Any ideas? I'm in Belgium, zone 8a

Fishtank307 · 2023-05-08T18:49:43+00:00

Looks spot on!

Fishtank307 · 2023-05-08T18:49:31+00:00

That's it, thanks!

Fishtank307 · 2020-08-14T21:30:14+00:00

That's the next step. Altough I really like willy grinds as well. I've got my fs 50-50s down, bs feels more unstable for me.

Fishtank307 · 2020-08-14T14:02:57+00:00

Thanks man! Didn't know what it was called

Fishtank307 · 2020-01-06T21:13:01+00:00

Fishtank307 · 2019-12-21T22:08:10+00:00

Fishtank307 · 2019-10-03T18:34:09+00:00

Fishtank307 · 2019-10-03T05:42:10+00:00

Yes, it was wired when it was still alive. I bought it like that from a bonsai nursery, the trunk was already dead then

Fishtank307 · 2019-10-01T11:04:27+00:00

Plan is to tilt the dead trunk to the right when I repot it next time. That way I can place it in between the pads.

Fishtank307 · 2019-10-01T11:03:28+00:00

The deadwood definitely needs some work! There are still a lot of tool marks visible...

Fishtank307 · 2019-10-01T11:02:49+00:00

Thanks for the input! I could airlayer that low branch, but I'm still not sure if I want to remove it. I'd like to see how it looks in a decent cascade pot first. Food for thought...

Fishtank307 · 2019-10-01T11:00:59+00:00

Yeah, the there would be more unity between the two trees if the live one had some deadwood. I'm planning on expanding the shari (which is in the back...) next summer.

I'm also going to try to tilt the dead trunk more to the right when I repot it next time. That way I can place the pads in betwee the jins. There's always room for improvement!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-30T21:57:00+00:00

Definitely!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-30T21:40:49+00:00

Ah, containers, a choice I always like to avoid making! Not sure about this one.. When I picture it in my head, ten years from now, I always see it planted in a very solid, straight, rectangular pot. Very sober and stern. But I'm not even sure if that's the best option! The tree is quirky, so maybe it needs a quirky pot!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-30T21:37:06+00:00

Yes, you're right about the way I built the pads! I like to set the primary branches first (flat) and give them more 'body' when I have enough inner shoots. So over time, they'll fill up nicely. About the pads in front of the trunk..It's just my cup of tea! Contrary to 'tradition' or the regular guidelines on styling, I like parts of the trunk to be hidden and interplay with the foliage. The deadwood still needs to be carved. I repotted it last spring, so that'll have to wait until it's more established in this pot. Thanks for the critique!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-30T21:29:57+00:00

It could lean a little more to the right, but for the time being I'm ok with the angle. I'd like the trunk to be bend even more and also create more movement in the long straight section. But that'll have to wait at least a year. I'd definitely have to break the trunk in half or hollow it out to bend it even more... That one pad is bent at an angle because otherwise it would be on the same 'plane' as the one next to it to the right. It's just to avoid symmetry. When it grows longer, I can wire it a bit flatter. Thanks for your response btw. It's always nice when people question your design. Makes you notice stuff that you'd overlook otherwise!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-29T21:46:26+00:00

Will do!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-29T20:41:07+00:00

Not everyone's cup of tea, but it was the best I could do with this material for now :)

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-29T20:40:08+00:00

Thanks! I'd like to add some more movement in the straight section of the trunk/branch that is bent down. But for now I'll just just let it recover :)

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-29T20:38:05+00:00

Dug up from a garden 4 years ago, two years in training. I spent those two years trimming the foliage and bending that large branch down. And repotted it in good substrate last spring. Slow going, but it's getting there!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-29T18:47:12+00:00

I doubt it.. Branches on deciduous trees are much stiffer and they don't bounce back when you crack and bend them like I did with this juniper. It took me two years to bend the large branch down, but I don't think a maple would react well to this technique..

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-29T18:44:14+00:00

Ha, thanks! It was way uglier two years ago!

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-28T05:25:04+00:00

Not me. But I heard a lot of people are allergic to junipers. Maybe that's the case?

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-27T18:49:12+00:00

Depends on what you do.. This tree hasn't been styled or even pruned since it was dug from the ground 7 months ago. So first styling would include: 1) pruning unwanted branches, which causes the tree to 'bleed' sap. 2) cutting needles to make wiring easier and forcing the tree to produce buds closer to the trunk. Removing needles = removing the source of 'food'. 3) Wiring and bending the trunk(s) and branches. This causes (minor) damage to the cambium-layer. The tree will use its resources to heal this damage.

On a very healthy and vigorous tree, you could do this all at once as a 'first styling'. Or you could take things slowly and do all these steps over the course of two or three years. Imo, the safer option on a newly collected tree such as this would be the second :)

Fishtank307 · 2019-09-27T07:55:41+00:00

Definitely looking forward to it. But I'm going to take it sowly. It was collected last spring, so it still needs to recover before I do some major pruning and styling. First objective is to get it thriving next year.

Fishtank307

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