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whaas_5a

This one is just laughable...

whaas_5a
10 years ago

Bending a tree in half to fit in a box...really?

I spent almost 30 minutes trying to stake this type of tree and its nearly impossible.

How lazy can one be? If its too tall, don't ship the damn thing!

{{gwi:435610}}

Comments (22)

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    10 years ago

    Nice, artistic, windswept form...lol

    tj

  • j0nd03
    10 years ago

    Excellent specimen of Quercus bicolor "Boreas"

  • whaas_5a
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Vendor came back and told me nothing is wrong and that I should just tie all the stems to a stake.

    Is that acceptable?

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    There's no reason to think it won't re-orient itself.

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    10 years ago

    Looks like you just went through a hurricane. Lol.

  • whaas_5a
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I tried to bend the stems back and they flex back immediately.

    The tree was literally bent in half in a 8" wide box.

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    Just leave it, unless you think it's going to blow over - which is a separate issue.

  • calliope
    10 years ago

    This is called epinasty and unless the poor thing was in solitary confinement for a lot longer than shipping it, it should right itself. I used to box thousands of poinsettias in cold weather for shipping and it can be scary when first unpacked. LOL. If unpacked as soon as you receive it, it will recover. You should see some of my fruit trees. They outdid themselves this year and many branches are sweeping the ground and have been in that position for some weeks now and will stay distorted for awhile. They will return to normal soon enough after harvest is complete. What bboy says. I would not try to right each branch. If you've ever tried to train tree limbs ( like braiding tree standards) you will see that if they spring loose in no time at all, they're back to the original shape.

  • whaas_5a
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Alright, I'm leaving this topic and betting they don't flex back!lol

    I have it planted in a garbage spot. See what happens in spring.

  • calliope
    10 years ago

    I won't say we'll ask if you forget, because if it doesn't spring back I am sure you'll let us know. LOL

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    what you need to do.. is get the little one.. to dramatically lean into the trunk.. and snap a few pix..that make it look like she was out there in a WI hurricane.. holding up daddy's tree.. lol

    ken

  • jujujojo_gw
    10 years ago

    It is very artistic. Maybe you will miss it when it will adjust itself eventually.

  • arbordave (SE MI)
    10 years ago

    Whaas,
    I would select the dominant stem and tie it up against a slender bamboo stake. Nursery growers do this all the time. Sometimes it's the only way to make sure the tree develops a good, straight central leader.

  • calliope
    10 years ago

    That sounds like a good idea.

  • lucky_p
    10 years ago

    Whaas,
    I've packed & shipped some that way - or even coiled in more than an 360 degree circle. It'll be just fine, so long as they didn't snap any of the branches.

  • hairmetal4ever
    10 years ago

    I'd be more concerned that it does not appear to have any sort of leader. I've never seen a Q. bicolor that didn't have a straight, unforked trunk some ways up. Definitely higher than...3 feet.

    What nursery did that come from?

    FWIW I agree it should straighten out, and worst-case would do so with some light staking.

  • ilovemytrees
    10 years ago

    Why didn't they ship it in a taller box?

  • whaas_5a
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    All, thanks for the comments. My point was really to show how not to ship a plant.

    The thing is almost 6' tall so I say don't ship it. Most people don't have 8' stakes!

    Hairmetal,

    You actually touch on the point that I didn't bring up and why I am actually ticked. I specially asked for a plant with one dominant trunk. They replied yes no problem. This plant branches off into multiple leaders multiple times. Hence the reason I'm annoyed with trying to stake it. Nursery came back and said this plant grows with multiple trunks (well yes they "can") but then showed me a picture of how to stake a tree. The pic they sent....a SINGLE STEM plant of the same size and same cultivar! What a slap in the face. That was the first and last time I use this mail order source. The fact they sent me something other than what I asked for, tell me thats how it grows, stuff it in a box, then send a picture of a plant that I originally asked for is terrible business practice.

    Since they've been doing business for so long, I'm apparently wrong and they are right.

    Edit: So out of curiosity, would you just say oh well it is what it is they didn't send what they said they would or would you want a credit/replacement for this $70 tree?

    {{gwi:435611}}

    This post was edited by whaas on Sun, Sep 15, 13 at 9:16

  • Matt W (Zone 5 OH)
    10 years ago

    Hey whaas - what is the tree here anyway?

  • lovetogarden
    10 years ago

    Whaas, I just purchased a Royal Raindrops Crabapple from a local nursery that had a bamboo stake holding the central leader upright with other branches parallel it. Those branches had been tipped off (clipped 1/3 down their stem) - which is the correct practice because it forces the tree to send hormones to the branch selected as the leader to be the leader and the surrounding branches to grow vertically. This is a common and good arborist practice. I have an EXCELLENT book on pruning called Pruning by Robert Kourik. I suggest you get it because it tells you the best time of how and when to prune a specific species.
    For the tree I just purchased there are some bare limb spots along the trunk which I was concerned about. But after reading about the species, and how to encourage more limbing, I am no longer concerned about it because I know that while the tree is putting all it's energy right now into growing vertically it will soon, (probably first season after planting) start to put out more horizontal limbs. This book even shows you how to encourage where you want them.
    Anyway, I wouldn't fret too much because I'm sure the tree will right itself and by next season you'll be very happy with your choice (that is if you choose the right tree for the right space to begin with). Here's a pic of the tree I just purchased the first day it was planted. As you can see, a lot of the limbs are still in the up position because that is how the nursery received them, tied up like Christmas trees. They are already starting to relax and take their proper position.

  • whaas_5a
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    L2GARDEN,

    Yes its quite common for nurseries to tie up the limbs to save space and protect the limbs from damage.

    However you are taking a limb from 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Not a big deal. My tree on the other hand was bent 180 degrees.

    I can fix the tree will heading cuts. The principle is that the nursery agreed to ship what I asked for and did not deliver upon that.

    This is how you train columnar oaks properly. Can't sneak a line of bs past a collector.

    {{gwi:368039}}

    {{gwi:435612}}

    {{gwi:336570}}

    {{gwi:321948}}

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    Snipping back the side branches of small specimens just makes them hedge-like and slower-growing (less foliage = less food made = less overall size increase). What makes a branch into a leader is tying it up, at which point the hormones will appear on their own, in response to the vertical orientation.

    I especially wouldn't arbitrarily head back a rose family tree like a crab, as those are quite good about responding with replacement branches that shoot off to the side, in quite different directions from the main branch. This is one of the reasons there is so much follow-up pruning of orchard fruit trees.

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