Trident - my imagination?

[Glenda]

This is my pitiful trident I bought a few months back as a very tiny seedling, just to see if it would grow up here in the tropics. Noah had some in Rocky before he shifted south, and said he grew them successfully. It does not get quite so hot here as Rockhampton is further inland and surrounded by mountains that block any sea breeze we get.

So tell me, is it my imagination, or is this trident hinting at autumn colours?

Autumn Trident.jpg

Glenda

[kcpoole]

In Makay I doubt it, unless you keep it in the fridge!
Mine do not even have any colour in Sydney

possibly just the old leaves losing vigour and about to fall off?

[bodhidharma]

O.K Glenda, time to own up. Photoshop hey

[Amanda]

It's been quite cool here on the Coast, however my trident is showing no signs of colour loss in its' leaves.

Glenda, you have a freak!

[craigw60]

Hi Glenda, at the risk of sounding like a stuck record. It makes life so much easier if you tailor your collection to suit your climate. When I lived in Melbourne I grew mostly natives and conifers, very few deciduous trees because by mid summer their leaves just looked awful. Since the move to the hills and a much cooler climate I have started to develop a collection of deciduous trees because they hold their foliage beautifully right through to autumn. Unfortunately I had to cull some of my natives they just hated the cold wet winters. Rather than fiddle around trying to grow trees which won't really flourish grow trees that will boom in your warm weather.
Craig

[Glenda]

Hi Glenda, at the risk of sounding like a stuck record. It makes life so much easier if you tailor your collection to suit your climate. When I lived in Melbourne I grew mostly natives and conifers, very few deciduous trees because by mid summer their leaves just looked awful. Since the move to the hills and a much cooler climate I have started to develop a collection of deciduous trees because they hold their foliage beautifully right through to autumn. Unfortunately I had to cull some of my natives they just hated the cold wet winters. Rather than fiddle around trying to grow trees which won't really flourish grow trees that will boom in your warm weather.
Craig

I have two liquidambar that are colouring nicely

Liquidamber 1.jpg

We are having unseasonally cold weather - why I am home sick with the 'flu. Craig - no fiddling involved - I just bought a $3.00 by accident because I thought it was a liquidambar, and have just been seeing how it would cope, since Noah told me he grew them successfully. I hide it amongst the other trees on the bench, where it gets some morning sun. I have also reduced the watering. That's all, folks! And Bohdi, I swear no photoshop was involved, other than reducing the size of the picture so it would upload. I promise!

Glenda

[craigw60]

Hi Glenda I hope I ddn't offend you, that certainly wasn't my intention. I have in the past spent years trying to grow such trees as stewartia monadelpha or styrax japonica. I realize with hindsight my time and effort would have been better directed to banksia or radiata pine.
Craig

[Glenda]

Hi Glenda I hope I ddn't offend you, that certainly wasn't my intention. I have in the past spent years trying to grow such trees as stewartia monadelpha or styrax japonica. I realize with hindsight my time and effort would have been better directed to banksia or radiata pine.
Craig

Its all good Craig . I was just tickled pink to see the colouring in my liquidambar, and when checking it today, noticed the first hint of colouring in the trident. If the trident doesn't do well or is fiddly it will get turfed - I just don't have time. I have two spruces on my bench I bought 12 months ago in my ignorance, and while they are alive, they are far from thriving. However, if they survive so be it, and if not, thats OK too, so I know where you are coming from. Thanks for your input.


Glenda

[Matthew]

Hi Glenda I hope I ddn't offend you, that certainly wasn't my intention. I have in the past spent years trying to grow such trees as stewartia monadelpha or styrax japonica. I realize with hindsight my time and effort would have been better directed to banksia or radiata pine.
Craig

Its all good Craig . I was just tickled pink to see the colouring in my liquidambar, and when checking it today, noticed the first hint of colouring in the trident. If the trident doesn't do well or is fiddly it will get turfed - I just don't have time. I have two spruces on my bench I bought 12 months ago in my ignorance, and while they are alive, they are far from thriving. However, if they survive so be it, and if not, thats OK too, so I know where you are coming from. Thanks for your input.


Glenda

Glenda

Yes i had about half a dozen trident maples growing for 3 years in rockhampton. Did they display colour?, alittle in 2008 we had a few colder nights over than that i always got leave burn in summer so i just defoliated to get new growth into autumn. I had to treat them diffently than other trees and it was by no mean an overnight accomishment. I agree with Craig grow trees to suit your area , having said that the majority of my figs came with me including retusa and willowleafs which dont like the cold and defiantly frosts at all. I have invested it a hot house with automatic heating which has been able to keep a steady night time temp betwwen 9-11 degess and it has got to -2 here so far. Monday will be the test -4 predicted and nasty frost OACH
I think your spruces will be doomed. They may go well for a season or 2 than just cark it. They need a long dormant period only something cold weather ( low single digits or colder) and frost can induce. I think your liquid amber will perform the best. There are mature ones around in rocky and last year they did get colour.............

[MattA]

Off topic but not really.. regarding growing things that are suited to a climate. I am growing Toonia Australis, they cope no problems with my climate but because it does not get cold enough, the new spring growth lacks the wonderful hot pink colours that made me fall in love with it in the first place, so now it goes in the fridge from as soon as the last leaf falls until early august, then its just dumped back out with all the rest and puts on its spectacular spring show each year. Strangely enough I have to water it more in the fridge than if it was outdoors. Thankfully its only mame size & its parent is shohin sized so they dont take up too much room in the fridge. I was tempted years ago to buy a fridge just for wintering trees, I no longer have a house with enough room for a 2nd fridge just for that.

Matt

[Glenda]

....Glenda

Yes i had about half a dozen trident maples growing for 3 years in rockhampton. Did they display colour?, alittle in 2008 we had a few colder nights over than that i always got leave burn in summer so i just defoliated to get new growth into autumn. I had to treat them diffently than other trees and it was by no mean an overnight accomishment. I agree with Craig grow trees to suit your area , having said that the majority of my figs came with me including retusa and willowleafs which dont like the cold and defiantly frosts at all. I have invested it a hot house with automatic heating which has been able to keep a steady night time temp betwwen 9-11 degess and it has got to -2 here so far. Monday will be the test -4 predicted and nasty frost OACH
I think your spruces will be doomed. They may go well for a season or 2 than just cark it. They need a long dormant period only something cold weather ( low single digits or colder) and frost can induce. I think your liquid amber will perform the best. There are mature ones around in rocky and last year they did get colour.............

I bought this trident quite by accident. Went to Bunnings to get a liquidambar and saw they had two. Bought them and when I got them home, I noticed one had two labels stuck in the soil - and the leaves were different - and turned out to be this trident. I got no leaf burn over summer, but hid it behind a larger ficus. Its out in the sun a little more now. I won't get too upset if it carks it. Same with the spruces. I was much more ignorant about such things then (still am, but have learned heaps in the past 12 months!)

Glenda

[Jamie]

Off topic but not really.. regarding growing things that are suited to a climate. I am growing Toonia Australis, they cope no problems with my climate but because it does not get cold enough, the new spring growth lacks the wonderful hot pink colours that made me fall in love with it in the first place, so now it goes in the fridge from as soon as the last leaf falls until early august, then its just dumped back out with all the rest and puts on its spectacular spring show each year. Strangely enough I have to water it more in the fridge than if it was outdoors. Thankfully its only mame size & its parent is shohin sized so they dont take up too much room in the fridge. I was tempted years ago to buy a fridge just for wintering trees, I no longer have a house with enough room for a 2nd fridge just for that.

Matt

gday matt

i think you will find that the trees you put in the fridge are drying out more because of the dryness a fridge creates, put a piece of bread in there for a few days and see how hard it goes thats what is happening to your soil!

how long do you keep them in the fridge for? a few months? is that any good for the tree? in regards to sunlight and fresh air im thinking?

J.

[MattA]

Off topic but not really.. regarding growing things that are suited to a climate. I am growing Toonia Australis, they cope no problems with my climate but because it does not get cold enough, the new spring growth lacks the wonderful hot pink colours that made me fall in love with it in the first place, so now it goes in the fridge from as soon as the last leaf falls until early august, then its just dumped back out with all the rest and puts on its spectacular spring show each year. Strangely enough I have to water it more in the fridge than if it was outdoors. Thankfully its only mame size & its parent is shohin sized so they dont take up too much room in the fridge. I was tempted years ago to buy a fridge just for wintering trees, I no longer have a house with enough room for a 2nd fridge just for that.

Matt

gday matt

i think you will find that the trees you put in the fridge are drying out more because of the dryness a fridge creates, put a piece of bread in there for a few days and see how hard it goes thats what is happening to your soil!

how long do you keep them in the fridge for? a few months? is that any good for the tree? in regards to sunlight and fresh air im thinking?

J.

Hey Jamie,

I put them in the fridge about 2wks after they have dropped the last leaf, they then stay there until mid August, so anything up to about 10wks. Because I see them several times a day they are well cared for with no risk of getting too dry. I must admit I have sat with the door open up to half an hour sometimes just enjoying the view I have been following this regimen for 6yrs with no detrimental effect on them. I started doing this after reading about a grower in Africa who had a passion for cool climate trees, so much so he has a refrigerated glasshouse to be able to keep them in his hot dry climate.

Matt

[Glenda]

No way am I going that far! I am wondering if this trident is responding to the amount of temperature drop, rather than the actual temperature? Having been through our summer, it may have acclimatised some?

Glenda