Pinching Vance Wood: the challenge

[thomas22]

I'm sure he is a nice guy and means well but these videos are not helping anyone. As a beginner, I followed some advice from these videos and some of my trees are still suffering. Honestly. I think good advice is to follow the advice from the people who have trees you admire and that's what I do now.

 

[Smoke]

Oh no! I am completely defeated! Hagedorn, Neil, Boon, Bjorn are all complete fools!

I have a new mentor now! And he posts "How To" videos on You Tube! For Free!

Now, I've seen the light!

You are acting like a child. You are better than this. You do what you do and Vance does what he does. Let the work show for itself. People are smart here, they don't need it repeated twelve times. I hope for your sake the guy in the video doesn't come and kick your ass.

 

[Vance Wood]

Charles is just wrong, maybe not over all, but this technique can be destructive on some species of Junipers. He is not specific.

 

[Adair M]

You are acting like a child. You are better than this. You do what you do and Vance does what he does. Let the work show for itself. People are smart here, they don't need it repeated twelve times. I hope for your sake the guy in the video doesn't come and kick your ass.

Gee, it's hard to have a little fun around here!

I stumbled upon that video while looking for the one Bjorn made, and I thought it might provide a bit of comic relief.

 

[Dav4]

Fwiw, I've sheared my San Jose more then once, usually after the first flush of growth in the spring, and the tree seems not to mind. Don't forget that I only want juvenile foliage on the tree. I'll profile prune the tree later in the season to maintain/refine the pads. I'd never shear a scale juniper, though...

 

[Smoke]

Gee, it's hard to have a little fun around here!

I stumbled upon that video while looking for the one Bjorn made, and I thought it might provide a bit of comic relief.

I'm sure Donald says that everyday. You may be winning the battle but your losing the war. That didn't sound like fun and not your usual gentlemanly self.

So far, no one has answered Vances question? What do you want him to do? He already told you he ain't changin......

 

[M. Frary]

Hinoki are a different animal.

Much different. Pinchy,pinchy.

 

[Vance Wood]

Gee, it's hard to have a little fun around here!

I stumbled upon that video while looking for the one Bjorn made, and I thought it might provide a bit of comic relief.

What happens around here a lot of the time one post is made before a response to a previous post makes it to the screen. When a response is made out of context it can become misunderstood.

 

[Adair M]

Fwiw, I've sheared my San Jose more then once, usually after the first flush of growth in the spring, and the tree seems not to mind. Don't forget that I only want juvenile foliage on the tree. I'll profile prune the tree later in the season to maintain/refine the pads. I'd never shear a scale juniper, though...

Also, FWIW, I have seen San Jose junipers that were 95 percent scale. I know it's virtually impossible to get them to 100 percent, but at 90 percent and above they look like Shimpaku.

Look folks, earlier in this thread I said it was ok to pinch "a little". Way back early. I'll go back and find the post number if I have to.

I was posting a little fun at myself with the Charlesnx video! I thought that would be more fun than me posing in a pink thong!

 

[Vance Wood]

I caught it. I posted right before the other post appeared on my computer. So I deleted my response and offered the one I did. The fact remains that we have come to an agreement that most of our trouble was over terminology not dendrology. We agree more than we disagree though I seem to remember that somewhere in the discussion someone said there is nothing usefull in pinching.

 

[Adair M]

So far, no one has answered Vances question? What do you want him to do? He already told you he ain't changin......

Well, if Vance doesn't mind, I would like to see an update on his video juniper in a week or two. I'm sure it will be just fine.

If I may make a comment: the scissors I use are much smaller than the ones Vance uses. They're the ARS scissors. Very light, and comfortable. And not expensive. The blades are slim, so it's easy to get them in tight places. They sharpen well. I find these scissors to be more precise and easier to use than my fingers, so when cutting out small bits, I use these.

If I wanted to have removed those it's of foliage that Vance pinched off, I would have cut them off with the scissors pictured above. ( I don't know why the photo was placed up there.)

These were about $25. Of all the tools in my box, I tend to use these the most.

 

[Adair M]

Vance, you taught me a new word! "Dendrology". The study of trees and shrubs.

I learned something new today!

 

[thumblessprimate1]

The ARS scissors, I notice there "cultivation scissors" and some for bonsai labeled "long reach". Does one have more advantage over in working with the junipers or bonsai in general? I use the long reach type. Never tried the other.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

View attachment 79842

Well, if Vance doesn't mind, I would like to see an update on his video juniper in a week or two. I'm sure it will be just fine.

If I may make a comment: the scissors I use are much smaller than the ones Vance uses. They're the ARS scissors. Very light, and comfortable. And not expensive. The blades are slim, so it's easy to get them in tight places. They sharpen well. I find these scissors to be more precise and easier to use than my fingers, so when cutting out small bits, I use these.

If I wanted to have removed those it's of foliage that Vance pinched off, I would have cut them off with the scissors pictured above. ( I don't know why the photo was placed up there.)

These were about $25. Of all the tools in my box, I tend to use these the most.

I like the scissors

 

[Vance Wood]

In the end of all of this it boils down to me not having a world class teacher and that I am self taught. If you go through all of the posts between me and many of the bonsai experts in this part of the country you will see the same thing. I really don't care, that's the way it is but it is too bad that it is people that get rejected not ideas. I know some will say I am paranoid but if you go through all of these discussion for ye

The ARS scissors, I notice there "cultivation scissors" and some for bonsai labeled "long reach". Does one have more advantage over in working with the junipers or bonsai in general? I use the long reach type. Never tried the other.

My scissors are basically long handled. It makes it easier to get into tight places and they do have the ability to exceed the focus of my eyes now days. It sucks getting old.

 

[Adair M]

The ARS scissors, I notice there "cultivation scissors" and some for bonsai labeled "long reach". Does one have more advantage over in working with the junipers or bonsai in general? I use the long reach type. Never tried the other.

They're very similiar. Mine I think are a little slimmer. The tips are blunt, not sharp pointed. So, I can get them in close, but they don't scratch the bark of stuff I don't want to cut. I use these a lot. Which means they get jostled around, and dropped a lot. If the tips were sharp pointed, I'm sure they'd chip or break, or bend. Mine haven't. The long ones would be handy for reaching inside the canopy. I have a pair of Masakuni I use for when I can't use these.

A pair I use a lot are the angled ones. I use them for repotting. That way, I can shear the bottom of the rootball flat, and my fingers don't get in the way. I don't use them for branch work, although I could. Some do. I find pruning roots dulls them, so I use the angled ones for roots, and the straight ones for branches.

 

[Vance Wood]

View attachment 79842

Well, if Vance doesn't mind, I would like to see an update on his video juniper in a week or two. I'm sure it will be just fine.

If I may make a comment: the scissors I use are much smaller than the ones Vance uses. They're the ARS scissors. Very light, and comfortable. And not expensive. The blades are slim, so it's easy to get them in tight places. They sharpen well. I find these scissors to be more precise and easier to use than my fingers, so when cutting out small bits, I use these.

If I wanted to have removed those it's of foliage that Vance pinched off, I would have cut them off with the scissors pictured above. ( I don't know why the photo was placed up there.)

These were about $25. Of all the tools in my box, I tend to use these the most.

I don't mind but it is going to take about three weeks.

 

[Adair M]

In the end of all of this it boils down to me not having a world class teacher and that I am self taught.

I understand. I've been doing bonsai over 40 years, and it was only in the past three years that I've had a "World Class Teacher". He had me change many of my old habits. In fact, it probably took me a year to stop doing the old stuff entirely. Not that I didn't want to follow his teachings, the old ways were ingrained.

Boon says it's much easier to teach a newbie than it is us old dogs! We (or at least I) had to unlearn the old before we can learn the new.

So, I guess that's why I've kept this discussion going... The new folks coming into bonsai... If they learn the new techniques from the start, they won't have to unlearn the old outdated stuff later. This is also why I teach classes.

By the way, you ought to try the ARS scissors. I was wrong on the price, on Amazon, they're about $17.

 

[0soyoung]

So, I guess that's why I've kept this discussion going... The new folks coming into bonsai... If they learn the new techniques from the start, they won't have to unlearn the old outdated stuff later.

IMHO, this is what BVF does so well - one succint page (or two ), uncomplicated pix and a just the few essential words needed to fill in when the pix don't speak clearly by themselves.

 

[Adair M]

Yes, BVF does a lot of things better than me!