parhamr contest entry thread

[parhamr]

They’re doing okay so far this year. The city is raising the tap water pH from 8.2 to 8.5 as lead abatement, so I’ve had to make some changes. So far I’ve only applied elemental sulphur granules and soon I’ll apply some cottonseed meal.

Here are some of the longest candle extensions



Here’s new buds where I’ve cut back to a node


And then here’s adventitious budding further back on a stem where a previous node exists


I’m telling myself this year I need to get the designs finalized so next year they can produce finer ramification in their “final” form before the judging.

We have bought a new house 10 minutes away and we are renovating it for the next 10 months so who knows where that will go

 

[parhamr]

The elemental sulfur didn’t burn the trees, so I’ve applied some cottonseed meal. I’m also titrating some phosphoric acid into my watering system to keep my water a touch acidic.

The pruning work from last fall is paying off. A lot of the trees show good pushes of new epicormic and adventitious buds from old needle sites down low on the trunk.




I don’t think these trees will be terribly interesting as shohin, or even within the timeframe of this contest. My major lesson was I should have wired around year 1 and 2. At that time, I didn’t have the confidence I could wire without causing catastrophic damage.

I’m still committed to indefinitely continuing with these trees, carrying them along to their best size and shape, whatever that might be.

 

[Fonz]

I'm in the same boat with the timeframe thing. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stuff a tree that's not ready by far into a tiny pot next year. Think I'm going to take all the time it needs. Would be a waste to throw away 6 years

 

[parhamr]

They had a pretty good summer. The growth continued to strengthen and tightened up a bit with back-budding at latent, old needles.

Photos to come — I need to take the before photos! (I usually forget.) They’re all ready for chopping, wiring, and styling. On a few of them I think they’ll do well shoved into smaller pots in the late winter.

 

[parhamr]

This one is promising. It’s my favorite of the lot. Previously I had assigned serial “N” as its name


It’s tiny. That’s the best wiring I could do with these chunky hands. Looks like I need 16 AWG copper.

 

[parhamr]

I’ve pared down the group to 10 trees: B, C, D, E, F, G, J, K, N, and P. This year I inadvertently allowed some to grow escape roots into the pumice beds on which they were placed. That was a great boon to their strength and health — a lesson for the future. I also focused quite a lot on lowering their pH to counter the city tap water changes; I think the foliage and buds show I was successful.

I’m seeing my little microclimate here in the city is sub-par for semi-tropical trees. We often have foggy mornings where the sun doesn’t come out until 1 pm. There was a lot of good heat in the growing season, but this year’s spring was just glacially slow and wet.

I’ve completed some late fall wiring, but the winter storms are here so I think I’m backing off on work for at least two weeks.

B:

I can still do a hard chop on this tree down to the first few inches. It has potential, but is out of the contest for timing reasons — it won’t be “presentable” by the deadline.

C:

This one will be tall. Maybe a literati. I don’t think it will be presentable by the deadline.

D:

This one has potential to be something by the deadline. I need to do a full wiring and styling, especially pruning back to interior growths. It’s destined to be an informal upright.

E

This one won’t be presentable by the deadline. I’m at about step 1-2 of 4-5 in compacting it down to as tiny of a tree as practical. It doesn’t look like much; it’s a project.

F

This kinda accidentally ended up as something. It’ll be ready by the deadline, but I’m skeptical it’ll have much for branching and taper. It deserves some successive periods of growing out and chopping back.

G

I’m trying for a tiny formal upright with this one. It has bar branches, but so far they’re doing well to keep it healthy and to thicken the trunk. I suppose it’ll be presentable by the deadline, but it will also not have much branching.

J

This is another that won’t be ready by the deadline. It is also at step 2 of 4-5 of successive reduction in size and scale. Its movement and branch placement are promising enough, though not amazing.

K

This one has been neglected. It needs a full wiring and styling. I think it still has good potential to be a scaffold of a tree by the deadline. Not an award winner but a respectable display of acceptable technique.

N

This one I’m excited about. The branch positions are good; it’s tiny; there’s good movement; the branching shows vigor. I “just” need to stay the course.

P

Here’s my ugliest tree. I think the entire right side is coming off. The first branch on the left can take over and there’s a replacement branch for the node where I would be making the big chop. It could turn into something good, despite having a horrendous start — the ugly branching ended up as a strong sacrifice.

 

[parhamr]

Regarding the winter storm, I’ve filled my garage with nice trees, so there’s no room for these projects. I’ll tuck these all together against the house and out of the worst of the bitter winds. We are supposed to remain below freezing for at least 48 hours and may have some major ice accumulation.

It’ll potentially set these trees back a bit, but I’ve found JBP are decently tolerant of Pacific Northwest freezes. I suspect the humidity of our wet winter storms is a decent prophylactic effect.

 

[parhamr]

G

 

[parhamr]

P

 

[parhamr]

D

 

[parhamr]

N

 

[parhamr]

F

 

[parhamr]

C

 

[parhamr]

E

 

[parhamr]

B