Brain Treez
Sapling
I figure this tree has evolved enough to warrant my first progression thread on Bnut, so here goes!
When the bonsai bug bit me back in November of last year, this was the very first shrub I bought with intentions of making it a little tree.: Juniperus sabina 'Blue Forest'. Probably overpriced at $20, but hey, you have to start somewhere. I very much had no idea what I was doing, but I knew keeping it alive was a good first step.
As purchased in December 2023
In January, I took it out of the can to get a better look at the trunk I was working with. Not too bad, I suppose. I thinned out the leggiest and/or dying branches, put it back in its pot, and pondered some more.
By late February, I had binged enough bonsai content and acquired enough other nursery stock that I was eager to do something and this was the tree that drew the short straw. So I cut it back enough to get a good shape to it, but (hopefully) not so much to as to endanger its health by removing too much foliage. I wired up a twisty branch with an eye to make it the new leader, and tried to compact the other side branches. Still lots of options here, and not an eye-averting massacre considering it was my first ever real attempt at pruning/wiring.
In late March, a few of the shorter shoots on bent branches browned up. I put some high N organic fertilizer on it and crossed my fingers.
Fast forward through a mild (compared to recent years) Oregon summer, wire bite was evident in May and was removed, but not reapplied. By mid August it had exploded with vigorous, healthy growth. The high N and leggy tendency of sabina probably isn't a good combo. It needed a haircut.
Front/Back
And post haircut front/back:
And lastly, for now (end of August 2024), the more I looked at a back branch the more I thought it would be unlikely to contribute, so it was jinned. The top leader was also re-wired and compacted. This is how it stands today. Any advice or suggestions are most welcome. I appreciate how constructive everyone on here seems to be. I know more will need to be cut back, but I felt this was enough for now. Come next spring, I'll be looking to get it repotted into proper soil.
When the bonsai bug bit me back in November of last year, this was the very first shrub I bought with intentions of making it a little tree.: Juniperus sabina 'Blue Forest'. Probably overpriced at $20, but hey, you have to start somewhere. I very much had no idea what I was doing, but I knew keeping it alive was a good first step.
As purchased in December 2023
In January, I took it out of the can to get a better look at the trunk I was working with. Not too bad, I suppose. I thinned out the leggiest and/or dying branches, put it back in its pot, and pondered some more.
By late February, I had binged enough bonsai content and acquired enough other nursery stock that I was eager to do something and this was the tree that drew the short straw. So I cut it back enough to get a good shape to it, but (hopefully) not so much to as to endanger its health by removing too much foliage. I wired up a twisty branch with an eye to make it the new leader, and tried to compact the other side branches. Still lots of options here, and not an eye-averting massacre considering it was my first ever real attempt at pruning/wiring.
In late March, a few of the shorter shoots on bent branches browned up. I put some high N organic fertilizer on it and crossed my fingers.
Fast forward through a mild (compared to recent years) Oregon summer, wire bite was evident in May and was removed, but not reapplied. By mid August it had exploded with vigorous, healthy growth. The high N and leggy tendency of sabina probably isn't a good combo. It needed a haircut.
Front/Back
And post haircut front/back:
And lastly, for now (end of August 2024), the more I looked at a back branch the more I thought it would be unlikely to contribute, so it was jinned. The top leader was also re-wired and compacted. This is how it stands today. Any advice or suggestions are most welcome. I appreciate how constructive everyone on here seems to be. I know more will need to be cut back, but I felt this was enough for now. Come next spring, I'll be looking to get it repotted into proper soil.
