moment, soon it will run out?

Best regards.

[alpineart]

Hi Alpineart,

I always imagine up the worse case when I look at things. If the top portion has no roots yet, I think you are going to lose it too? It is on reserve energy at the moment, soon it will run out?

Best regards.

Hi Daiviet , mate i always look on the positives not the negatives .I have taken another look and yes some of the needles in the lower red top pot are dying off , now thats not to say it will turn up its toes BUT ??? . Also the whorl where the layer was set had no side branches and this is the only one that has been layered 350-400mm away from a whorl with green growth ,Maybe it has starved itself from the branches above . This doesn't completely explain why the top has held on rather than die first .

Its a loss but another lesson learned if i find the answers to the problem . Considering it was a $10 tree i still have a very nice 40mm base trunk to continue to play with . Maybe like us Aussies its been over taxed .

Cheers Alpine

[LLK]

....it was perfectly heaLthy and growing well then suddenly wheels up it went .

The carbohydrates and photosynthates flow from the top, water and nutrients from the base of the tree. With tourniquets the flow is interrupted more gradually than with ringbarking, which could explain that sudden toes-up of the tree, after normal growth. I can't see how any flow from the apex could reach the middle section. There's no mystery, we just haven't hit on the cause. Or have I, perhaps?
Good luck, anyway.

Lisa