This entire post is dedicated to the new growth leader, #38.
As it was stated in the previous post some plants shot new strong branches with #38 showing strongest growth. Although in overall height it ranks only fifth, it's overall volume, bright green color and massive number of new branches shooting along the entire length of the trunk made it the prime candidate for the next phase.
A 5 foot wide and 4 feet deep hole in the ground was dug. The bottom 1 foot was filled with 2" river rock with a drainage pipe positioned down the slope:
The entire volume (approximately 40 cubic feet) was filled with a mix of sand, 0.5" gravel, composted manure, top soil, peat moss, perlite. More sand and gavel was used in lower layers. Premium potting mix and tried and true cactus soil were used in the top layers. Two full 2 cubic foot bags of peat moss were used throughout. This will make the soil fairly acidic and some neutralizer will be added at a later time. The top level containing potting mix contained some fertilizer (green pellets), which was deemed sufficient for the initial planting.
Lower 2 feet of the mixture were thoroughly drenched in water to create consistency of clay slightly sticking to hands, but not muddy.
#38 was removed from the temporary location by attaching two bungee cords through pre-drilled holes on top of the container and pulling it out of the hole:
The wire mesh at the bottom along with the synthetic filter material were removed:
This last part looked somewhat disturbing as the lower roots were snapping off very easily. The hope is that it will not affect the tree too much. In the future plantings the wire mesh will be cut out but the white synthetic material will be left alone in place. The roots penetrate synthetic material very easily and it does not appear leaving it should have any effect on the tree.
The container was placed in a 1 foot deep hole in the center of the new location. Each PVC half side was removed and the gap filled with more cactus soil:
This placed the base of the tree about two feet above the ground level. The reason for that was because a significant soil compression is expected over next several years, which will eventually lower the tree base closer to the ground level.
Finally, more vegetable planting soil (with fertilizer) was added around the base of the tree creating a mound and a "moat" area for watering. The plant was immediately watered with about a gallon (4L) of water:
A net was placed around the planting area and baseline measurement taken:
The first permanent move has been completed:
Since this pant will monitored closely, here is a few detailed pictures:
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middle
bottom
Finally, here is #38 journey so far:
As it was stated in the previous post some plants shot new strong branches with #38 showing strongest growth. Although in overall height it ranks only fifth, it's overall volume, bright green color and massive number of new branches shooting along the entire length of the trunk made it the prime candidate for the next phase.
A 5 foot wide and 4 feet deep hole in the ground was dug. The bottom 1 foot was filled with 2" river rock with a drainage pipe positioned down the slope:
The entire volume (approximately 40 cubic feet) was filled with a mix of sand, 0.5" gravel, composted manure, top soil, peat moss, perlite. More sand and gavel was used in lower layers. Premium potting mix and tried and true cactus soil were used in the top layers. Two full 2 cubic foot bags of peat moss were used throughout. This will make the soil fairly acidic and some neutralizer will be added at a later time. The top level containing potting mix contained some fertilizer (green pellets), which was deemed sufficient for the initial planting.
Lower 2 feet of the mixture were thoroughly drenched in water to create consistency of clay slightly sticking to hands, but not muddy.
#38 was removed from the temporary location by attaching two bungee cords through pre-drilled holes on top of the container and pulling it out of the hole:
The wire mesh at the bottom along with the synthetic filter material were removed:
This last part looked somewhat disturbing as the lower roots were snapping off very easily. The hope is that it will not affect the tree too much. In the future plantings the wire mesh will be cut out but the white synthetic material will be left alone in place. The roots penetrate synthetic material very easily and it does not appear leaving it should have any effect on the tree.
The container was placed in a 1 foot deep hole in the center of the new location. Each PVC half side was removed and the gap filled with more cactus soil:
This placed the base of the tree about two feet above the ground level. The reason for that was because a significant soil compression is expected over next several years, which will eventually lower the tree base closer to the ground level.
Finally, more vegetable planting soil (with fertilizer) was added around the base of the tree creating a mound and a "moat" area for watering. The plant was immediately watered with about a gallon (4L) of water:
A net was placed around the planting area and baseline measurement taken:
Since this pant will monitored closely, here is a few detailed pictures:
top
middle
bottom
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