corkscrew willows and cactus "bone"

i put together something this past spring and jupp's dragon post inspired me to post this...

i had a bunch of corkscrew willow whips and not sure what to do with all of them, i figured i'd try something alien-ish  

a science fiction experiment, of sorts

so i took a cactus bone/skeleton and wired it to a desert rock with some existing holes and then wrapped the roots in cellowrap to protect them... i then threaded them through the cactus bone, pulling them gently through the hollows until the root emerged out the other end... removed the cellowrap and planted it as usual...

at the time of creation:













i dont have a current pic yet, but in just this one growing season the trunks are already about 1/2 way to filling the hollow of the cactus bone (but the 2 whips coming out of the base were an after thought, and didnt survive)... if i get my work done today i plan on taking summer portraits and if so will post a more current pic (if not now, then soon)

curious of course what others might think...

sorry about the coupla sideways pics...
they werent critical so didnt dick around with fixing them

Did you treat the cactus skeleton? If not, it will rot. I used to make pens out of same after it is impregnated with resin.

Cool experiment, hope it comes out good.

Poink88 wrote:Did you treat the cactus skeleton?  If not, it will rot.  I used to make pens out of same after it is impregnated with resin.

Cool experiment, hope it comes out good.

i have had some of these outside for years (in wisconsin) and no signs of rot... not saying they wont rot, but if they do, it wont be until the trunks have swollen and grafted themselves together at which point if the cactus bone is ready to give up the ghost, the trunks can slowly break free like some mutant plant from planet X breaking out of its eggshell exoskeleton



you see puny human, i have it all figured out !!!


BWAH-HA-HA-HA !!!!
BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA !!!!!!!

emmmmm...  a Cactus, a shell and willow.....  more like a surrealistic composition than Alien.  I think the Aliens will also find this surreal.

you are one weird.....Ph cker

Hi hihi hi     hi       hi      i..

.....thank you for the giggle

Love and light
ps...its gonna rot.

[quote="Andre Beaurain" you are one weird.....Ph cker

.....thank you for the giggle
[/quote]

coming from you, i will take that as a compliment

and you are most welcome...
who said there can't be a lighter side to thing ?

and like i said, by the time it rots, it's job will be done

(i do have a couple trees that the trunks are being blended - i hope - in a more traditional manor)

cool idea - saw it in person a couple weeks ago, it will be fun to see what this is like 3 years from now.

I want to see progression pictures nowwwwww!!! One taken 3 years after initial planting would be wonderful

Patience is hopefully something bonsai is teaching me, lol.

sorry wanderer... didnt get around to "summer portraits" yet...
and the milwaukee bonsai show is this coming weekend so, no time for the next bunchafew days...

and right now all you would see would be these extremely long willows coming out of the end of the "bone"
(almost like a ground effects firework)... the interior may be difficult to photograph...

i am letting them run wild in order to thicken up the trunks as quick as possible and only when they are pressed up against the interior will i worry about the canopy, etc...

Wander wrote:I want to see progression pictures nowwwwww!!! One taken 3 years after initial planting would be wonderful

Patience is hopefully something bonsai is teaching me, lol.  

before i forget... excerpts from "summer portraits"
(only 1 springsummerfall since initial planting)

Such a strange looking thing. Good growth though! I hope they all make it through the winter.

strange indeed
BWAH-HA-HA-HA

but yeah, me thinks i will be cutting them back before the long winter nap

Really? I thought that trimming was more of a early spring thing.

pretty sure its ok w/ these as long as its late enough that its not gonna try and spit new buds that wont survive...

BUT - open to dissenting opinions of the more learned...