Just Sharing - ' Tropical Zelkova'---- Chlorophora tintoria

Anthony

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Location
West Indies [ Caribbean ]
USDA Zone
13
Okay, so we tried to go for a 3 inch [ 8 cm trunk ] and in the growing bed,
damaged the tree. Lost branches.

Back to rebuilding.

Chlorophora tintorua - Fustic.
zone 9 - As far away as Argentina.
Successful acclimating - now a lumber tree in Trinidad.
Wood is hard, yellow and toxic.
Was used for a yellow dye.

About 10 years old from a small seedling.

Soil - 1/3 of each - 5 mm silica based gravel, 5 mm crushed earthenware red brick
and aged compost.

Full sun and thus far no pests.

Will be testing 3 mm soil on a cutting next.
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Thus far on another test plant - cut at 2 inches [5 cm ] is taking more than a year to heal.
That test plant is just under 7 feet tall.[ 214 cm tall ]
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3 things done to it -

[1] As suggested by Sifu [ @Adair M ]
Buried the root system deeper
and opened the top.
[2] Large mica pot as the oversized container for branchlet refinement.
Good Day
Anthony

Wound is healing slowly

Took 3 hrs to defoliate, Suggestion no more than three efforts.
Or 1 at 61 cm [ 2 feet ]

fustic a1.jpg
 
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Thanks for sharing the various views. Is this an example of your Clip and Grow process? I need to learn more about that....perhaps better said that I need to patiently practice this to learn about it more. I'm planning for spring 2020. Initial question: Do you wait for the first spring leaves to harden off on the full entire branch extension before beginning the first clip?

Well done on the tree....and photography.
 
Okay back in leaf -

and the tree re-grew 3 new branches.

The dunderheads here also realised that this hardwood
has a 1 to 15 ratio as a mature tree grows.
So 2 ft trunk to 30 feet in height in open areas.

Also in nature there are no exposed surface roots,
just the upside down v on the trunk.

No more trying to fatten the trunk of this tree. just work
on the design.
Good Day
Anthony

daylight shot - 45 degree angle

fust daylight.JPG
 
You didn't say how you screwed up the branches.
 
Some of the oither victims,

grown to 8 feet and was cut down
wound still healing

fustic 2 cut.JPG

apologies, thorns won't let us get closer

You can see the dark line where the cut is located

fustic 1 cut.JPG
 
victms 2 and 3

Aside - @Cajunrider ,
does this help ?

All extensions are now to 6 feet.
[The leucaena extensions are to 6 feet to get an inch of trunk.]

fustic 3 cut.JPG

no 3.

fustic 4 cut.JPG
 
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Here is what was also done,

[1] Bought 5 more mica pots as seen above with the mother.

[2] Started more cuttings for small efforts 6 inches [ 15 cm [

By the way all efforts in the grow trough are in colanders and
the placed in the soil to grow.

Will try to get some diagrams done later on in the week.
Good Day
Anthony
 
Well. I'm pretty much am doing clip and grow on my Rainbow Eucalyptus. However since they root so easily and I want some more, I do Air Layer, Clip, and Grow.
 
@Cajunrider ,

same here, cuttings root very easily and have been sharing out to
the other bonsai folk, so the cultivar survives in numbers.
Thanks for looking.
Good Day
Anthony
 
@Anthony You seem to have the right climate for superior growth....or, you have the right touch. Nice growth!
 
@Tieball ,

if there is a secret, it is watering during the dry season [ Christmas to May / June ]
when no rain falls.
Also backing off from watering during the months when rain is more than 6 inches.
Thanks for looking,
Good Day
Anthony
 
if you would like to try use a Celtis.

Okay, here is the first working diagram.
Camera says - 1/1/ 2008
This technique is closest to -Take Away - Sculpture.
[ a block of marble being chiseled to create say - the Pieta ]

So you get the foliage as dense as you can.

Study, viewing from 3 times the greatest distance - height or length or other.
Rotate the plant and also view from over head.

The foliage = mass
The area around the oustide of the foliage = Negative space

The foliage = Positive space.

Spaces in the foliage = Negative space

The Beauty of the image enters first by delighting the eye, and
then the brain .
Stimulating thought.

This what was imagined before the tree showed what it could do.

image1.jpg
Camera says - 1/1/ 2008

More to come
Good Day
Anthony
 
if you would like to try use a Celtis.

Okay, here is the first working diagram.
Camera says - 1/1/ 2008
This technique is closest to -Take Away - Sculpture.
[ a block of marble being chiseled to create say - the Pieta ]

So you get the foliage as dense as you can.

Study, viewing from 3 times the greatest distance - height or length or other.
Rotate the plant and also view from over head.

The foliage = mass
The area around the oustide of the foliage = Negative space

The foliage = Positive space.

Spaces in the foliage = Negative space

The Beauty of the image enters first by delighting the eye, and
then the brain .
Stimulating thought.

This what was imagined before the tree showed what it could do.

View attachment 267931
Camera says - 1/1/ 2008

More to come
Good Day
Anthony
I like this. It’s a good method I can use to move forward on some trees just starting to fill-in with foliage. It may awhile though....I’m at very initial stages. Lots of growth to accomplish first. But this gives me a target method once I am closer. First....I need to create the overall mass of foliage. I like your thinking and creativity. Mighty fine!
 
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