Czech Yamadori

I feel very happy that I have decided to collect this little fella in the end.  It certainly doesn't look as a tree with great potential in 2D, but my eyes see something different.  The future will see who is right. But even now one can appreciate the first sign of maturity of the bark and what is even more important - short internodes.   Not to mention the vigour of the tree.   Styling As the trunk is slightly S shaped ( from the top ) I have decided to follow this flow also on the canopy - it will be much longer on the right side. This is my preferred "front"  +/-   Well, at the moment.   The other side.  Short internodes.   I hope it is not just result of the heavy bending ...  Initial signs of maturity of the bark.  Flaky-I guess this is the right word to describe the character of the well aged bark on larches or spruces.    A bark that should force you to hold your breath.  Either becau...

Strange.   We are getting closer to the summer solstice, but since the end of May beginning of June I have had a feeling that the days are getting shorter and shorter.  After the hectic repotting season I thought there will be a reasonable  period of  relative calm ( well, sort of ) but the very dry weather has forced me to spend much more time with the watering can than expected.   Anyway.  Today, as the sky has been overcast for the whole day - hard to believe - I have revisited this little Prunus with my shears.  Hardy noticeable partical defoliation.  Looking at the pics I guess I should take another round there... And calibrate the white on my camera. Height 15 cm ca

I have spotted this little larch back in 2008 or so.   And our relations have evolved from " this is it" to  " well,  maybe later" and finally to "OK, lets go" in spring 2015. Why all this hesitation? First, I was not sure if I like the bulb shaped base of the tree.  And frankly, I do have doubts even now... Second - the major part of the trunk has been just like a straight beam.  No taper, no movement. Spring 2017. Time to work on the straight trunk.   My favourite (Double C)n  method =  multiple Cut and Close method.  Before After I have planned a bit more acute angle, but the tree was not very happy about it.  At a certain moment I have heard a cracking noise and after an inspection I have discovered quite nasty looking crack just above the cut.  So I have stopped it.  Hoping it was not too late... Spring 2018 The larch has recovered  and produced a good number of new shoots. The cr...

Slats  ( Larch ) 35 x 25 x 400 Why to go for slats perpendicular to the axes of the rail board if they take much more time to process? I believe it allows better circulation of air.  So it should be better for the trees.   And if this  " better circulation " is true, then my humidity trays should provide even better environment for my trees ( I will cover this a bit later ). Rails  ( Spruce ) I have opted for a 140 x 25 mm profile.  Solid and good bending resistance.  A torsion could be a problem with such thin elements,  but I am not too much concerned about that as the distance between the poles is just 2000 mm. Wood protection Osmo stain.  Please note the additional protection of the face of the poles.  A piece of a rubber foil. Joints Simple butt joints have been used.  Stainless screws 4,5 x 60 mm Additional reinforcement  on the poles  to support the wooden rails ...

I do spent more and more time thinking how should I reduce the number of my trees.   I do realise I have too many of them.  How do I know?  Easy.  The joy of keeping  trees is gradually but steadily evaporating and changing into a chore...I hate to end up with neglected trees full of quick wood. To start with I have decided to occupy more space on our balcony.  Sounds strange, isn't.  Reduction x More space for trees?  Never mind.  I will get there one day. For sure.  I hope. A solid rack to start with.   Mortise and tenom.  No iron to hold it together. Just dowels. Now working on the top frame.  Slats and Rails.  

Pyracantha blossoms nearly in full bloom...

I must have lost last few remains of my  active brain cells.... This is a first shot of  the planned time lapse series.  The ramification is a bit weak  at the moment and the nebari doesn't look good either.   But it is just a matter of time to get there. Anyway, plannig the first pruning in next few days  to remove the taproots at least on some of the seedlings to see how it develops.   I have tested this method of flat root development  successfully on Cydonia oblonga and it works well there.