Commercial apricot species -Prunus Tree tips and advice

[fviljoen963]

Hi, (Im in South Africa, temps range from 25-40°C in summer)

Ive started an apricot tree last year from a seedling, I got really good growtg in tge first year. It shot up to about 36cm, almost as thick as a pencil and gave me 4/5 long side shoots, I repotted start of this summer, and after a slow start threw new branches (last years' I cut off as they hardened before wiring, ) which I pinched along with some leaves, amd suddenly Ive got nice secondary shoots with leaves that are two thirds smaller!

Ive seen that branches need wiring fast and that it responds rather slow to root cutting (I always keeo it to a minimum) and well to leaf snipping.

Any further advice on experience with normal apricots? New leaves are very light green, I feed with a 18liter water plus one huge wet cow pat mixture, bout every two/three days for a week, then skip a week. Its always worked fantastic as the manure is weak enough not to damage my trees. Annd is there anything I can water with/spray that will induce fine roots? I potted in a very sandy mixture

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I've written a bit on this forum, and 3 parts of a 4-part article here:

http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/prunus-mume/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/ume-update-part-2-of-4/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/tag/apricot-bonsai/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/02/

 

[daygan]

I've written a bit on this forum, and 3 parts of a 4-part article here:

http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/prunus-mume/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/ume-update-part-2-of-4/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/tag/apricot-bonsai/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/02/

Sadly, wordpress is blocked in China and that work-around doesn't work-around... the Great Firewall - gotta love it.

 

[gergwebber]

Sadly, wordpress is blocked in China and that work-around doesn't work-around... the Great Firewall - gotta love it.

stop typing things like that or they will block us too. try for richness of prose on the level of modern substrates (ie plain as the plainest dirt)

 

[gergwebber]

fviljoen963,

uuummm, no offence, but,
Why are you wiring branches? I think this tree would be best in the ground or large training pot for a few years. just let that thing grow and maybe only consider trunk chopping to get movement and taper.

well, anyway, the real pros know best:


http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles.htm

specifically,

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm


or do you have another plan?

 

[fviljoen963]

Hi, sorry for only replying now but its exam time here.
I wired the branches to prevent them from hardening upright and parallel to the future trunk again,

As for ground or large container growing: I will only pot a tree if its done, and the only work from there on out isnormal sason to season maintainence. All my trees grow in large containers, and preferrably (also in this case) a deepish flat tub, this one is a 10Liter I think if I remember correctly.
In winter we get bad frost and wild hares chew the bark off

But thanks though- Ill try to find a way

 

[nathanbs]

Please enlighten me on what the "natural growth" technique is and how you can obtain perfect taper without chopping the trunk and regrowing the apex

 

[fviljoen963]

No "method/technique" i just let it grow, pinch back buds or cut bcak young branches as you go along, let a leader grow and bend the top over at the end of the season or whenever you think its ready- creating the first branch, then trim pad and use one of the buds on the bend to grow a new leader, which will eventually form part of the new trunk.

 

[nathanbs]

I see. I guess taper is very subjective. When I think if taper I always invision some grotesquely exaggerated sumo trunk tapering to an apex in 15" or less. How tall do you plan on your finished tree being approximately?

 

[fviljoen963]

Well at the moment its about 40cm tall but i guess it'll finish at about 45-50 cm depending on what happens to it or where it takes me?

I revise tree plans on how that particular tree is growing/what looks better on it rather than keeping planning rigid, the only main direction I choose is what style. Ill make/remove branches as I go along, according to what looks good, after all the "rules" are only guidelines to what works better and what doesnt.

I want to keep this tree long term as Im rarely at home (at university studying), at the moment its actually one of like four trees with potential I own, I lost quite a lot (practically all) of my trees last year. I was home one weekend, still early winter and rather warm and in that week frost set in and as I wasnt home +- 23 of my trees were killed to ground level...

So ya.. Im keeping the collection as few as possible so I can put them indoors once the cold starts next season. But it feels as if Ive kicked the hobby with this little trees. I have the apricot (want to start another though), one big willow, two wild figs without direction, two thorn trees (Acacia nigrescens ) and whats called a Common currant in english (quite hardy). Except for the apricot and the willow the rest are indigenous.