Alberta Spruce Literati

[bonsaichile]

I've had this Alberta spruce for about a year now. In March, I did the first styling and now I am trying to increase ramification. I still want to add.more movement to the trunk, but for now the tree has responded well: two flushes of growth this year and already plenty of back budding for next Spring. Althouhg I have a design in mind, bit any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[sorce]

If you have a base that supports that lean, i could see you leaving it straight.

I've you do want movement in the trunk, bend it about 75% further than the movement you want, when it Springs back it'll be where you wanted it.

I feel like 9 times out of ten....

Man can not create a literati trunk..

Don't make it look contrived!

Sorce

 

[bonsaichile]

Thank you, Sorce. I am planning to repot it at that angle when it is time for it to go into a pot. And yes, I am certainly overwiring this Spruce!

 

[bonsaichile]

An update on this tree, which is still alive! On October, 2017, I worked the trunk and put some movement into it. I also tried to form pads on the lower branch. I was not too excited about the result, so I did not take a pic. I did nothing else to it, except breaking the new shoots when the extended over an inch to increase ramification. I left it alone all Summer. Two weeks ago, I decided to re-style it. I am aiming for the lower branch to open up as a fan, as I have seen in many old spruces here in CO. Right now, I want to cut back and rebuild that branch, but since I already took out a lot from the top, I simply opened it up to let air and light in and I will select new buds to cut to in August 2019. At some point, maybe after the Summer solstice, I will repot it out of the colander (It has been there for 3 growing seasons now) and into a shallower training pot. Ideally, I will be able to put it in a smaller lotus pot by 2020-2021.

Comments and suggestions are of course always welcome! This tree is still in what Walter Pall calls “the ugly phase,” and it will be there for a couple years. Let’s see when it decides to smile back at me!

 

[Vance Wood]

You have a really good sense of design and an artistic spirit but you limit yourself by your wiring skills which are as bad as your design ideas are good. There is a fundamental wiring program class on the site Craftsy that is outstanding and if you sign up for it and you are serious about bonsai it will change your life. Your wiring should be as good as your designs and just about as pleasing to look at. I do not mean to insult you only offer help because your efforts deserve it.

 

[kalare]

The videos Vance is recommending are done by Colin Lewis, and are very good for starting out with wiring. I believe there was another person on here who recently posted with less than desirable wiring who, at the recommendation of forum members, watched these great free videos and the rewired tree looked 200x better. Note that if you chose to rewire, do not reuse the wire.

Good start and good luck!

 

[bonsaichile]

You have a really good sense of design and an artistic spirit but you limit yourself by your wiring skills which are as bad as your design ideas are good. There is a fundamental wiring program class on the site Craftsy that is outstanding and if you sign up for it and you are serious about bonsai it will change your life. Your wiring should be as good as your designs and just about as pleasing to look at. I do not mean to insult you only offer help because your efforts deserve it.

Hey Vance! No insult taken. In fact I read your comment as a compliment. I have seen Collin Lewis' video a couple times, and I know I need to improve my wiring skills. I will keep practicing. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[bonsaichile]

The videos Vance is recommending are done by Colin Lewis, and are very good for starting out with wiring. I believe there was another person on here who recently posted with less than desirable wiring who, at the recommendation of forum members, watched these great free videos and the rewired tree looked 200x better. Note that if you chose to rewire, do not reuse the wire.

Good start and good luck!

Thank you! I will not reuse the wire and this time, I will buy wire instead of annealing 8t myself. I was fairly limited in my posibilities while wiring, given that I only had to gauges of wire annealed. I will get a sample pack, so I can have different gauges next time I wire.

 

[Adair M]

It

An update on this tree, which is still alive! On October, 2017, I worked the trunk and put some movement into it. I also tried to form pads on the lower branch. I was not too excited about the result, so I did not take a pic. I did nothing else to it, except breaking the new shoots when the extended over an inch to increase ramification. I left it alone all Summer. Two weeks ago, I decided to re-style it. I am aiming for the lower branch to open up as a fan, as I have seen in many old spruces here in CO. Right now, I want to cut back and rebuild that branch, but since I already took out a lot from the top, I simply opened it up to let air and light in and I will select new buds to cut to in August 2019. At some point, maybe after the Summer solstice, I will repot it out of the colander (It has been there for 3 growing seasons now) and into a shallower training pot. Ideally, I will be able to put it in a smaller lotus pot by 2020-2021.

Comments and suggestions are of course always welcome! This tree is still in what Walter Pall calls “the ugly phase,” and it will be there for a couple years. Let’s see when it decides to smile back at me!

View attachment 222936

it looks pretty weak. I would leave it alone, no repotting or anything for at least a year.

 

[Adair M]

On making pads...

Look at your main drop branch. See the angle the sub-branches come off the main branch? Mostly at 90 degrees. If you would bring those angles in to, say, 45 degrees, your pad would look tons better!

See these diagrams:

Before:



After:



Tightening up the angles will make a huge difference!

 

[bonsaichile]

On making pads...

Look at your main drop branch. See the angle the sub-branches come off the main branch? Mostly at 90 degrees. If you would bring those angles in to, say, 45 degrees, your pad would look tons better!

See these diagrams:

Before:

View attachment 222975

After:

View attachment 222976

Tightening up the angles will make a huge difference!

Thank you, @Adair M ! That is really helpful!

 

[bonsaichile]

An update: The tree is coming out of dormancy strong. Many shoots extending. I will wait until August to cut back to a bud, in the mean time, just sun, water, and fertilizer. I lost a couple branches over the winted due to my clumsy wiring, but I think I can fill up some of those areas with the new growth I am seeing.

 

[bonsaichile]

Today I removed the wire (last year it cut it, and took part of thr bark with it when I removed it, so I am trying to avoid that). This year it will grow unfettered in preparation for root wotk next spring. I will take it out of the colander and start reducing the root ball, and put itninto a shallower training pot. But I need it to gain as much strength as possible before that.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Don't make it look contrived!

Yeah, don't make it look like a Bonsai. Make look like a tree.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Thank you, @Adair M ! That is really helpful!

However being Literati a not by the rules style concept of "pads" of foliage is largely invalid.

 

[bonsaichile]

Yeah, don't make it look like a Bonsai. Make look like a tree.

But I like my bonsai trees looking like bonsai trees!