I've been working with air layers on a crepe myrtle recently, and due to the nature of the tree, I have a lot of mature and boring straight trunks to work with.
Seeing a "fusion style" bonsai made from many seedlings recently inspired me. I like the cone shape trunk they were able to achieve with it.
So, I am going to try a vertical wedge cut like the diagram. I will have to find some way to pull the tree together – clamps, ratchet strap… Some nuts and bolts. The cone truck will stay on the parent tree for another year and hopefully get maximum recovery since a mature tree will be feeding it.
Has anybody seen this method for tapering a trunk attempted before?
by turbo_time
4 Comments
I think Hans Van Meer did a bunch of stuff like this.
Interesting idea, but how do you think this is going to heal? For all that to heal over properly, I think you’ll have to have a sucker sticking out the top of each section. As far as I know, that’s the only way callus can form. Now I could have this all wrong of course. Be interesting to see the result, but I’m skeptical as to how it’ll work out.
Cutting out the Heartwood will basically disconnect the root to leaf connection and kill the tree
Reminds me of this bonsaify video: at 4:30 he does something similar I think, https://youtu.be/ruINY64ozYg?feature=shared