Eastern red cedar dig

This is the creek bed where this eastern red cedar
was dug from, sorry some of the pictures are
out of focus

   





the banks along these creek beds are lined with magnificent
old trees like this oak

the trees along the banks are very picturesque with their fall colors

 I found this Eastern red cedar growing at the base of an old oak.
the oak or some other tree had fallen on the cedar & broken
the upper part ; it was bent over but still attached & growing.

     I honestly don't know how this tree survived not only was it
growing in the shade of this oak but it was trapped in the roots
that were slowly squeezing it & on top of that it was growing
on top of solid rock.

After cutting some oak roots I started to remove the rock from the top
& then from around the bottom of the tree . Then I had to dig from the
other side.

Finally I was able to free the tree from the oak & from the rocks
surrounding it, all in all it took me about 3 hours to dig it out

  By the time I was finished it was dark & started to rain. this is what the site
looked like after the tree was dug out. In the bucket were my saw,hammer,
chisel, pry bar & assorted other tools,by the way no shovel it would have
been useless. 

  This is the tree getting a good soaking in the creek before being
bagged up for the trip home.

  This a picture of the root ball before being pruned

    After being pruned and potted up I used a board to prop up
the upper part of the tree and I was finished cause I was tired
& it was still raining.

   The next morning I used a piece of re bar to replace the board

& hold the tree upright. I also wired one of the branches &
wired the trunk in place

   So this is it's new home hopefully it will survive the winter
and keep on growing .  I will post on it's progress later.

  That's all for now             Wax  on .................Wax off












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Old Tree Trunk

We don't usually dig up tree trunks this big, but since this trunk was
going to die in a couple of years if we didn't dig it up now. It was growing on the
edge of an over hang to the creek bed. The roots were hanging down in the air.
It is a magnificent old trunk that is broken in half & has been
naturally weathered for years.





















There are two branches that we cut off & we
had to do some hard pruning to the root system
which didn't have very many roots
























The trunk is hollowed out all the way to the
bottom & has a nice twisting motion






















This one side of tree & you can see the bark
is really old. When we spotted this tree it was
in leaf, we thought it's a shame this tree will
die soon.





















This is the other side, after two or three
weeks we decided to try to save it & dig it up
any way.





















It doesn't have many roots but maybe
it'll grow some over the winter & it will
sprout new buds that will leaf out in the
spring....keeping our fingers crossed.

That's all for now, Wax on ......Wax off


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Dig on local creek bed

Jacob & I went to a local creek on a scouting trip & found several trees.
As you can see it is a very scenic creek


















This is another section of the same creek






















we were able to find some trees close together























This is another angle of the same tree
showing the curves & dead wood




















This is an ash tree that has had it's trunk
broken at one time
























A close up of the trunk showing
where a new leader has grown

























Jacob digging up a privet

























All these trees are growing out of hard cliche
rock which makes them very hard to dig
this is where the privet was dug out





























we are back home preparing to pot up the privet
some of the branches were shorten while the tree
was being dug




























contemplating which of the remaining branches
have to be cut in the initial styling of the tree
























The tree is pruned and wired after being
potted up. The hope is the bottom branches
will fatten up then more pruning.... provided
the tree survives.


















That's all for now I'll post pictures of the rest of the trees & the next dig soon.



Wax on..................................Wax off




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weather is changing

The weather is changing now ,we've had one cold night and another is on the way on Thursday night.
Now is the time if you haven't already done so,to get your tropicals inside .
Also your evergreens & deciduous trees in small pots should be protected by placing them on the ground & covering them with mulch to protect the roots.


I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to do some last minuet pruning & wiring to some of my trees in preparation for winter.




Chinese elm before the top is chopped off






















after the chop a new leader &
branches are wired























A juniper before





















After it's pruned & wired





























A cedar elm before























After it's been wired

























Another elm with the top cut off

























then root pruned






















then potted up and wired























this elm tree has been cut before























after a 2 1/2 inch cut off the top





















it's been wired and potted in a new container
























That's all for now, I'll post again in a couple days about an upcoming dig!!


Wax on........................Wax off




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