A Ponderosa before and after

[mattspinniken]

This is my one and only Ponderosa. It's hard to get over the long needles but I still really appreciate the species. The before picture was last fall 2016 and the after was today fall 2017. If you look close you can see the rebar, which I used with a jack to bend the main trunk this spring. Let me know your thoughts or tips.

 

[just.wing.it]

Nice work!
It's taking shape now!

 

[Soldano666]

Excellent transformation

 

[M. Frary]

View attachment 164546 View attachment 164547 This is my one and only Ponderosa. It's hard to get over the long needles but I still really appreciate the species. The before picture was last fall 2016 and the after was today fall 2017. If you look close you can see the rebar, which I used with a jack to bend the main trunk this spring. Let me know your thoughts or tips.

You can always graft better foliage on it later.
Nice tree though.

 

[mattspinniken]

You can always graft better foliage on it later.
Nice tree though.

Ive thought about it, If i knew I could make it work I probably would go for it. It would be a pretty sweet Scots.

 

[Soldano666]

Colin Lewis has an impressive ponderosa with mugo foliage grafted on. Not sure if pictures exsist but ill snag some when I make my way back down there.

 

[Wilson]

I like the windswept look of it! I think in the years to come, you can get the foliage size down. I like reading Nik Lentz's book, and seeing how many years he put into each tree. These are long term projects for sure!

 

[sorce]

Matty Matt!

I think it's ugly.....

But....

That has absolutely nothing to do with the future of this tree in your hands!

Well done!

Sorce

 

[mattspinniken]

Matty Matt!

I think it's ugly.....

But....

That has absolutely nothing to do with the future of this tree in your hands!

Well done!

Sorce

haha! I like the honesty, ugly wasn't what I was going for but maybe in time.

 

[sorce]

maybe in time.

No no...

That has absolutely nothing to do with the future of this tree in your hands!

Definitely.

Sorce

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I love work that requires rebar and bending jacks! Good trunk movement and branch placement. Now, clean up the foliage pads a bit by removing old needles and those that hang down and let’s see another photo. You have a few hours before Michigan upsets Penn State.

 

[Bolero]

I think you have done very well considering what you started with, tall, lean, sparse and scattered foliage...
I like the trunk movement, the consolidation of foliage, the overall look is very Bonsai....
One suggestion is I would take some pruning scissors to most of the lengthy needles....just a thought.
Well done and not even remotely ugly...

 

[mattspinniken]

Thanks for the tip @Brian Van Fleet I did one round of clean up but I think you are right it is a cluster of foliage that needs some more cleaning. It really has back budded a lot in the 2 1/2 years I've had it.

Its amazing what trees can recover from, the trunk that was bent is a really old and thick piece. I compacted it with the Jack over a period of about 1 month.

Also I didn't use rafia I have learned from Ryan Neil that Ponderosa will split before it cracks and rafia doesn't help.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

One suggestion is I would take some pruning scissors to most of the lengthy needles....just a thought.

NO!!! That’s trading a natural “defect” for an unnatural one. More buds = more needles = smaller needles. Patience.

 

[Gene Deci]

I am as impressed with the vision it took to see what the bending would produce as with the really hard to do bend. I have seen a pondy Andy Smith has that has much reduced needle length, so it can be done. Tree to be proud of!