Practice Trees - Post 'me Up.
- Thread starter ghues
- Start date
Wilson
Masterpiece
Since I had the chance to snap some pics, I thought I could load up more images to this thread. A bunch of scots pine, the one in the tokonome pot is one of the first trees I collected. The two with small needles are dwarfs that I only gave minimal fish and seaweed fert last year. I was amazed how small I got the needles on one of them, too small! One pitch pine, fast 
becoming a favourite of mine!
becoming a favourite of mine!
thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
Trying to prepare for a taller slender clump of lace leaf Japanese maples. First year airlayers separated last fall. Getting them to grow strong before chopping back to few inches above soil. Weak so far. May need a few more years.
Wilson
Masterpiece
Another group of guinea pigs! A procumbens nana, hemlock,mountain top birch, and my $5 juniper from the fall contest. I had my daughter help to fix the rocks for the juniper planting, this one is also a practice for native mosses. I used a bunch of different types to test the resilience in pot and sun.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Here is my $5 Mugo I have shown on this site a number of times. It has been in need of a restyle for a number of years. I repotted it last summer and I started on some major reductions on it last week. There is no wire on it yet the bark is too soft. In a week or so I should be able to do some aggressive work without slipping the bark, which is the big worry with doing these trees in the early spring.
Wilson
Masterpiece
I love this tree!
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
That bottom one could be a real contender in the ugly tree thread.
Sorry.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
As to the ugly tree this one above right now could qualify.
Joelshack2362
Shohin
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
It could right now.
But if I know anything about you Vance it won't be that way for long.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Sometimes it is necessary for a tree to develop as a bonsai it must, in a way, go through the kind of transformation it would go through in nature on its way to becoming a Yamadori.
It was not a bad bonsai before I started work on it but there was nothing spectacular about it other than the price I paid for it. The tree as you see it now, ten months after it was repotted, has been reduced down, some branches that had grown too long for the design were striped down to bare heart wood.
I would have started the wiring on the remaining branches and the top of the tree but as I was bending the top of the tree around where I wanted it I noticed that the bark was starting to slip. So I put off the rest of the redesign till the development had hardened up a bit, probaly in a week or two. I may have to put raffia on the top of the tree to preserve the character of the bark.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Yep.
I've found that in development most trees go through an ugly stage.
Victorim
Omono
Off topic but we haven't seen Bolero since he went to meet you two.. you haven't.. you know...
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
I don't know about Mike but I was not able to go. I've been ill. It seems Agent Orange has come at me again from another direction and I was not able to go to Grand Rapids. I suppose I should have let Bolero know I was not coming.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I didn't go either. No time. Not enough funds.
And no we didn't do away with @Bolero Hopefully he makes it to our show. I got something for to give him!
He does love group plantings and he can play with this.
I was pretty rough with him in the damned Trump thread so to smooth things over it's his if he wants it.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
I hope he shows up as well.
Victorim
Omono
herzausstahl
Chumono
Sorry to hear Vance. I've got a neighbor who was dealing with nerve damage from it, had a few experimental/pioneering surgeries trying to fix it. Seems to have helped. My brother was in Iraq twice & Afghanistan once & only a few cases of bronchitis in the years after but so far nothing lingering except just wear on his body from all his gear. Thanks for your service again.
Bolero
Omono
Sorry to hear youse guys had fallen ill or were too busy to make the big GR show...Mike I would love to have those Am Larch, I will make every effort to get up to Mio to collect them, I would incorporate them into a present Larch Grouping I have going on...Vance I will eventually make one of your Four Seasons shows for a Meet & Greet, looking forward to seeing your Mugo's and sorry to hear of the return of the Agent Orange, so sad...
