a bizarre grafted together double stem Douglas fir

[ward]

I came across a very bizarre grafted together double stem Douglas fir. I've never see stems on a Douglas fir do this quite this much, thought I'd share...

 

[ward]

Here's another pic

 

[ward]

...and another

 

[jomoco]

Cool pics Ward.

I intend trying to force graft a Chorisia speciosa or wife beater tree soon.

Gonna abrade the two crossing branches then drill and bolt them together using plastic rodding and hardware.

jomoco

 

[Treezybreez]

Hey that was pretty neat. It is too bad we can't re-wind the tree's growth to see how exactly it happened.

Are you doing any work to it?

 

[Gerald_Beranek]

Unusual, but not uncommon in Douglas fir. I've encountered it a number of times over the years.

To jomoco, so long as you keep the polarity correct with your grafts they will be successful.

 

[jomoco]

Thanks GB!

It's just getting up there to do the work without getting bloodied that's going to be the challenge!



jomoco

 

[Gerald_Beranek]

I've worked Monkey Puzzle before, arucaria. Just move slow.

Now what's with the green paint and twine in the pic?

 

[jomoco]

Support for shade cloth to cover plants that can't take direct sunlight GB.



That paint really annoys my sister big time! It's just over spray from an ugly blue pot I painted green while suspended from that crotch so I could spin it and let it dry off the ground.

My own personal Eden/workshop to experiment in like a mad hatter!

Loved your pics from sequoia Natnl park. Haven't been there since I was 12 when the road went through that old fat giganteum.

jomoco

 

[ward]

The thing that is interesting about this--making it unusual--was the fact that in places I could not discern a seam where the two stems separate. It is as though there is no seam, but a solid circumference of bark. In other places, the stems were visibly separate. I'm glad to hear that you've seen this a bit, Jerry. Curious about your grafting plans, Jomoco. I look forward to the post.

 

[ward]

Saw this one yesterday. In flagrante delicto.

 

[mdvaden]

Seen a few like that before, and one around Portland area for sure. But not common.

Weird stuff is always fun to find.

...

 

[Reed2179]

On the grafting subject-any of you west coast guys been here:
https://www.gilroygardens.org/things-to-do/circus-trees

I went years ago and was amazed at these trees.

 

[evo]

I'll try to dig up the picture, but there's a tree with a limb graft like the above on Orcas Island. Also on Hwy 20 to Newport there is a sitka spruce with the co-dom graft like the original post. I've always wanted to take a handsaw or even a small chainsaw to see if I can get a co-dom union to graft.

 

[guymayor]

I've always wanted to take a handsaw or even a small chainsaw to see if I can get a co-dom union to graft.

A chainsaw would damage too much. A handsaw, or a hacksaw blade or chisel for smaller areas, can work to get a co-dom union to graft. Here's a white oak grafting, 2 seasons after a handsaw and a chisel cleaned out included bark, and a blowtorch disinfected frothy flux. Bob Wulkowicz, RIP, encouraged this technique.

 

[ward]

Actually, Guy, I think the term "graft" is not what has occurred in any of my pictures. Certainly no human hand has been at play to my knowledge (well, maybe with the second fir). Tom Dunlap put up a link to the term "inosculation" awhile back. I think this might be a better description of the fusings that we see here in the firs--as opposed to grafting techniques as in the oak in your picture.

 

[guymayor]

inosculation is a very proper term for this, commonly used in the UK. It's synonymous with 'self-grafting', so I stand uncorrected.

Now if we Really wanted to pick a nit, has 'fusing' really occurred? ;( hahahaha or is it melding? all these terms mean tissues are connecting; does it matter?

 

[LandonPainter]

Cool pics Chris. At the Kennedy School in north Portland there is a western red cedar with co dominant stems that are fused by a large branch similar to the second set of photos you shared.