A variation on Dugz big Trident Maple.

fozz

A few months ago I read Dugz article on his large fused trunk Trident Maple and was fascinated in what he had acheived. Having always loved tridents and wanting to try and produce a similar tree, I tried to source trident seedlings or seeds. Seeds were a no go, no one had them and only one nursery had seedlings at the time but were abit pricey, $5.00 each for a 12 month old seedling was a joke to my way of thinking. Especially as I was going to need a hundred or so.

Another nursery I frequent put me onto a source of seeds in a local suburb. Tridents grown as street trees. Up and down the side streets of this suburb I drove looking for these elusive tridents trees. I was just about to give it away as a bad joke when turning the last corner, low and behold, the whole street was full of big healthy tridents maples. Woopee, I was in trident heaven.

As I hate theft of any type and feeling very uncomfortable at just helping myself to the bunches of seeds just asking to be picked, I sat on the side of the road and thought about the best approach to getting these seeds. Must have been my day. I wasnt there 30 seconds when round the corner comes a council truck with a tree lopper on the back. They pulled up in front of me and I thought, nows my chance. I told the guys what I wanted and if it was OK. In response they said fine, saves us sweeping them up and cleaning them out of the drains.

So, plastic bag in hand, I proceeded to literally strip a branch of its seeds, great bunches of seeds, more seeds than I'd ever know what to do with. Told you I was in trident heaven

Got home, planted the seeds then sat back and waited. About 6 weeks later up came the first seedlings. A fortnight later I had a couple of thousand little tridents.

The growing boxes the seedlings were in are normally used to grow vegetables in so I had to find somewhere to put them when they were ready to be planted on. Most went into polystyrene boxes, the same as the future fused trunk went into. The rest, I lost count after 400, went into another of the boxes to create the beginning of the current project.

The first picture shows the wire frame that the seedlings will be trained up and tied to as they fuse together. The second picture an extra tray of seedlings I had for something else but ended up needing them for this project.

The third box shows the wire frame and grow box and the groove i made in the soil mix around the frame where the seedlings would go.

Attached Images

	trident trunk fuse 3.jpg (70.6 KB, 157 views)
	trident trunk fuse 2.jpg (68.0 KB, 185 views)
	trident trunk fuse 1.jpg (71.6 KB, 215 views)

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fozz

The forth picture shows the wire frame with some of the seedlings in place. The wire frame was made from 6 millimetre alluminium wire for the coil and 4 millimetre alluminium wire for the bracing. The fifth picture shows a closs up of the seedlings and yes there is a gap shown but the final planting was alot tighter. The sixth and final picture shows all the seedlings in place around the wire frame.

I varied Dugz method for two reasons. The first was to make room for this years vegetables and the second and most important reason is that I hope to have more control over the seedlings in where they are going to grow and where they will be tied to the frame. Only time will tell.

Will let you all know how things go as things grow.

Ross.

Attached Images

	trident trunk fuse 5.jpg (71.4 KB, 97 views)
	trident trunk fuse 4.jpg (72.8 KB, 107 views)
	trident trunk fuse 6.jpg (72.4 KB, 240 views)

simoncruden

Hi thats a great idea hope it works for you -wish i had the room to try this.



Simon Cruden

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bonsaial1

Let me get this straight...you are going to grow these fuse happy tridents on a wire frame? My understanding of the process is that the flesh of the tridents needs a firm surface to ooze against. It's this firm surface that will make the tridents make a cohesive "tree". The frame work seems that it may add a bad dimension to your fuseing. Making areas that will have hollows and holes, not that it may be a bad thing..if that's what you want.

Finally how you gonna get the frame out?

good luck, Al

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Joanie

Al, this work is inspired by Doug Phillip's trident work:
(edit: the link won't work, so google "dugz bonsai")

It's a very interesting website, especially reading from the first trident project to the last one.

Joanie

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bonsaial1

Hi Joanie. I am quite familiar with Doug Phillips and his ideas about growing large tridents. It's also been the subject of discussions here in the past. 2002 I think. Many years ago. I wonder how the house of wax is doing. My point is exactly as you referenced the web site above: "It's a very interesting website, especially reading from the first trident project to the last one." Doug has come to this method thru trial and error. I just think that making a large trident this way may pose problems that someone not familier with how to grow trees like this may not be able to handle.

I just think it may be easier to do this over a more solid matrix rather than a wire frame, for the first time. Here's a quote from Juliet three years later: "The maples havent actually fused yet, they tend to push into the wax instead of growing together....

Maybe a solid surface would help for a first time..no?

Regards, Al

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bonsaial1

I reread that whole thread. I had nothing to say.. but we did get a first taste of the new and improved you know who!

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stevesick

Here is an ongoing photo essay that I've created w/ my experience in using the wire frame fusing method w/ ficus benjamina.

www.asdfm.com/bonsai/

I need to update it w/ new pictures soon.

Let me know if you have comments or questions.

Thanks,
Steve

soonami

I guess doug didn't pay his domain fee and his page got taken down