Inherited Tree - Hinoki Cypress

[Deep Sea Diver]

Another tree of my late Father in Law’s. Brother in Law inherited.

Asked to work on this tree in 2020. So repotted and trimmed then. First time ever trimmed a Hinoki outside PBM and it shows! Likely could of wired the tree straight up then, but not our tree then.

April 2020



Sept 2023 upon receipt from brother in law. The lower branch was lost in heat dome. Tree is extremely rootbound. Added pumice below rootball, no reduction.



Oct 2023 - Clean up and structural wiring.

The bow in the trunk didn’t work for us, neither did bending upright. First attempt changing Apex.
As the foliage was severely reduced, this tree will stay in the greenhouse all winter.



At this point my better half took over to do the detail wiring. Detail wiring at 80%.
Before photos, I gave upper trunk more bend… getting closer to liking… tree seems to call out for more. Thinking on this issue.

Front…?

…

Back

.

… and that’s all folks! ….more when there’s more to post.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[River's Edge]

Another tree of my late Father in Law’s. Brother in Law inherited.

Asked to work on this tree in 2020. So repotted and trimmed then. First time ever trimmed a Hinoki outside PBM and it shows! Likely could of wired the tree straight up then, but not our tree then.

April 2020

View attachment 515751

Sept 2023 upon receipt from brother in law. The lower branch was lost in heat dome. Tree is extremely rootbound. Added pumice below rootball, no reduction.

View attachment 515740

Oct 2023 - Clean up and structural wiring.

The bow in the trunk didn’t work for us, neither did bending upright. First attempt changing Apex.
As the foliage was severely reduced, this tree will stay in the greenhouse all winter.

View attachment 515741

At this point my better half took over to do the detail wiring. Detail wiring at 80%.
Before photos, I gave upper trunk more bend… getting closer to liking… tree seems to call out for more. Thinking on this issue.

Front…?

View attachment 515739 …

Back

.View attachment 515738

… and that’s all folks! ….more when there’s more to post.

cheers
DSD sends

consider planting angle to create slight slant to the left. See if that create a more dynamic view in your mind. The apex does not always have to return to a stable position.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Great idea @River's Edge !

Best
DSD sends

 

[snowman04]

Progressing nicely, thanks to your efforts!

 

[czaczaja]

Great work. Could consider potting at an angle and maybe get some root flare going.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Reported this spring. Just a pot to give it some growing room.

Tried out another angle just for fun



Cheers
DSD sends

 

[snowman04]

Looks good! I have a hard time figuring out what to do with these trees...

 

[River's Edge]

Reported this spring. Just a pot to give it some growing room.

Tried out another angle just for fun

View attachment 549505View attachment 549506View attachment 549507View attachment 549508

Cheers
DSD sends

So I have an idea! Once recovery is well under way and the foliage is growing well. That would be a good time to consider grafting. could make a huge difference long term! I know all I suggest seems to involve more work. But in this case it might be a shorter time frame and improved outcome. Hinoki are not difficult to graft.
PS: I like the angle and flow in the first picture post #6. With some slight angle changes on the right side branches lower down. Perhaps consider removal of the lowest right branch. Later on you may consider one fewer on the right side. Seems a bit crowded. Lots of time to work through details while the tree improves.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Great idea!

The tree definitely has still items to be sorted, but it seems to be picking up a bit of momentum in the past couple of weeks.

Luckily we’ve got another, younger, Hinoki of similar foliage growing out in the ground for the past couple of years hat could be a donor.

Presently seems it’s yet another tree to see how it does through the summer.

Best
DSD sends

 

[River's Edge]

Great idea!

The tree definitely has still items to be sorted, but it seems to be picking up a bit of momentum in the past couple of weeks.

Luckily we’ve got another, younger, Hinoki of similar foliage growing out in the ground for the past couple of years hat could be a donor.

Presently seems it’s yet another tree to see how it does through the summer.

Best
DSD sends

Understood, reclamation projects move slowly! I have a large shimpaku that has been underway for six years and I will begin grafting next spring! The progressive bud back has progressed as far as I can achieve. The bare sections now require grafts on the closer in sections to take it any further. On the other hand it may be that I cannot be bothered to wait any longer. I have air layered off several sections in the past couple of years that will be used to provide grafting scions!

 

[Paradox]

@River's Edge
What would you suggest the best time of year to graft these?

 

[River's Edge]

@River's Edge
What would you suggest the best time of year to graft these?

It depends!
I have experimented with various times and my experience is that choosing earlier in the spring/late winter prior to " too much sap movement" seems to work best. The trick for most species is a balance between selecting and having good scion material available at the right time for grafting. if you are using an sir layered portion or cutting grown material from the parent plant it becomes easier. One can keep the parent plant cooler and slow the spring awakening. At the same time you can house the donor plant in the greenhouse and have a bit more active scion material to work with.
In general terms for my location the best time is usually late march or early April for conifers. Cedars and cypress become active later then my pines and hemlocks. Hinoki would normally time in mid to late April for me.
My zone is a bit warmer with milder winters than yours I believe.
And I prefer the " bagged scion method" over "approach grafting' simply due to the aesthetics of the resulting graft union. For scion material I choose side shoots with second year base and a portion of last years growth. Typical material from strong growth zones rather than lower on the plant or from the interior.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Here is the Hinoki end of July 2024. Mostly full sun except in heat waves where it was placed in part sun. Kept moist.



Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

November 2 2024.

Needs a haircut up top. This is one of the trees going to our John Eads grafting workshop.



Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Early Spring. Getting haircut and some wire later this week.



Maybe, if the stars align will try a couple grafts this time next year.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[River's Edge]

Early Spring. Getting haircut and some wire later this week.

View attachment 591754

Maybe, if the stars align will try a couple grafts this time next year.

Cheers
DSD sends

What do you have in mind for grafting method? Approach or scion? I am working on a Tskumo cypress and started a group of cuttings two years ago so I could use the approach method in certain places as well as try a few scions. Some spots could use thicker grafts and I feel the approach method will allow me to progress faster in those areas by using older cuttings as opposed to scions.