Weeping Colorado Spruce

[ShadyStump]

This is the best starter material I have (seeing as how the new dog thinks my trees are chew toys for now ) so I'm starting a progression thread for it.
Home Depot clearance find last September. The support stick it was tied to broke, and the whole thing leaned over, making it less suitable for landscape.
I saw the taper, curves, and overall potential, and thought it well worth the $50 despite being very short on funds at the time. I have not changed my mind on that since.

The starting point photos.







So, step one; your thoughts and suggestions, please.

I'd like to try an arched raft, but I'm unlikely to have a slab big enough for that any time soon.
It could go many directions, though. 90° one way and it's a cascade; same the other for an arching informal upright; or just chop somewhere to add more taper and/or counter curves for a more traditional informal upright, or maybe even a very fat trunked formal upright in many years.
I'm interested to see if anyone sees something I don't. I can't repot until I'm certain what direction to go, but I'm in now hurry there as I have very few options of this scale anyway.

 

[Colorado]

Nice one, Shady! I love this species.

I would offer a couple thoughts in response to yours. I’d go for some kind of informal upright. Not a good candidate for formal upright - too much movement in the trunk. Also not a good candidate for cascade in my opinion.

I wouldn’t chop the trunk - if you do want to reduce the trunk I would just Jin whatever part you don’t want to use.

Personally I would just focus this year on getting it super healthy with good water, sun, fertilizer. I would repot it next spring into suitable bonsai soil, and then wire it the following spring. Just my 2 cents, you could probably get away with a more aggressive approach if desired.

 

[Kanorin]

Nice one, Shady! I love this species.

I would offer a couple thoughts in response to yours. I’d go for some kind of informal upright. Not a good candidate for formal upright - too much movement in the trunk. Also not a good candidate for cascade in my opinion.

I wouldn’t chop the trunk - if you do want to reduce the trunk I would just Jin whatever part you don’t want to use.

Personally I would just focus this year on getting it super healthy with good water, sun, fertilizer. I would repot it next spring into suitable bonsai soil, and then wire it the following spring. Just my 2 cents, you could probably get away with a more aggressive approach if desired.

I agree. It's hard to figure out where the best front is without seeing where the root flare / base is. And you'll know that when you repot it.

 

[Tieball]

I like what you have and your thoughts. I look forward to seeing your progression in development. The tree is an excellent candidate for some ancient weather sustained deadwood.

 

[ShadyStump]

Nice one, Shady! I love this species.

I would offer a couple thoughts in response to yours. I’d go for some kind of informal upright. Not a good candidate for formal upright - too much movement in the trunk. Also not a good candidate for cascade in my opinion.

I wouldn’t chop the trunk - if you do want to reduce the trunk I would just Jin whatever part you don’t want to use.

Personally I would just focus this year on getting it super healthy with good water, sun, fertilizer. I would repot it next spring into suitable bonsai soil, and then wire it the following spring. Just my 2 cents, you could probably get away with a more aggressive approach if desired.

Thanks!
My thoughts of a chop came from that one branch about 2/5 the way up the trunk that seems to want to go vertical. You can make it out best in the 2nd and 4th pics.
Lean into what the tree seems to naturally be doing on it's own.

As far as leaving the trunk intact and going informal upright, the very top still has just enough flexibility to bring it up with a prop and some wire.
I'm afraid it might just look too much like a mallsai S or I might have done it already.

Note for the future.
I have just noticed a small spot of reverse taper; a knot down lower where the trunk looks to be healing over a broken off branch.
I kind of like the character it adds, but it may need some tending in the future.

 

[Johma]

This is the best starter material I have (seeing as how the new dog thinks my trees are chew toys for now ) so I'm starting a progression thread for it.
Home Depot clearance find last September. The support stick it was tied to broke, and the whole thing leaned over, making it less suitable for landscape.
I saw the taper, curves, and overall potential, and thought it well worth the $50 despite being very short on funds at the time. I have not changed my mind on that since.

The starting point photos.
View attachment 484649
View attachment 484650
View attachment 484651
View attachment 484652
View attachment 484653
View attachment 484654

So, step one; your thoughts and suggestions, please.

I'd like to try an arched raft, but I'm unlikely to have a slab big enough for that any time soon.
It could go many directions, though. 90° one way and it's a cascade; same the other for an arching informal upright; or just chop somewhere to add more taper and/or counter curves for a more traditional informal upright, or maybe even a very fat trunked formal upright in many years.
I'm interested to see if anyone sees something I don't. I can't repot until I'm certain what direction to go, but I'm in now hurry there as I have very few options of this scale anyway.

Just sharing. My weeping spruce. I’ve let it grow the last year and am going to pick one of the new branches growing up as a natural new leader and make the old one into dead wood.

 

[ShadyStump]

Looking healthier than mine right now.

I think I'm going to go with tilting mine so the natural apex is vertical, the trunk dropping out of the pot (some day), almost cascade style, before correcting itself.
Sort of a growing out of a cliff side image.

While it getting back to it's best self this year, I'll work on propping the pot up and maybe adjust the root ball accordingly without an actual repot.

 

[nuttiest]

Wow, big starter material! Can you air layer this type tree?

 

[ShadyStump]

I imagine so.
Had a big one in the yard at a different house once, and a larger branch had started to ground layer itself in the needles that accumulated on the top of a shed.

I'm not sure how well they back bud, but my understanding is they'll do it fairly readily, at least compared to other conifers.

 

[ShadyStump]

Lots of health new growth budding out.


I also tipped the pot up in my chosen direction. Going for that tree growing out of a steep embankment look. I thought orienting it closer to that would help me consider future moves.

The dog helped me explore the nebari some one evening after fertilizing with fish emulsion.

 

[ShadyStump]

So, didn't grow as strong as I'd have like last year, and it's getting a very slow start this year, but, as they say, time to make it a bonsai or kill it. I could sit for years waiting for better conditions, and I ain't doing that sorta crap any more. Need to start getting things done.

I've settled firm on the story of a tree growing near a slope or stream brank which at some point eroded away, causing the tree to fall over, barely hanging on by its roots. Eventually, though, the tree solidified a new hold, and reoriented itself back into a vertical reach.

When I pulled the tree from the pot, it was immediately evident why it didn't grow as strongly as hoped. It was so root bound there was hardly any soil left to speak of.

Got it positioned like a wanted in the produce basket I'd chosen for it, (Really, if an Anderson flat won't do, and you can find them, these produce baskets are awesome) and started going at it with the hose on high pressure to start breaking up the root ball.

My water bill is going to show this. I was kinda envying Peter Chan with his pressure washer. Took a long time to make a real dent.
I was thinking I'd use the top half bar root method here, but with the opposite aim. In the new orientation the bottom roots are what I want to keep, but my concern over my own proficiency and the health of the tree had me wanting to preserve as much root as possible for as long as possible.
So I started filling in the extra space with perlite after loosening the bottom half some, and concentrated on cleaning out the top half. The idea is the perlite will keep the top half alive long enough for the bottom half to expand and take over.
Still, ALLOT more spraying.


As things progressed I was able to loosen some of the longer roots from the top half and work them into the perlite. Not as much as I'd like, but enough that I'm hopeful it'll aid in recovery.
I started working perlite into the losses riots on the top half, but needed to mound it up. An old bed sheet worked to help hold it all in place, pinned down with whatever random sticks were available and tucked into the soil.

 

[ShadyStump]

Missed the last pic.

 

[Dysfunctional Vet]

I like it!

 

[Colorado]

Nice work Shady!

 

[ShadyStump]

Thanks!
Need to find more trees to work so I can leave this one be the rest of the season. I'm hoping giving the roots more room will help it really bounce back.

 

[Paradox]

Thanks!
Need to find more trees to work so I can leave this one be the rest of the season. I'm hoping giving the roots more room will help it really bounce back.

Has the dog gotten over its waiting to help with pruning?

I've just gotten finished with increasing the height of my low benches to deter my self appointed canine pruner

 

[ShadyStump]

Has the dog gotten over its waiting to help with pruning?

I've just gotten finished with increasing the height of my low benches to deter my self appointed canine pruner

Few and far between now days. He's definitely a chewer in general, so I'm leaving everything behind a fence until I can build a decent bench, and he's learned not to mess with anything near there so it's been working so far.