Big Problem Trident Maple - opinions

Hey all,
This is a strange A. buergerianum that is in dire need of redirection and I'd like to solicit your opinions as to the new direction. I have my own opinion as to which is best, but I'm interested in what others think/see here. I am certainly going to cut back hard in order to create a more convincing branch strucgture taper, but I'm not at all happy with the overall structure and think most of it needs to go. I think the future of this tree is held in just 1 or 2 or 3 of the current branches--not using the current front. I want to show several views, not necessarily as options for a front, but to reveal the nature of the tree's structure...

This first view is the current front (below). The oblong rootbase moves toward the back-right and the primary branch is, oddly, a back branch.



Here's the right side (below)



The back-left quarter (below)



and the left side (below)



If you'd care to offer up a virt. image of what your eye sees as the appropriate new direction, I'd be quite grateful. I have no aversion to hacking off whole branches or even chopping the trunk, if your thought requires it. Thanks!

maybe ?

Well Andy, i am not following you here. The only problem I can see is that it is not mine.

MY problem is the base. It looks like a great blob of protoplasm with legs that is just about to ooze out of the pot and devour something (or one).

Perhaps planting the tree a bit deeper so that the edges of the base aren't so near vertical? Perhaps then you could turn the tree so that back branch takes its logical place as primary branch????

The top is always fixable with pruning, pinching and time.

JimLewis wrote:MY problem is the base. It looks like a great blob of protoplasm with legs that is just about to ooze out of the pot and devour something (or one).

Perhaps planting the tree a bit deeper so that the edges of the base aren't so near vertical?

That is also my opinion.

Hello Andy. Ilike the movement of the tree from the left side. This places the big lump of a root at the back. I would carve that away and plant slightly deeper, as Jim suggests.

JimLewis wrote:MY problem is the base. It looks like a great blob of protoplasm with legs that is just about to ooze out of the pot and devour something (or one).

Perhaps planting the tree a bit deeper so that the edges of the base aren't so near vertical? Perhaps then you could turn the tree so that back branch takes its logical place as primary branch????

The top is always fixable with pruning, pinching and time.

Follow you there. Perhaps grafting some good seedlings on the blob and make the tree a multitrunk?

I agree that the nebari is the biggest problem.
Maybe you could air-layer ?
[img][/img]

Thanks all for your thoughts so far. I urge you, though, to ignore the details of the surface roots (and flat lack of) as I have plans to fix this particular bad feature of the tree. A couple dozen root grafts will be applied next year. However, angular changes in the tree/base-to-soil can certainly be considered here. :)

Kind regards,
Andy

I think this tree is awesome. It has nice movement and some very cool ugly features. I think the first and the third photos have the worst views of the base, if you want to have a nice line of taper. I made a crumby virtual that shows nice overall taper and great movement. I removed the uppermost branch to help with taper and the lower left branch, because I'm going with a more windswept feel to the tree. Not that the Lenz pot isn't perfect, but with this view I think the pot works great with the tree.

The second photo is real cool too, just needs some branch work.

Looks like no matter what is done it will be fun to work with.

Hi Andy

Another idea?! Hollow trunk [and carving of the root lumb at the present back, as Will proposed]... I took the liberty to 'lift' the nebari, just to get an idea of what a grafted new nebari would look like [as you suggested]... and please forgive MSPaint for the lack of fancy tools. Only you can tell wether this idea is plausible or not ;-) I'm not happy with the new leader as per my suggestion, though. So please disregard anything but the trunk and nebari idea.



best regards

/Loke Emil

Thanks, all, for your kind reworks and well-considered ideas. I have accomplished the initial work on this one, down a drastic path.



This one is quite similar to Loke Emil's idea, which I had been seriously considering for a few weeks. One can, in fact, rotate the tree to achieve that profile almost exactly.

My preference for ugly/misshapen material like this is to emphasize obtuse features, so I'm opting for the widest presentation of the base and a drastic taper. The taper is, of course, overly-drastic at the moment and this tree has a good 4 - 6 years of taper-repairing growth before it'll go where I'm aiming. The cut scar is properly mounded and not too bad at all. It will heal in about 3 years.

Some of the conflicting branches (in the back) are there to keep the wide trunk/rootbase alive while new branch structure is established.

Thanks again for your ideas here!
Kind regards,
Andy

Andy, Good choice.

I'd think about regrowing all branches except for the first on the left. Seems like you'll need a deeper pot for the roots in the new planting angle although the current pot is nice. Nick Lenz pot?

Possible future.

Nice virt, I would shoot for something similar to that.

That's a helluva view from your penthouse, Rob!!