1. ROOTS...container grown stock when un-containerized for planting in a training-bed, seems to have only a tangled ball of brown, wiry roots. Do you think some fatter roots are hiding within this root ball? I didn't want to expose too much of the top portion of the root ball to hunt around for major roots to develop a basal flare.

2. WIRING/BENDING BRANCHES...I should wrap major branches with raffia, wire, then bend gradually...leaving wires on for at least a year, or more. In what season should this bending/wiring be done?

3. MAJOR PRUNING.... books say, very late Fall to prevent ugly, bumpy, healing-over of pruning cuts. Yes?

I live in Zone-7b

This Blue Atlas Cedar will be styled in Bunjin-style, and be quite tall...with only a few major branches to define style. The trunk will be around 48" tall, slanted, and the first major branch, 36" from base, coming off this trunk will be wired, and bent into position to extend trunk line, and to also form a new apex, and major branches, which when trained, will define/refine style.

I really need the wiring/bending information soon if this is the season to do this work. The rest can wait until the proper time, but I would still like to know how to treat this material. This tree was selected because it has all the major elements for this style, at this point, so I need to just refine the Bunjin design with pruning and training techniques.

Any suggestions would be a big help.

Frank

Al

Thanks. I wish I could post a drawing of the final design and show a photo of the tree, but I haven't a clue how to do this. I realize that a photo is worth a thousand words.

In lieu of a photo, can any of my questions be answered? I would like to at least wire the main shape into place, then do any major pruning later this season, or, if need be, next Spring if that's when it needs to be done. I may dispense with the wiring altogether, and instead use guide wires to pull branches into position, and only wire secondary branches after main-branch position is set.

Anyway, the tree is in the ground, and I will probably do all the work on the tree while in-ground.

Still open to suggestions for tree.

Thanks,
Frank

Al