Projects

[Dav4]

A selection from my "ugly duckling" line...

 

[Dav4]

Hmmm... I don't think the board did anything!!



No room in the new pot for the board... oh well.

 

[Dav4]

First real re-pot for this one since it was started way way way back... all the fertilizer applied over the last 8-9 years broke down and turned the root ball into a bit of a dirt brick... it'll need a half bare root when I move it to a real pot most likely. I do love developing these neagari style trees... it's like Christmas morning when I work on them, as you never really know what you'll find.

 

[Dav4]

My shohin JBP seem to really like MI... 2nd year in a row of very vigorous growth with long necked candles. Even the second flush after decandling last summer was apparently steroid driven. This one just got decandled and probably every third candle was cut back into last year's needles to hopefully get buds to pop closer. Let's see what we have popping by the third week of July.

 

[Dav4]

I’ll always have jbp in my collection, but I’m done growing from seed as long as I live here in the frozen white north. I started working with Japanese red pine and Scots pine. Here are some of the Silvestris crop that germinated last year. Uber, cold, hardy, vigorous, and they apparently back bud without having to ask twice . The two bigger ones were seedlings sourced from Matt Ouwinga 2 winters ago.

 

[Dav4]

This one is begging to get put into a tall, stoneware cascade pot next spring. We’ll see what the branching looks like after the leafs fall.
A.p ‘Ryu-sen’

 

[Dav4]

I cut the sacrifice away 2 months ago It will get old needles pulled and rewired this winter, and may see itself into a ceramic pot this spring.

 

[Dav4]

I cut the sacrifice away 2 months ago It will get old needles pulled and rewired this winter, and may see itself into a ceramic pot this spring.
View attachment 519546

Good news... I found the tree!

I still need to remove some extra buds and wire.

 

[Dav4]

 

[Dav4]

That pile of needles is getting BIG!

I think I remember where the front is now...

 

[Dav4]

The tall one had the old wire removed and both were thinned. I really need to wire them both out fully but I’m getting tired. I have too many jbp and they know they’re winning

 

[Dav4]

Repotted these earlier this week. Year after year, repot after repot, the nebari gets better.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Indeed, looking good man!

 

[Dav4]

Ok, things got downright rednecky in my workshop today... avert your eyes if you're a sensitive soul! I decided to stop photo-bombing @Tidal Bonsai's great thread on clump style maples for the time being but perhaps begin chronicling the clump trident and Japanese maple seedling clumps I started 3 years or so ago. Anyway, when you have too many trees/projects to care for and move forward, you do stupid things to save time and money, and nobody is better at cutting corners while saving a buck than a redneck . So, without further adu, here are some of the pictures essentially showing my most 'special' techniques used to both anchor the material to the flat or basket while moving individual trunks to hopefully a better spot. This was all done with just 1.5 mm aluminum wire (because I've got loads of it both new and used laying all over the workshop), used copper wire, and chop sticks. Please, no questions about the soil used... it's proprietary in nature, locally sourced, and absolutely gauranteed to horrify my longtime friends here if I were to disclose the components. These are the non-rednecky shots...

 

[Dav4]

... and these are the rednecky shots... you've been warned!

 

[bwaynef]

I'll allow it! I know they're early in development, but on that last one, I'd consider trying to slow down the front left tree/trunk in the clump as it looks significantly thicker. If that's a perspective issue, ignore. Otherwise, maybe something as simple as pinching the tips on that trunk will allow the middle (in particular) to get a head of steam in comparison.

 

[Nybonsai12]

These look like great future trees in the making. How old were these when you planted together? Have you had these from seed?

 

[Dav4]

These look like great future trees in the making. How old were these when you planted together? Have you had these from seed?

I’ve been starting tridents and palmatums from seed pretty much every year for the last decade, mainly to use for root grafts or individual trees. These were probably seedlings in their second spring when I put them together.

 

[Dav4]

I'll allow it! I know they're early in development, but on that last one, I'd consider trying to slow down the front left tree/trunk in the clump as it looks significantly thicker. If that's a perspective issue, ignore. Otherwise, maybe something as simple as pinching the tips on that trunk will allow the middle (in particular) to get a head of steam in comparison.

I agree. I’m analyzing the canopies now that the repots are done, looking for opportunities to wire direction into the trunks or chopping trunks back once the first flush hardens. That one is on the list to be cut back.

 

[Nybonsai12]

I’ve been starting tridents and palmatums from seed pretty much every year for the last decade, mainly to use for root grafts or individual trees. These were probably seedlings in their second spring when I put them together.

Excellent. I find great enjoyment starting things from seed and watching the process. It is not easy and results just aren’t guaranteed regardless of planning. And developing trees with good characteristics early on like you have with these and their bases…very good work.