Another field grown trident

[markyscott]

There are many things they don’t tell you about digging up a field grown tree. I guess it’s accepted that we’ll eventually figure it out on your own. Here’s the most important rule #1: take your teenage son and make him dig it up in exchange for extra Xbox time:



While you kick back and enjoy one of these:


I don’t know why I didn’t think of this years ago.

S

 

[markyscott]

Anyway, cut off the tap root. Bare-rooted the tree and cut off the major field roots and made clean cuts where I removed branches in the field. Built a grow box to fit out of cedar fencing.


S

 

[markyscott]

Before it budded out, I sprayed with lime sulphur at dormant concentration and sealed all the wounds. A few weeks later it started to bud out. I got lucky and a good shot appeared where I’d like to develop a leader.

 

[markyscott]

Here’s the tree today. Looking healthy. I’ll have to get my son to dig up another one.



S

 

[Dav4]

Ooooh, love that base and trunk. Is this a tree you started and planted out?

 

[markyscott]

Ooooh, love that base and trunk. Is this a tree you started and planted out?

This was planted by a grower in Austin. You can see that my son is in a trident forest. He sells them at $25 per inch at the soil level. This one was a little over 4”. Most of them are stick straight - the trunk will have to be rebuilt to work with them. But if you spend some time and look around, you can often find a keeper.

Scott

 

[small trees]

Dig me up a few the next time you're there! Looks like it will be fun to work with. I look forward to updates.

 

[hemmy]

There are many things they don’t tell you about digging up a field grown tree.

It looks like rule #2 is bring a guard dog!

Also, with tridents do you see any difference in growth response when digging/repotting before bud swell and during bud swell?

 

[AlainK]

rule #1: take your teenage son and make him dig it up in exchange for extra Xbox time

In some north-European countries, you'd be jailed for that!

 

[AlainK]

It looks like you've got a big tree nursery.

Do you "uproot" your trees every two years or so, or do you leave them in the ground for several years without anything but pruning the upper part?...

 

[twisted trees]

In some north-European countries, you'd be jailed for that!

But they don't grow tridents in Northern European countries.

 

[markyscott]

It looks like rule #2 is bring a guard dog!

Also, with tridents do you see any difference in growth response when digging/repotting before bud swell and during bud swell?

Hi Hemmy. I don’t. But the caveat is that I live on the gulf coast. What passes for dormancy here is about 6 weeks between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I don’t know if they ever really go dormant.

S

 

[markyscott]

In some north-European countries, you'd be jailed for that!

!!!!! Don’t ever tell my son that! Next thing you know he’ll be wanting to move there. Anyway, Xbox time is a heck of a lot better reward than I got for chores. I remember spending a month cleaning out the neighbors barn so that my father could have the manure for the vegetable garden. Which I got to till in by hand. Yes. I worked all summer for shit!

And vegetables, of course.

S

 

[markyscott]

It looks like you've got a big tree nursery.

Do you "uproot" your trees every two years or so, or do you leave them in the ground for several years without anything but pruning the upper part?...

A -

This grower does not. But I highly recommend it. And doing some purposeful pruning as well. Otherwise you’ll end up with a bunch of straight trunks with no taper on your hands.

Consider this one.



What in the heck will they do with that? It’s got girth, I’ll give you that. But I’d probably be thinking about chopping it low and starting over, I guess. And the ginormous roots? Chop them off too. Then there will be years of work correcting all the problems.

Moral is to not just lay nature do all the design work. Nature makes huge trees, not tiny ones. Grow with a purpose.

S

 

[small trees]

This is just a thought, but when growing trees from seedling size, would it be more prudent to have radial roots projecting outwards at a slight downward angle versus very flat? I am imagining that seedlings with roots planted very flat would look like the straight tree above if nothing was done, whereas if the roots were projected downwards ever so slightly it may help give the tree the appearance of fluting as it ages.

 

[AlainK]

I see what you mean Scott.

About the trees and the kids, too

 

[markyscott]

This is just a thought, but when growing trees from seedling size, would it be more prudent to have radial roots projecting outwards at a slight downward angle versus very flat? I am imagining that seedlings with roots planted very flat would look like the straight tree above if nothing was done, whereas if the roots were projected downwards ever so slightly it may help give the tree the appearance of fluting as it ages.

Basal swell is great, but you want to develop a flat root system so you can get the tree into a 2” deep pot and have it look good.

S

 

[small trees]

Oh yeah, definitely. I guess the swell/fluting is somewhat luck of the draw. An example of what I'm trying to describe is evident in BVF's trident project thread that was started in 2008 or 2009.

EDIT: Actually, your tree has a bit of what I am talking about as well. The root in the front right in most of the pictures appears to be exiting the tree at a downward angle, although I'm sure it is or has been flattened out under the soil line.

 

[AlainK]

Don’t ever tell my son that! Next thing you know he’ll be wanting to move there.

Well, maybe he should.

As we say here 'Les voyages forment la jeunesse", smthg like "travelling forms youth", that is the more places you go, the more different people you meet, the more you get to know yourself...

 

[markyscott]