My 20-$25 Shimpaku from NEB 2008

[Japonicus]

thanks for sending me to this thread. Do you have any recent pictures of the tree?

Just snapped a pic between rains. Wiring season begins any time it dries out. The pot I got this weekend might be a better fit.
It's a little deeper front to back and quite frankly, this 1st pot it got was pretty tight and dries out quick.

 

[pandacular]

root spread is looking really nice, and should give you a good base to prune at the next repot to get some strong nebari rolling. looking forward to seeing it wired too!

 

[Japonicus]

looking forward to seeing it wired too!

Well that's not a thing that's going to impress you really.
Most of the branches are leggy, but have points of back buds/shoots to cut back to.
Thing is, those shoots aren't strong enough to support the branches.
I've also had to leave a good deal of downwards and upwards growth, for this reason
as well as it will be getting repotted next Spring So I'm leaving everything as is for now.
3rd branch up on the right has a copper wire bandaid around a split fork in the branch.


The entire top will be jinned once I'm happy with recovery from repotting.
I'm pretty comfortable with # 10, 12 and 14 copper wire, but once I get smaller than 14
I prefer aluminum. At least with shimpaku.
It'll have a better profile in 5 years

 

[Japonicus]

I was fixin to repot my Kishu today, but don't have enough time to looking at the moss.
Haven't got it all, and the remainder may get some vinegar this evening prior to repotting tomorrow.
Anybody familiar with my posts may know that I have a healthy hatred for moss.
You'd think I'd take corrective actions before it got bad, but I let it go and then kick myself later.
Just over 4 years in this 1st bonsai pot, it is more difficult to water properly, so new shoes tomorrow
Will assess for a partial bare rooting in the core of the shin. I know it needs reducing, so will begin in mid to
late July if happy. Let's see how it responds and how Summer goes 1st.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

I was fixin to repot my Kishu today, but don't have enough time to looking at the moss.
Haven't got it all, and the remainder may get some vinegar this evening prior to repotting tomorrow.
Anybody familiar with my posts may know that I have a healthy hatred for moss.
You'd think I'd take corrective actions before it got bad, but I let it go and then kick myself later.
Just over 4 years in this 1st bonsai pot, it is more difficult to water properly, so new shoes tomorrow
Will assess for a partial bare rooting in the core of the shin. I know it needs reducing, so will begin in mid to
late July if happy. Let's see how it responds and how Summer goes 1st.
View attachment 542159

View attachment 542160

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View attachment 542162

Nice tree, my man. Will those branches come down and pads rest on top of them? That’s all it needs at this point. Raffia and heavy wire, twist and angle branches down, wire up ends of secondaries and tertiaries and

 

[We're all Mad Here...🎩]

Reading my way through old threads and can't help but realize this one started right when the lovely pandemic kicked off... wild times. How is the tree?

 

[Japonicus]

Nice tree, my man. Will those branches come down and pads rest on top of them? That’s all it needs at this point. Raffia and heavy wire, twist and angle branches down, wire up ends of secondaries and tertiaries and

Thanks I am too reluctant to remove the 2 lower branches to make way for wiring down each branch above. Nothing needs raffia really. Wait till I start reducing to interior growth. It will get wired again and there will be branches with nothing to cut back to. That's a big hold up for me, but it is ripe for potting at this time in its life. Then I'll assess the reductions. I can taste it already, but am patient.

 

[Japonicus]

Reading my way through old threads and can't help but realize this one started right when the lovely pandemic kicked off... wild times. How is the tree?

Tree is doing fine. Current pics today post #44. Top runners are fairly strong. The rest is waking up pretty good but not much by the way of lower runners. Last year my junipers had spider mites pretty bad as I was trying to limit my spraying. Limited work was done last year so plenty catching up to do this year.

 

[Japonicus]

Rootball was actually very hard and compacted. I hollowed out a fist sized hole up into the shin, worked out the side roots a little
and bored 2 back fill boles into the hollow from above. Loosened up the soil from above the shin between roots after securing into pot.
Used a hybrid bonsai mix, my typical conifer blend and 1:1:1 blended in to the better part of 60% Boon mix,
after a base layer of large then medium akadama.

 

[Japonicus]

Kishu #1 got new shoes today
When I strip the bark and apply walnut oil the pot colour and trunk will meld I'm hoping.
This pot was intended for my 1st Itoigawa, but I was not comfortable work the roots down
that shallow on the 1st go out of a nursery can. This is the second bonsai pot from can for this Kishu.

 

[We're all Mad Here...🎩]

Looks great, and nice root structure. I could really use some metal tags like that...may have to look into it.

 

[Japonicus]

Looks great, and nice root structure. I could really use some metal tags like that...may have to look into it.

Thanks, it's a work in slow progress.
Got these tags on Amazon about 5 yrs ago. Now if I'd just always use them.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

View attachment 542404
Kishu #1 got new shoes today
When I strip the bark and apply walnut oil the pot colour and trunk will meld I'm hoping.
This pot was intended for my 1st Itoigawa, but I was not comfortable work the roots down
that shallow on the 1st go out of a nursery can. This is the second bonsai pot from can for this Kishu.

Go crazy and make a dome that mostly surrounds the trunk

 

[Japonicus]

View attachment 542666
Go crazy and make a dome that mostly surrounds the trunk

That would be crazy indeed
No I am not removing upwards of 10 branches that are thrown off in curves.
If interior growth can support branches…next year, I will begin reductions.
If not I am happy to just begin thinning exterior growth. Nothing more than under growth
if strong this Summer.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

That would be crazy indeed
No I am not removing upwards of 10 branches that are thrown off in curves.
If interior growth can support branches…next year, I will begin reductions.
If not I am happy to just begin thinning exterior growth. Nothing more than under growth
if strong this Summer.

Are you planning to style the tree?

 

[Japonicus]

Are you planning to style the tree?

Of course. Read post 47 and 54
Both are responses to your posts.
I had this tree in a nursery can at least 11 years I'll get there .
The apex is just for strength and hopefully another mm of girth.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Of course. Read post 47 and 54
Both are responses to your posts.
I had this tree in a nursery can at least 11 years I'll get there .
The apex is just for strength and hopefully another mm of girth.

Oh sorry lol

 

[Japonicus]

Oh sorry lol

I oftentimes am more patient than is good for me.
What I've learned from other artists in person and hands on help I've received is practically zero.
I've been to a single workshop in my lifetime, so I am slow. Worked 6 days a week 8 hour workouts
without breaks including lunch daily so when Sunday rolled around I was able to do minimal work and fertilize.
Now after 37 yrs working like this my health is not where I'd like it to be.
I took your nudge and did a quick idea of my plans. Thing is, there will be branches I can reduce
and there will be branches I cannot reduce till inner growth will sustain the branch.
So once I start the reductions, it will be an ugly duckling till I can reduce all branches.
The red ?'s are areas without inspecting visually (picture only) I'm not sure if there's interior foliage
in these 2 areas to cut back to eventually or not. Anyway this would be step 1 when it's ready.

I think if I go slow (lol) once I start, I can push back growth limiting exterior strength.