parhamr
Omono
Five blocks from where I live is a recently-razed double lot slated to become apartments. I've been watching this place for a while and waiting for the right season and weather; today was the right day. After making peace with the woman living next door and promising to not touch her rose bushes, I got to work.
I'm not sure what sort of Taxus this is. The shrub was at least 6 feet tall and I estimate 60 years old. I trenched it with a spade and then used loppers to cut the heavy roots.
The juniper behind this yew was a disappointment. Nobody had ever thinned it out so there was nothing worth collecting within its tangled, leggy mass.
To haul this beast home I wired it to my largest grow box and plopped it on top of a dolly. The seven-block route home, through the middle of side streets, was the most stressful part. I was worried somebody might recommend a mental health intervention.
A decent mass of roots came with the tree, but immediately below the trunk was nothing but clay-heavy field soil.
At home I managed to whittle it down to 37" in height, removed branches shooting straight up, and reduced the foliage mass to aid in recovery. There was a TON of dead needles choking up the crotches.
(Yes, those are bicycle inner tubes around the tie-down wires.)
It's basal flare is about 14" at the widest and the trunk diameter appears to be just under 7". This is now my largest tree. My soil mix is about 70 percent pumice, 15 percent lava, and 15 percent diatomite gravel; all were sifted.
Tomorrow I need to add another layer of walls on top of the box and increase the depth of soil by about 2" for optimal development. The tree currently sticks up out of the box in a bit of an obscene manner.
More photos will come when interesting stuff happens. I need to sleep this one off. Sheesh!
I'm not sure what sort of Taxus this is. The shrub was at least 6 feet tall and I estimate 60 years old. I trenched it with a spade and then used loppers to cut the heavy roots.
The juniper behind this yew was a disappointment. Nobody had ever thinned it out so there was nothing worth collecting within its tangled, leggy mass.
To haul this beast home I wired it to my largest grow box and plopped it on top of a dolly. The seven-block route home, through the middle of side streets, was the most stressful part. I was worried somebody might recommend a mental health intervention.
A decent mass of roots came with the tree, but immediately below the trunk was nothing but clay-heavy field soil.
At home I managed to whittle it down to 37" in height, removed branches shooting straight up, and reduced the foliage mass to aid in recovery. There was a TON of dead needles choking up the crotches.
(Yes, those are bicycle inner tubes around the tie-down wires.)
It's basal flare is about 14" at the widest and the trunk diameter appears to be just under 7". This is now my largest tree. My soil mix is about 70 percent pumice, 15 percent lava, and 15 percent diatomite gravel; all were sifted.
Tomorrow I need to add another layer of walls on top of the box and increase the depth of soil by about 2" for optimal development. The tree currently sticks up out of the box in a bit of an obscene manner.
More photos will come when interesting stuff happens. I need to sleep this one off. Sheesh!
Last edited:
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