Wild Plum

waltr

Fred,
You have some nice material there. John Naka (Bonsai Techniques II) shows how to do the deadwood trunk (can't remember what kind of tree but seems applicable to your plums). I believe he let the exposed wood dry for almost a year before carving. He has a picture sequence covering several years of the trees devolopment.
walt

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rockm

You also might want to consider some of the practical things with deciduous tree with deadwood. Fruit trees are prime targets for borers. They can become a real problem when deadwood is used on a furit tree, like a plum or cherry, especially a native variety. I have been growing Prunus resinosa (black cherry) as a bonsai with a pretty large shari (it was there when I dug the tree) in the southeast. The deadwood is regularly attacked borers in mid-spring. It is a borer magnet. The bugs are a nuisance if you notice them right off and kill them, life threatening to the tree if they aren't detected.

jeremy_norbury

Fred

Very interesting.

I have plums which, although we are a continent apart, sound very similar to what you describe. The "mother" tree is a few feet from my house, the flowers are small and white and the fruit and very small - certainly no larger than 1" (2.5cm). I've been picking up seedlings and more recently older material from the whole neighbourhood, apparantly all sourced from the plums for the last 5 years. I guess the plums are so small they are easily eaten and "distributed" by the local birds.

It's late at night here - but I've been outside to take to photos. This one of the seedlings after 4 years in my grow bed.



Anyway, my experience is that the leaves reduce very nicely in size. See here. Most leaves are 1/2" to 3/4" (1-2cm)



It's also turning out to develop excellent ramification and even the nebari is working out. So I think you're on the right track with these trees.



Jerry
Amsterdam

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jeremy_norbury

Fred

On a second note, I have quite a similar collected specimin to yours - see below.



As you can see, I've trunk chopped it already - although I'm now thinking I could go even further with it in a couple of years. It seems similar to your in many ways. I collected it a couple of weeks ago 30m from home (I've had my eye on it for 2 years and have been pruning and dug around the roots yearly)



Better view of the V cut. The tree is 30cm (1ft) tallk and I think it could lose another 10cm (4inches) - but that'll have to wait until it's rejuvenated itself over next year or two.

Jerry
Amsterdam

__________________

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
I told you I was ill. Spike Milligan's Gravestone

FredL

Waltr, thanks for your comment. I went back and looked at BT II. Pages 59-63 seem to be what you were referring to. Great stuff! As is the whole chapter on trunks. And, thanks, Jeremy. Your superb photos do, indeed, look very much like my trees. They do seem to be a bit more curvey, though. Mine are a bit more angular and jagged. Leaves, bark, general growth habit are very similar. I got a few blossoms last Spring on a couple of mine, which surprised me greatly. I should apologize for my crummy photos; they do not do these trees justice. Plus, I cut them back not long ago. I continue to have great hopes for these trees. In my ten year frame of reference, they still have 8+ to go.

Concerning photos: the next ones I take are going to be indoors, with better lighting and a better background. Don't know why indoors did not occur to me before. One of the many holes in my mind, I guess.

Fred

Fred

jeremy_norbury

Fred.

I was lucky with my images, middle of the night - total darkness in my garden - couldn't see the tree through my camera, etc...

I also have a "triple-trunk" plum which I'll sneak out later and try photo...

Jerry

__________________

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
I told you I was ill. Spike Milligan's Gravestone

FredL

I just went back and reread this thread. Very glad I did! Wonderful ideas from some wonderful internet friends. I do not know why I am so "photography aversive". It seems to be the only thing I can think of that I'm even more reluctant to do than balance my checkbook. Well, I guess if I've been able to get myself to do that on a regular basis, I ought to be able to step up to photoing some more of my trees. I guess more background material would be good to include, as Al suggested.

As I reread this thread, I was struck by the contribution Al made. Very, very good. And right in the middle of a firestorm on another thread! Well, human nature continues to baffle me.

I think many thoughts we have mislead us. I've been thinking alot the last few days about the notion of "supporting artistic standards". I think this is a misleading idea that contributes to bad attitudes and serves to justify bad behevior. Everybody wants to create beautiful trees and appreciates worthwhile suggestions. Nobody likes to be told what to do with their trees or put down because their trees are not yet as beautiful as someone elses. I also am coming to think the whole "art vs nature" controversy is a misleading false dichotomy. Everyone wants their trees to evoke the feelings evoked by the grandeur of nature. It's simply a matter of explaining what we do and how we do it using different means of expression. I regret being drawn into arguments over these issues. I think it possible that Al feels the same way.

Fred