This has been in the pipeline for quite some time .I actually saw a method of lacing seedlings to a wire frame .Me being me thought i was a task and a half to do it that particular way so i decided to use the Pheonix graft method . I had a magic crop of Trident seedlings about 2000 of them for this very purpose along with some plaited , braided and twisted trunks which are progressing really well .
Starting with the trunk i carved some rough grooves into it then carved a nice hollow from the base to the top where i split it into a fork .When veneered together it should represent a Maple that has been hit by lightning .
This is the seedling and red box stump used for the project
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The stump showing the hollowed section and the grooves used for keeping the whips in a reasonable spiral pattern
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First i began with the larger whips 6-8mm and stapled each base with a staple gun .I stapled over the trunks with the galvanized staples so minimal damage if any would be done , then added smaller whips with staples in between the gaps of the larger trunks .. The leaves were left on the maples to make them hold together rather than defoliating and having sticks falling all over themselves . With the seedlings attached i wrapped the roots and the base area with soft wire to support them .
This is when the leaves were removed as i spiral wrapped the combined seedling all the way to the apex .A quick wrap over the entire trunk with wire to firmly hold it all together .Using grafting tape i then wound the whole trunk firmly ,removing the unwanted wire as i progressed .About 5m of grafting tape was used to form a solid jacket for the entire length of the stump .
Very creative. I look forward to seeing it as it develops.