In a few weeks the NoName’ Bonsai Study Group will be having Suthin for a workshop. Fortunately it will be held at my house. It’s a good thing too, I plan to have him help me work on my very large Trident Maple. This week end I found some time to start cleaning up the yard, and to begin getting ready for the event.
As I was working in the yard I noticed what I believe could be a different front for this tree, and it would eliminate the need to grow a new first branch. Additionally from this side the scars are hidden. My only relcutance is based upn the flare of the nebari. I just don’t know if it looks as strong from this side. We’ll just have to see.
Trident Maples grow pretty well in Central Florida, but tend to have their leave fry a bit in late July through August. So last year (as you may remember) I defoliated my maples to allow for a second growing season. This causes the tree to put a brand new flush of leaves, slightly smaller in size, but more importantly able to handle the hot sun.
So this year I again spent about an hour removing each leaf by hand. There were certainly more leaves than last year, but the tree is looking great. Lots of scars are healing over and the ramification has improved greatly. I am hoping for a new first bottom branch to develop. Last year I had one pop, but it didn’t make it this Spring.
There are some trees that I don’t sometimes remember why I added them to my collection, but with a trunk like this one, I’ll never forget it. It just needs a couple more years to develop and it’s going to be awesome.
During the summer months there is a lot of talk about candles, especially since my Wife and I both have our birthdays in July. However Black Pines also have candles, and every Father’s Day it is time to remove the candles that grow during the year to keep the trees dense and full. However most people see where and when to cut candles, but I wanted to show WHY you cut them.
Two weeks ago I removed the candles from two of my trees. Since the candles are able to grow for about 5 months they grow to about 4 inches in length, and if left alone will in turn leave you with needles that are 4 inches. So by cutting the candles the tree only has three months left to grow new candles for the year. Shorter candles mean shorter needles.
So after the two weeks the new candles are already popping out. As you can see they come out in sets of three so you will want to remove 1 or 2 of them. In most cases the strongest ones are removed.
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