Incense cedar progression

[parhamr]

This will be another stick-in-a-pot grows up sort of thread. I'm currently aiming for some manner of freestyle design, as if this had collapsed multiple times in a sinewy fashion.

I plucked Calocedrus decurrens seedlings from a flower bed underneath a large mother tree in 2014. Here they are in March 2015.


After the above photo I repotted into grow bags with pumice, perlite, and hydroton expanded clay. Here it is in October 2015


Then, in early 2016 I thinned foliage and rebalanced growing energy


Between these photos I styled this tree with vetwrap, double heavy copper wire, and galvanized steel wire.

Here it is today before repotting


Repotted today. It is effectively a sine wave of bends. The pot is mostly just for good growing habit and I'm not set on the color or features


This has a growth habit similar to juniper but with much larger scale or bracket foliage. I can see I need to cut and thin in the leader and tighten the guy wires.

This year I am likely to unwire the tree to prevent cut-in and then wire it again to add secondary, contrasting motion and bends.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Really like top part after 2nd trunk bend. With larger foliage possible to consider larger tree?

 

[Tieball]

So....Grow Bags do work well? I have wondered about them.

 

[sorce]

So....Grow Bags do work well? I have wondered about them.

Folks love em, I think it was JohnG who puts a board under them for transport, as to not rattle em around.
That solves the only downfall.

Nice Parharm!

Sorce

 

[parhamr]

Grow bags do produce roots as amazing as claimed. Putting a board under them does indeed solve their major flaw: a lack of structure.

@Potawatomi13 yes, a larger tree is where I'm headed. The pot is fairly large for growing purposes. I'm hoping several of the lowest branches will take off for sacrificial growth.

 

[parhamr]

The tree shows some cedar-apple rust spores, so I’ve treated with generic Cleary’s 3336 in a dilution of 1 teaspoon to 32 ounces of water.

 

[parhamr]

It's healthy and has put on a fair amount of new extension growth. Wire was biting in all over so I've removed most of it. The tree deserves a new application of wire.

In early August I trimmed the growth tips back to redirect energy to growths closer to the trunk.

 

[RKatzin]

Nice work on a not so popular tree. Three out of five in woods here are these. Tons of seedling/ saplings and some really nice twisted up old stuff, too. I have a few I'm looking at for collecting, I just never mentioned them because I didn't think there's interest. S cuse moi you've heard of spanglish, there's a bit of frenglish. LOL

 

[parhamr]

It’s been lurking in a disused corner of the yard. The tree is rootbound and needs a repot this year.


The bark does end up quite interesting, especially given a lot of its texture and character comes from ongoing borer attacks. What’s impressive is the tree is so vigorous as to heal over the borer tracks just about as quickly as they appear. I’m am not fully in love with the trunk line, but it does set an interesting, bold tone I could continue on its branching and upper canopy.

All I’ve done other that water, fertilizer, and antifungal treatments is I’ve intermittently trimmed the foliage to keep it sustainable. The tree would definitely benefit from more styling work.

 

[parhamr]

I performed some mercy work on this poor ignored tree.


Mostly just playing around, I’ve tried to place primary branching wherever it will go that has potential to be visually pleasing and useful to the design. I’m noticing some branches are becoming leggy and I hope — after the next repot — this tree will be producing more interior backbudding. I know the species can do it.

Overall, it’s super rootbound and I think that’s the major obstacle. It should have been repotted last year.

 

[Wills612]

Does it back bud? I collected one last fall and it’s put on a ton of growth. I’ve cleaned it out a bit, and I’m pretty happy with the branching. I would like to chase them back a bit.

 

[parhamr]

Does it back bud? I collected one last fall and it’s put on a ton of growth. I’ve cleaned it out a bit, and I’m pretty happy with the branching. I would like to chase them back a bit.

They do! Not amazingly well, but yes, absolutely. It especially happens at the crotches when there’s vigorous growth.