Difficult Ash Project (aka too much sentimental value to throw away)

[TrevorLarsen]

This tree is basically the first tree I ever put in a pot. I dug it in my yard. Here it is in April 2021
I didn’t know what I was doing and planted it in pure peat moss so a large chunk of the trunk rotted away. Repotted it in akadama but used the same pot until today April 2024
Today I got wild and thought I saw something very cool once I started bare rooting.


Pleae let me know what you think, I am actually excited about the future of this tree now. It’s too bad I am losing the windswept look it had going since that branch is pointing straight at the front now, but that crazy trunk with all that character won me over. I am sure I’ll do some carving to improve things but I think it’s pretty good lemonade out of this lemon.

 

[RKatzin]

I like lemons! I'd guess that's a Gray Ash or Mt Ash in your area. There's about sixteen species of Ash in the US and Canada. Here in Oregon I have Fraxinus latifolia, Oregon Ash. I have found them difficult as singular trunk trees, but perform nicely as multiple trunk, clump, or forest plantings. If you chop that trunk (if it responds like latifolia) it should sprout a lot of new shoots to work with.
Ash was the favorite tree for arrow shafts. The Natives here would chop an Ash low and the next season it would grow many long straight shoots. Also one of the best trees for a good stout walking stick.

 

[Lorax7]

Here in Oregon I have Fraxinus latifolia, Oregon Ash. I have found them difficult as singular trunk trees, but perform nicely as multiple trunk, clump, or forest plantings.

Why do you consider them difficult as singular trunk trees? What, specifically, is the difficulty with a single trunk ash that you don’t encounter with a group planting? The reason I ask is because I have an ash (single trunk) and would like to know the nature of the pitfalls.

 

[RKatzin]

It's mostly the compound leaf is difficult to reduce in the single trunk trees, but they do better, or it's not as big an issue when they're a little cramped together in a forest. Or if the trunk is double or triple or grown as a clump they seem to dwarf each other and the leaves come smaller on older wood. However, new growth always reverts back to full size.