Guy_wires Collection

[queenofsheba52]

Nice and I like the roots too!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Remember the juniper from last year?

Full of juvenile foliage.


Here's another work in progress that needs some rewiring in fall.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

This scots pine was in some bad place, it's still flushing out. Some buds haven't even opened.
Pondering about what to do with the right hand side.


Meh.


But what about this?

Not sure. Anyways, back to good health first.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

A trash var. stricta cutting grafted with Blaauw. Can you grow a tree from one branch? I think so.

 

[LeatherTree23]

View attachment 502669
A trash var. stricta cutting grafted with Blaauw. Can you grow a tree from one branch? I think so.

View attachment 502670

Did you do the grafting? If so, MAD respect!

 

[Deleted member 47471]

View attachment 502666
This scots pine was in some bad place, it's still flushing out. Some buds haven't even opened.
Pondering about what to do with the right hand side.

View attachment 502667
Meh.

View attachment 502668
But what about this?

Not sure. Anyways, back to good health first.

This is my first time seeing a screen on a soil surface. What is the function of this? Is it related to improving health?

 

[RJG2]

This is my first time seeing a screen on a soil surface. What is the function of this? Is it related to improving health?

To keep pests from digging in the substrate (squirrels, birds, etc - I have a skunk that likes to dig in any container I have on the ground).

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

This is my first time seeing a screen on a soil surface. What is the function of this? Is it related to improving health?

Blackbirds. This backyard is the only one with some green in the entire block, so we get up to five rounds of youngsters a year and they're diggers.
The jackdaws take some soil, but by the particle and they are pretty respectful towards my plants. The blackbirds though.. They empty a pot for fun and then start yanking on the tree.
Galvanized steel is a good protection but that doesn't stop them from stealing the moss.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

How da howdarn doing?


Hedgehog JRP. From seed in '17 of something. Always been in a small container.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Sometimes you just got to start wiring and see where it goes. This trunk has a nice future ahead.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Lil bit of needle plucking today.
Could use some rewiring but 'tis not the time.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Jempense red pine
Planted in two years ago, dug up terday.
Oh boy do I wish I would have been better for these roots. They went about a meter down. Nearly no feeders close to the trunk.
But there's no way back.

Replanted in pond baskets and catching a bunch of rain close to the house before they'll be planted out again whenever I find the motivation.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Used some scrap wire to do some spruce work. Not yet satisfied but this will do for a while.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

View attachment 453363
Juniperus osteospermum seedlings doing the ropey foliage thing after three years from sowing.
Love the minty color!

I myself had a good summer. New job since last february and it's waaaay above my knowledge level. So when I got home, I relaxed. That's my sweet me-time and I need to balance that between my loved ones and my most loved one: myself.
This means that I simply hadn't a lot of time to spend on my plants. Naturally, some things got sacrificed for my own well being.

The osteospermum junipers all died. They got water, and plenty of it. So much that they succumbed. All ERC was dumped because why was I even growing those? I have a grey owl, I don't need wildtype.
All of my oak seedlings that I planned on using for a forest planting, will actually be planted in a forest.
Most juniper scions died, some lived. I think it's wise for me to put up some kind of shade mechanism to protect them from baking in the sun.
One entire branch on my sabina yamadori died, it was meant to be. I cracked it because I wanted to finish working it too fast.
I've been super busy in between summer holidays to breed some plants.
Some wires dug in deep, others came loose. Weeds (ha!) have grown wild.

Life is like that sometimes and I aint even mad. I had a good growing season. And losses come with that.
There's always next year until there isn't, and when there isn't.. I sure wish I would've spent last year doing what I like. Even though I love caring for my plants year round, some days I don't. And that's alright too!
For me this was one of those off years. No shame in that from my end. Everything in a bonsai container lived and improved. Heck, I think I'd be able to just water for another year before things get out of control.
Not sure if it might help someone, but I figured it doesn't hurt putting this online.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dying. I just decided to do more fun stuff and to spend a lil less time on bonsai chores in the yard.

 

[RJG2]

I myself had a good summer. New job since last february and it's waaaay above my knowledge level. So when I got home, I relaxed. That's my sweet me-time and I need to balance that between my loved ones and my most loved one: myself.
This means that I simply hadn't a lot of time to spend on my plants. Naturally, some things got sacrificed for my own well being.

The osteospermum junipers all died. They got water, and plenty of it. So much that they succumbed. All ERC was dumped because why was I even growing those? I have a grey owl, I don't need wildtype.
All of my oak seedlings that I planned on using for a forest planting, will actually be planted in a forest.
Most juniper scions died, some lived. I think it's wise for me to put up some kind of shade mechanism to protect them from baking in the sun.
One entire branch on my sabina yamadori died, it was meant to be. I cracked it because I wanted to finish working it too fast.
I've been super busy in between summer holidays to breed some plants.
Some wires dug in deep, others came loose. Weeds (ha!) have grown wild.

Life is like that sometimes and I aint even mad. I had a good growing season. And losses come with that.
There's always next year until there isn't, and when there isn't.. I sure wish I would've spent last year doing what I like. Even though I love caring for my plants year round, some days I don't. And that's alright too!
For me this was one of those off years. No shame in that from my end. Everything in a bonsai container lived and improved. Heck, I think I'd be able to just water for another year before things get out of control.
Not sure if it might help someone, but I figured it doesn't hurt putting this online.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dying. I just decided to do more fun stuff and to spend a lil less time on bonsai chores in the yard.

My only question: are any of your pitch pine seedlings still alive?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

My only question: are any of your pitch pine seedlings still alive?

I lost 2 out of 20. But I have to admit that 15 of those are planted in the ground at a community garden complex where me and my dad share a plot and I haven't checked in a week or two.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Some winter work!

Hard to see a trunk in there. This juniper was ground grown since a cutting stage. In about 2? Maybe 3? Years it's now as thick as two thumbs.
Wiring in the ground is hard, so I dug it up and redid some future deadwood.


Ugliest wiring I've done this year for sure. But in due time, it will be gone again as if nothing ever happened. Since all the lower branches will be deadwood anyways, I really don't care. All of these are for trunk thickening. I just need to keep the apex in check and see if this cultivar (plumosa aurea?) can be compacted. It should be golden variety of Blaauw but it doesn't puff up as nicely and looks nothing like the ones I see in gardens.
Now planted in a pond basket for easy pickup from the dirt.


Also tested a new light rig, to see if I can make better pictures.

 

[dmwphoto]

thanks for linking to this post!

 

[tigerscott79]

Incredible read ty sharing really enjoyed seeing everything

 

[Agr247]

I've been working with plants for over 10 years now, both as a hobby and since some 5 years as a professional (in the laboratory).
Most plants I have come from that hobby, others I have acquired in the past two years for the purpose of bonsai. But I'm far from calling my trees bonsai. I'm just Teun de tuinier for now ;-)
I had to tell my girlfriend she needs to take my wallet before we enter garden centres, because the collection is growing too fast. But as a gardener with some experience, I know that half of them aren't going to make it unless I put them in the ground. That's why I bought most things in pairs.

Except for mugos. I have 6 of those. And kind of big ones too!
Before the blisters popped on my index fingers and thumbs (thanks watering systems, you're suuuuch a breeze to put together! /sarcasm-off) I did this some serious abuse to one:

View attachment 188144
But now, since I'm having a bunch of opens wounds (and I still need to handle scalpels and tweezers on monday!) I had to stop prematurely. The back center branch will be the new apex, and it will move some more to the left.
Spring isn't the best time for mugo wiring and trimming, but since this was a free one, and a graft, I decided this is going to be my learning tree. I'm saving the best one for when I have learned a bit more about how they respond.

Great work.. Any updates ..what’s the genius of the rootstock tree!?