You bought yourself one of the nicest witches'brooms ever found.
I'm also very happy that you're using the only right name for it, the only change you have to made is 'Ice Breaker' into 'Icebreaker'.
You can cut the understock part of till the grafting union, it will grow furthur from now by it's own.

Your plant will grow like mine in a couple of years.
Abies koreana 'Kohout's Icebreaker'
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Joy,

Will change the name. I am looking forward to getting it to the stage of your plant and propagating it a few times.

Thanks

Keith

Keith, you ever purchase for cutting understocks/basic pruning - Slimmer Trimmer. Sold at AM Leonard's. Best pruning tool I've ever purchased or equal to a Felco but is made for bonsai - clipping off understocks/preparing understocks, etc-.

Dax

Here is a link that might be useful: Type Slimmer Trimmer for Product Search

Very cool little plant. Enjoy it and definitely post more pictures!

Alexa

Dax,

thanks for the link. I don't have a cool little cutter like that yet. Will put on my father's day wish list.

Keith

Three of my 'Kohout's Icebreaker'

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Stephen, your second one looks more like a loose Abies koreana 'Silberperle'.
Did you graft it on an Abies alba understock because then the needles are less curved.

Edwin - Are there other understocks that influence the less-recurved needles? Does it need to go on Abies koreana/Abies koreocarpa? A lot of people in the US will most-likely be grafting on Canaan, nordmanniana, possibly balsamea.

Thanks,

Dax

Keith, you're welcome. You shouldn't be without that tool. It is invaluable. Cuts thru 1" thick wood as well... like butter.

Dax

Dax-Experiences made by Henk showed us differences in using differend understock.
Grafted on A. koreana gave nice curly needles while this was much more less when A. alba was used.
Crazy, but true!

Can't say for sure Edwin, but most of my understocks are always Koreana, but I have on occasion used both alba and nordmanniana...another possibility is that particular plant is in more of a north facing location, and doesn't get much sun, if any in the winter.

Stephen,

Are you going to let the vertical shoot develop in your largest plant to see what transpires? It would be interesting to know if it clumps up or becomes a reversion. It may be that 'Kohout's Icebreaker' becomes conical with age like 'Silberperle'.

Bob

Blue,

thanks for the additional photos. Those are the kind of images that make me keep buying conifers even though I am convinced I am not a collector.

A conifer addict is someone who has more cultivars than me.

Keith

Bob,
Yes, I think I will let the leader develop on that particular plant,it will be interesting to see how it performs.

Bob,
A leader will appaer for sure after a while on all 'Kohout's Icebreaker' plants.
I saw several bigger plants with a leader in Wiel Linssen's garden which made a conical growing habbit.
The one at my photo also made a small leader at it's left side.

Stephen,
This is the same with your Abies koreana 'Blauer Eskimo' with the leader on it.
It will also grow into a small conical form after a few years.
I hope you will show us a photo of it when the growing season is over.

Keith,

Nice plant!

Is that a styrofoam container, and did you overwinter your Icebreaker in it?

Nate

Sluice,

yes styrofoam & I did overwinter in the container but in the garage. I work at a medical office and the vaccines come in these nice thick walled styrofoam boxes. I found out they were pitching them all in the trash, so I started collecting them. I think they are great for full sun placement since I don't have to worry about cooking roots.

I plan to make an overwintering experiment of a number of the containers with less critical plants this winter. Something like this one I am not willing to risk till I know more about outcomes.

Keith

Like for Abies koreana "Silberlocke", a poor grown help to curve the needles.
Clément

What a difference 3 weeks makes. Filling out nicely
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Good stuff. I wasn't even interested in this plant in the beginning. I'm still trying to make up my mind, but something tells me I'd be a fool not to have one.

Dax

Dax, to me this plant falls in the "Top Ten Must Have" list, along with:

Abies concolor 'Candicans'
Abies procera 'Blaue Hexe'
Picea abies 'Clanbrassiliana'
Picea abies 'Gold Drift'
Picea glauca 'Pendula'
Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace'
Picea mariana 'Aureovarigata'
Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns'
Picea pungens 'The Blues'
Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'

OK, so that's eleven, but eleven plants I think any conifer collector should really own. 'Kahout's Icebreaker' is one helleva nice plant.

-Will

A small one, but settling in nicely after the winter....

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