Apprenticeship Session 7: Luma and more

This week we started out with the usual scut work - stuff that has to get done. We potted up 477 trident maple seedlings before lunchtime.

After lunch, we began working on some Luma apiculata trees, otherwise known as peruvian myrtle. We had 16 1 gallon sized trees that were pruned back basically to just a trunk and 1 or 2 branches. But they apparently grow pretty fast, and may be ready to sell later this year. They were so pot-bound that I had to chop at their rootball with an ax! Here are some pics of that process.

Here is one of them before any work.


Here is the batch after initial pruning.


Now to slip it out of its can. Wow - pot pound!


After using the ax to remove the outside layer of roots, I used the hose and the root hook.


They were then re-potted back into their 1 gallon cans.

After that, we began working on a giant Luma that Brent has had there for quite awhile. It was definatley a 2 man tree. It was also very pot bound,and the leaves had reduced to less than half the size of the smaller trees.

Brent actually used a maul while I held the tree (yikes) to get through the massive rootball. This tree is going to be fabulous once the branch structure is refined. Here it is.


After that, I did some more work on my big elm - cleaning up the stubs. I will need to get it in a new pot soon. Always more work to be done.