I think you still need to remove some branches. A few in the middle, that that extra vertical one near the top.
Greg
OK well my wife was looking at me crossed eyed as I was butchering this poor tree. I think I will give it a rest for a bit. But I agree I think it is still a little on the full side. Which brings up a question. How far do you go before you sit back and wait and see where the tree takes itself and then whack again? I mean this thing is only about a foot tall and I have removed probably half the growth. I don’t want to traumatize the poor thing. Can I let it sit for a few months and then trim on it some more or is better to give it a sever chopping now and then shape what comes back?
I do not know about Alberta Spruces, but for real bushes, the rule of thumb is remove only up to 1/3rd of the growth at a time. I ended up breaking that rule on a bush I transplanted. The thing did not want to relocate. After 2 or 3 years of looking like it was going to just die off, I noticed some new growth on it today, as I was mowing around it.
That’s kinda what I was thinking David. I mean I really did chop out quite a a bit. I figured I would go at it again toward fall. This tree and the boxwood are the only plants I will buy for the layout this year. I am experimenting. Next year I will hopefully add to the forest. So this tree is the lab rat.
Frankenbush.
I’ve thought I cut too much sometimes, but never had one die.
Yes Frankenbush. I said these would be the only ones I would buy this year but I can’t stop thinking about a couple of species of junipers I saw at Lowes. I might have to buy a couple and whack on them also.
Pete,
Thats good to know. I do want to cut a bit more.
I think you are better off to prune early on an inexpensive plant, than to let it get out of control, and try to prune it when it’s really too late and have invested several years in it.
Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
I think you are better off to prune early on an inexpensive plant, than to let it get out of control, and try to prune it when it’s really too late and have invested several years in it.
Greg
Oh I certainly agree with you there. I wasn’t thinking years I was thinking months. I have no idea what I am talking about but just seems like you can go to far to fast. I was thinking a heavy spring and then again a heavy fall prune. Then shape as necessary in the following years. I mean it wouldn’t be a tragedy if I kill and 8 dollar plant. But on the other hand I want to develop good techniques. I do know that plants can take a beating and heal up just fine. One year my mom was sure I killed her raspberries when I got a stick and had a sword fight with them and chopped everyone of them clean to the dirt. She got very mad, I got a very red butt, and next year we had the best crop of raspberries ever (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif). Come to think of it she never did thank me (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-innocent.gif).
Maybe I will hack on it again.
Read up on some of the sites that will give you the basics of Bonsai … the problem is once a plant goes too far, you cannot bring it back to a smaller size and still look good.
Greg
Devon Sinsley said:
Greg Elmassian said:
I think you are better off to prune early on an inexpensive plant, than to let it get out of control, and try to prune it when it’s really too late and have invested several years in it.
Greg
Oh I certainly agree with you there. I wasn’t thinking years I was thinking months. I have no idea what I am talking about but just seems like you can go to far to fast. I was thinking a heavy spring and then again a heavy fall prune. Then shape as necessary in the following years. I mean it wouldn’t be a tragedy if I kill and 8 dollar plant. But on the other hand I want to develop good techniques. I do know that plants can take a beating and heal up just fine. One year my mom was sure I killed her raspberries when I got a stick and had a sword fight with them and chopped everyone of them clean to the dirt. She got very mad, I got a very red butt, and next year we had the best crop of raspberries ever (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif). Come to think of it she never did thank me (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-innocent.gif).
Maybe I will hack on it again.
Hmmm a hacker…
Hack away. Don’t be timid. One of my best specimens was near death. I cut away all the dead and sick stuff, sprinkled coffee grounds on it, and wished it well. It now looks like a real forest tree.
Unfortunately I have way too much experience on the subject of pruning dwarf Alberta spruces. This monster I created can get out of control if I don’t prune the heck out of it. I start pruning them about now and finish around August. Then in the spring they all get new growth and I have to start all over again. Sometimes I think about modeling Nebraska , it would be so much easier.(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/todus2/gondola%20load/imga0847.jpg)(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/todus2/gondola%20load/imga0848.jpg)
Yeah, I’m trying to keep my plants to a scale that matches the locos, and about 18 inches high at the maximum.
Mike those are good looking, but they do look to be 3 to 4 feet tall, right? I just don’t have that space.
I need Bonsai size and small bonsai at that.
Greg
Holy cow that is a forest. They look great, I would love to have the space to do something like that. But given my space I am inline with Greg’s thinking. I will have only a few trees maybe 15 - 20 total and they will need to be kept well in check.
But Greg, since your a technical guy, I have to pick on you (any excuse to poke at you is a good one (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)). 18" isn’t a very big scale pine tree, in 1:20 that’s only a 30 foot tree and 48’ in 1:32. As pine trees go these are adolescent at best. Western White Pine and Western Larch are giants and the common Douglas Fir easily reaches 150 and old growth can reach 300 feet(coastal). Grand Fir and Englemann Spruce also common evergreen trees easily go 120 with old growth being much taller. To keep them “scale” they would need to be 4-5 feet tall. I can only speak for my neck of the woods but evergreen trees tower over locomotives.
But I am only picking on you. Part of the whole thing is perceived scale as well. In my little 12 foot wide area 20 5’ spruces would overwhelm the area and i would need a machete to get in to run trains. 18"-24" is what i am thinking I will need to keep mine too in order to look like a forest without being a jungle.
Devon, I tried to splain that to my mom about my large weed. Its about 6 foot tall, a bit too large, but I like it. That’s because one summer I didn’t trim it like I should have, I was not interested much in my trains that summer.
I want more spruces, but I need to get trimming on them early this time around. Although, the two I have I want to prune are still only about 2 feet tall. If they die, I got like 13 years out of them, so I did get my money’s worth.
50 to 60 foot would be my max, but I have a narrow area, so large trees will hit the train.
I understand Greg but that doesn’t mean I won’t take the opportunity to pick at you.
Ahh no problem Devon! Get in line ha ha!
Greg