Collected Noble fir (Abies procera)

[Cruiser]

From Sw Washington. 3400’ On a west-southwestern aspect in a sunny, exposed location. It was growing along side of a road in sandy-clay soil with lots of rocks.

The tree appears vigorous. Lots of back budding and new tip growth. You can see where it has survived getting mowed over the years. The first time was a partial cut through. The second time the leader got whacked.
Removal was not very difficult. I was able to collect a fair amount of feeder roots. Additional native soil was also collected. The root mass was wrapped in black trash bags. It was in the bags for a couple days before I could get it home.

Tree was planted in a wooden crate. A mixture of sifted pumice and fir bark was added to a bit of the native soil. A very small amount of organic fertilizer was mixed in.

The fir is positioned near a forest edge to maximize morning-mid day sun and receive partial shade later in the afternoon.This is to aid recovery. It will eventually get moved back into full sun, where nobles belong.

 

[Cruiser]

..

 

[DanaWhicker]

Very very nice tree.

 

[Cruiser]

Update:
Tree has made it through summer ok. Most new growth is hardened off and looks healthy.
Some interior needles have recently started browning. I think it’s just normal end of season needle drop… They were removed to open things up. Hopefully some back buds form this fall.

Still not exactly sure where Ill take it stylistically. On trunk is much thicker with less taper. The other has some scarring and a small jin. Perhaps a slanted tree? One on an unstable slope slowly falling downhill…

 

[Cruiser]

Question:
If the tree appears vigorous next spring, is it a good idea to pinch/prune shoots to balance energy? Or should it be left alone to recover for another growing season?

(My concern is that the apical growth will outpace the lower branches/backbudding and they will start to decline).

 

[0soyoung]

I dunno, either. But you can always figure out the general response by trying things on individual branches or parts of the tree..

Given your concerns, I suggest pinching new growth in the crown of the tree next spring. This should at least shorten the new shoot lengths. It might produce lots of back budding in the crown and it might let the lower parts of the tree gain some strength. Then, again, it might not, but it is very unlikely to produce an unrecoverable error (e.g., oops, I wish I hadn't cut that branch off). The worst case outcome that I can imagine is that the crown winds up highly ramified, but that is easy to undo by 'thinning it out', should it happen.

 

[Cruiser]

Thanks.
My concern about the apical growth outpacing the lower branches is based on limited knowledge. I don’t really know how long it takes for unpinched apical growth to become an issue for lower branches. One season? 3 seasons? I suppose it depends..

What I’ll probably end up doing then is pinchng only the top strongest shoots.

 

[Cruiser]

Buds are beginning to open. The noble fir is 2 weeks-month behind my alpine firs in growth.
Makes sense, since this tree was collected only a year ago and at elevation. (The alpine had been growing at a nursery a number of years.)
It will be interesting to compare the timing of both species as the years go on.

 

[Cruiser]

October 8, 2023

The tree grew well this season.

-Healthy growth all over. Most older needles still in good shape.
-No serious pest/fungal damage.
-Most branches have buds that are average-strong in appearance.
-Back budding on bare trunk and branches.
-Roots appear strong. They’re poking through the bottom of the container and going through the wood in places.



Future plans
-Pick a dominant trunk line at the fork.

 

[PonderingSage:]

Nice collect! Have you entertained the idea of keeping both trunks? I am wondering if just using the younger branches of one chunk of wood take a lot of the character out of this piece.?

 

[Cruiser]

Thanks. I’ve considered it, but having two trunks, like this, isn’t quite the look I’m going for.

 

[Jphipps]

I also like the 2 trunks. I agree that you would lose a lot of the character by getting rid of one. It would then look like a typical fir. If you are determined to keep just one, I would keep the blue line.

 

[Cruiser]

Nice collect! Have you entertained the idea of keeping both trunks? I am wondering if just using the younger branches of one chunk of wood take a lot of the character out of this piece.?

I also like the 2 trunks. I agree that you would lose a lot of the character by getting rid of one. It would then look like a typical fir. If you are determined to keep just one, I would keep the blue line.

I’m curious. From a design standpoint, what do you like about having the two trunks together? Could you elaborate on what you mean by character?

Because of their growth habits, it would be unusual to see a full size Abies growing with an exaggerated fork like this in the wild.
Have you seen any? Or is it that you haven’t, which makes you like it?
If it’s the former, got any pictures?

 

[Jphipps]

I like that it is different from what you would typically see growing in nature. It's a unique characteristic of this particular tree. Maybe you turn it into a jin to retain some of the uniqueness. Maybe cut it off if you really don't like it. Obviously you have the tree in front of you and can decide yourself. If I were to do a digital mock-up of removing either, I feel like I'm left with a less interesting tree. It's art, so it's just my random opinion.

 

[Cruiser]

I like that it is different from what you would typically see growing in nature. It's a unique characteristic of this particular tree. Maybe you turn it into a jin to retain some of the uniqueness. Maybe cut it off if you really don't like it. Obviously you have the tree in front of you and can decide yourself. If I were to do a digital mock-up of removing either, I feel like I'm left with a less interesting tree. It's art, so it's just my random opinion.

Thanks for sharing. A non-bonsai friend also liked the two trunks together but couldn’t explain why.

I heavily cut back the red-line shortly after posting the picture last October. It will eventually be eliminated.
Though interesting, design-wise, there was too much going on with two trunks. Each one set a different course for the eyes.

The straight trunk better represents the trees I work with and a true firs compulsion to grow singular and straight.

The bent trunk would have created movement lower in the tree, but it was two dimensional and felt formulaic.

Anyway, here was the tree right after pruning.

 

[Cruiser]

Future plans.
-Either remove or reduce into a Jin what remains of the left fork.
-Reign in the canopy. Some branches are proportionally too long and probably too thick. They’ll need to be removed/shortened and guy-wired, unless one becomes a new leader.
-Repot. The tree is currently in a cottonwood crate reinforced with white wood boards. It’s falling apart on the bottom.

 

[czaczaja]

It would be interesting to see a pad created from that left branch. Really interesting movement in the upper half of the tree as well. So many opportunities.

 

[Cruiser]

4/21/24 Buds are opening.
Last year it was 5/15.
Prior to that it would have been early June.

 

[Cruiser]

June 2024
2 years post collection

Tree is healthy. New growth is almost hardened off.

Last October’s trunk removal caused a strong response.
Growth is robust. Weak branches have strengthened, preexisting backbuds are active, and new buds have formed along the trunk.

If things continue to go well, the plan is to repot in Fall.

 

[Cruiser]