Page 57 - BSAM 2015 Q3

The stump was turned upside down and wood hardener poured into the cavity.
As an alternative, the cavity could be filled with auto body putty. The roots will be adequate for tying the stump in the pot. I could put brass eyehole screws in the harder parts of the stump and attach the wires to the eyeholes.
B. Chose a pot big enough to accommodate both the stump and the live tree. You can take the live tree out of its growing pot, spray the roots, and put them in a plastic bag. Use the bagged tree to test both the fit to the dead wood and the space in the pot.
C. California junipers (Juniperus californica) are a much harder, rot resistant variety. They grow very slowly in the dry desert air and various estimates are made of their ages. The piece I cut off to balance a tree had 30 growth rings to the inch, measuring from the center out. An incomplete section measured 2 1/2 inches across.
If I used this dead tree, I would carve a channel for the live plant. When ready for the permanent connec- tion, some of cambium from a juniper scion (this is a Phoenix graft, therefore scion is appropriate) would be removed to stimulate the cambium to further growth. Carefully done, with a close fit, the growing cambium would fill in any gaps and eventually roll over the edges of the grove and give the impression that the scion was growing out of the tree.
The bougainvillea stump is far too soft for that to work and damaging the cambium on a live
B
A
Facing page; San Diego Red Bougainvillea that died in 2014 from an overdose of fertilizer.
Top right; The dead trunk and an Orange King Bougainvillea that will be combined in a Phoenix Graft.
Middle left; Treating the stump with wood hardener.
Bottom left; Deadwood from a California Juniper as a comparison to the softer bougainvillea wood.
Bottom right; Orange King prepared for transplanting.
C
D
July/August/September 2015 | BCI | 55