HOME   OLIVE-HEAD CENTRAL   TRIDENT TRUNK   COLLECTING   JEEP STUFF   STUMPEZE   FOR SALE
ZZYZXX   NEWS & NOTES   CONTACT ME   BIOGRAPHY   HARLEY   STUDY GROUP   LINKS  

A chest of treasures is on this page.

Just take a moment to read and look at some of the photos posted here and see for yourself if there is something of value.

It all started about 1993; I was noticing all the different trees at shows and workshops that had roots and branches grafted on to them. Most of the time the grafting technique used was an approach graft. As I pondered the concept of adding live material to areas of a trunk to “fix” a defect, I began to look into the possibility of making a single big tree from multiple small trees using the approach graft method. There are occasions in my life where I have been known to take something to an extreme; the thought about fusing a large trunk from many seedlings was no exception.

In the summer of 1994, I started with a wooden base and carved it to a shape and size I considered to be appropriate. I then went looking for a bunch of suitable seedlings, the trees had to have certain characteristics that would lend well to the task at hand. Trident maples were readily available at that time from a club member and they had most of the characteristics I was seeking. I couldn’t wait until the trees went dormant for the winter, I jumped right into the project by defoliating all the material, it was mid July and quite warm out. I bare rooted all the leafless trees and went to work securing them to the carved wooden “form”. I used anything available to fasten these trees to the wood. I used things like nails, staples, sheetrock screws, washers, cable ties, wire, screen and chopsticks. The project took a little longer than originally anticipated, (like all day) but years later; I think it turns out that it was time well spent. Not having done this before, nor knowing anyone who had ever attempted a project of this size I really did not know what to expect.

I watched the progress of the seedlings as they grew and the diameter of each trunk swelled. They soon ran out of space between themselves and at the first points of contact started the process of “joining” together. By the early spring of 1995, the trunks were sufficiently fused to begin to give evidence my idea just might have some merit.

By the spring of 1996 I was so impressed with the progress of the trunks fusing together on the first tree I started another one. This one had a few different ideas applied to it. In hindsight, some turned out to be for the better, some for the worse.

A couple more years roll on by and the third tree was started, I was going to do some things to the 1998 model that would change the world. The next year would show these ideas to be a flop. The tree will probably still work out, it will just take a few extra seasons to correct everything that went wrong.

So, Y2K shows to be nothing to worry about, all the computers did just fine, I survived the new years party, and I proceeded on tree #4. The goal was still the same, try some new processes and techniques to try and reduce the time it took to fuse the trunks. So off I went with the combined experience of the last 6 years and a couple hundred seedlings. Tree #4 was “born”.

Well, it’s two years later and this tree is more completely fused than tree #2 and well in front of tree #3, tree #4 is about 96% fused and a lot less scaring to recover from where the discard branches/trunks were removed. I estimate the trunk will “catch up” to tree # 1 this year. There is no comparison in the design of the trees; tree #1 is a twisted trunk, informal upright, while tree #4 is a formal upright. Each tree has its own distinctive qualities and characteristics. Tree #1 is a little ahead in the selection and formation of the primary branch structure. I will be starting that same segment of training to tree #4 this growing season.

Until now I had skipped over the root development of the story, remember all those seedlings? They all had a taproot and none of those tap roots were cut. All those tap roots became primary roots. Talk about nebari? Well, this is where I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

Take The Tours
Tour 1 Trident Trunk #1	Tour 2 Trident Trunk #5	Tour 3 Trident Trunk #6	Tour 4 Trident Trunk #7

Now if you would like to know more about this process of tree building, I’d be glad to come to your club or organization. You may contact me for details by email, dphilips@hughes.net.

HOME   OLIVE-HEAD CENTRAL   TRIDENT TRUNK   COLLECTING   JEEP STUFF   STUMPEZE   FOR SALE
ZZYZXX   NEWS & NOTES   CONTACT ME   BIOGRAPHY   HARLEY   STUDY GROUP   LINKS