Droop Jr. - Status Update

Three months after planting ( 10.03.2015 ) 

The tree is in pretty great shape.  There is a little die back on the right side, where the tree has the thinnest foliage, but there is some new growth on the front of the tree.

The last Hinoki Gracilis had barely made it a 2 and half months before most of the tree showed significant problems, including most of the tree being golden brown.   I have way more faith in this tree, but am still a little terrified.

I'll winterize the tree soon, keep a close eye on it, and hope for the best.

 

Stratification - Bur Oak

Stratification - Bur Oak

I wanted to try and start from scratch with an Oak tree.  I've never tried stratify seeds before, and am eager to see the end result.  In this particular case, I choose the acorns from a tree that was planted near my office.  Most of the Oak trees around my office area have been planted with the last two years. Below are some pictures of the process I took, and then the tree that I choose the acorns from.  All the acorns passed the float test.

These were put into the refrigerator on 10.03-2015.

 

 

Amount of peat moss per bag ( One Plastic Solo Cup ).

The amount of water I used per bag.

There are two acorns per the first two bags, and one acorn in the last bag.

 

The Bur Oak Tree, I choose the acorns from. 

( The tree was not in the best of shape, but then, most of the trees planted around our office aren't fairing to incredibly well ).

Red Rocket Myrtle Cepe - Mary Jane - 2015-09-25

Name       : Mary Jane

Tree       : Red Rocket Myrtle Crepe

Age        : Unknown

Height     : 29 Inches

Bought     : Fast Growing Trees

Acquired   : Fedex, 08.10.2015

Damage     : Massive

Health     : Moderate

Received   : 2015-08-10

Re-potted  : 2015-08-22

Soil       : Thirds, Clay ( yard soil ), Sand, Peat Moss

Not happy with this one.  This tree lost an exceptional amount of mass due to shipping damage.  Almost two weeks later, I have it re-potted, and it appears to be doing well.  The tree was not braced in the container, so I assume it just got beat to hell and back.  I've ordered other trees online, through different companies, and had extremely better results.

In any case...  This tree's reported hardiness zone is not higher than 6, with Ohio just meeting that requirement.  Since there's a chance that this tree will die back in winter, and re-bloom in summer, halting it's growth, I am going to attempt to nurse the tree to a certain height prior to planting next year.  Maybe longer.

2015-08-10

2015-09-25

Hinoki Gracilis cones ( nuts )

Hinoki Gracilis Cones ( Nuts )

 I was searching google for images of Hinoki Gracilis seeds, but wasn't able to find pictures of them easily.  

Here's a picture of the cones that came off of my Hinoki Gracilis ( Droopy Jr. ) in mid-summer.

Hopefully it makes them easier to find on the interwebs.

I will try stratification on these, plus the few more that haven't come off the tree yet.

Hinoki Gracilis - 2015-08-03 - Droopy Jr.

Name       : Droopy Jr. ( For referencing ) 
Tree       : Hinoki Gracilis 
Age        : Unknown
Height     : 77 Inches
Bought     : Straders Garden Center
Acquired   : Picked up, in Truck.
Damage     : Minimal
Health     : Moderate
Received   : 2015-08-01
Planted    : 2015-08-03
Hole Depth : Tree base to container bottom
Hole Width : About twice ball root diameter
Soil       : Half and Half // Peat Moss, Back Fill

 I picked up this tree myself, due to this, there was less overall damage to the tree from transport. Additionally, the tree was in much better health than it's predecessor.  I also used less backfill on the planting, and switched from compost to peat moss.  Since I planted this in mid summer, I decide to trench out the hole, so the soil could breath better, and I could easily feed nutrients back to the tree.  I understand this method ( especially since the lines dug aren't symmetrical ) could later affect root development, but we'll see.  These trees are usually very hardy, and do not require a bunch of post transplant attention.

 

Hinoki Gracilis - 2015-05-09 - Droopy - ( Dead ) - :_(

Resigning Droopy

Name       : Droopy ( For referencing )
Tree       : Hinoki Gracilis

Reason For Death

Over watering.

Unfortunately, this was out of my control.  We had almost 2 and half months of straight rain about a week after transplanting.  This is highly unusual, especially as far into the season as we were. I tried my best to keep the soil around the tree aerated, but was unable to keep the tree alive.

I am assuming that there were other contributing factors with this tree's death.  Aside from over watering, the tree lost some foliage mass in transport from Straders, which would have limited root establishment.  Additionally, since the two and a half months of rain were so consistent, the tree lacked a lot of sunlight after transplant.  This tree type can suffer dramatically from sun not reaching the inner branches, let alone outer.

June 20th

 

Japanese Maple - Crimson Queen - 2015-08-01

Name           : Causativus( For referencing )
Tree           : Japanese Maple
USA Zone       : Hardiness 5-8
Cultivar       : Crimson Queen
Age            : Unknown
Current Height : 34 Inches
Bought         : Oakland Nursery
Acquired       : In person, car ( 2002 Honda Accord )
Damage         : None, when bought
Health         : Exceptional
Received       : April 2013
Planted        : April, 2013
Trimmed        : Three Times

• Late Winter, 2014
• Early Sprint, 2015
• Early Summer, 2015

May 2015

June 2015

 July 2015