Broom Style W. Alder

[TrueSandwich]

I got this white Alder early last fall from a nursery that at the time was planning on going out of business so I got it for about 50% off. It was 10 ft tall, but had pretty good nabari and lots of low branches. Before I even left the nursery I chopped off the top section. I repotted it in spring and I have not touched it since beyond adjusted guy wires.

Should I do any work to it now or wait until later in the year or even next year?

 

[Attmos]

It's a nice looking tree.

 

[Stormwater]

where are you? that will change the advise. Think you will get some leaf reduction on that, those leaves look huge.

 

[TrueSandwich]

It's a nice looking tree.

Thanks!

where are you? that will change the advise. Think you will get some leaf reduction on that, those leaves look huge.

Just update my profile. I'm in SoCal zone 9a. I think I will get some leaf reduction, but only time will tell how much. I plan for it to be a larger tree so the larger leaves won't be as much of an issue.

 

[BobbyLane]

I like it. Established primary branches give you some good options for reducing to a lower height, for better proportions overall. I think you could slip the tree into a pot that allows you to get more soil over the roots, it will look better, just enough so you can see the lower base and the tips of the root spread.

There's a few options there to do an angled chop between two primary branches and have the uppermost primary as a leader, create some taper.

The other option is to not go for taper in the trunk, in that case, check out how Maros tackles these types of trunks

You'll also get an idea of how much of the root base to cover for a better look seeing the trees in the videos.

 

[ZombieNick]

I like it. Established primary branches give you some good options for reducing to a lower height, for better proportions overall. I think you could slip the tree into a pot that allows you to get more soil over the roots, it will look better, just enough so you can see the lower base and the tips of the root spread.

I agree with this, but I would just wait until spring. Too hot to mess with the roots and I don't think it will give you a ton of advantage to slip pot now. Next spring, I'd be looking to reduce like Bobby mentions. Trim up those longer roots and repot lower, in a training pot (or box). I'd let it grow vigorously and uninterrupted this year if I was planning to chop and repot next year.

 

[TrueSandwich]

I agree with this, but I would just wait until spring. Too hot to mess with the roots and I don't think it will give you a ton of advantage to slip pot now. Next spring, I'd be looking to reduce like Bobby mentions. Trim up those longer roots and repot lower, in a training pot (or box). I'd let it grow vigorously and uninterrupted this year if I was planning to chop and repot next year.

think you could slip the tree into a pot that allows you to get more soil over the roots, it will look better, just enough so you can see the lower base and the tips of the root spread.

Agreed! I repotted it into what I had, and I was planning on moving soon at the time, so I wanted to make it easier to transport. I will repot it into a larger pot or grow box next spring. I originally mounded the soil over the roots, but over time it washed away since it didn't any moss to hold it down.