Rocky Mt Juniper: First styling

[MACH5]

Hey Mach, coincidentely, I just posted this on IBC: With collected trees/yamadori, you must remove bark to look for borers. Been cleaning quite a bit of l. veins recently and just found my first borer this weekend. If you don't look, it might just kill you tree.

Ryan told us to remove it as soon at the trees established and growing, not before as it's a moisture loosing process. BTW, the borers are disgusting looking! I love the bark too, but not worth the risk of loosing the tree.

Ahhh no!!! Thanks fore, I wasn't aware of it. Is there a way at all to tell from just a casual visual inspection? I love the bark since it allows the tree to retain some of it's wild feel. Well I guess if I have to I will since I agree I don't want to risk the unnecessary death of this little poor tree.

Beautiful tree, due to what you have done with it. You have a great eye.

Thanks Vance! I am happy with the progress this tree has made in about 4 year's time. From rags to well... less raggy!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Ahhh no!!! Thanks fore, I wasn't aware of it. Is there a way at all to tell from just a casual visual inspection? I love the bark since it allows the tree to retain some of it's wild feel. Well I guess if I have to I will since I agree I don't want to risk the unnecessary death of this little poor tree.

I'd urge you to check into the life cycle of these borers first. If you haven't had a problem or symptom in the 3+ years you've owned the tree, removing the bark now may be unnecessary. Nice job with it, btw!

 

[wireme]

So far I have only found one active on the trees on my benches. I was sitting quietly with the tree and actually heard the little bugger munching away. Visual inspection showed a couple sawdusty exit holes under the still flakey bark.

You could always get out a stethoscope.

 

[MACH5]

I'd urge you to check into the life cycle of these borers first. If you haven't had a problem or symptom in the 3+ years you've owned the tree, removing the bark now may be unnecessary. Nice job with it, btw!

Thanks Brian. I have actually owned the tree for 15 years now with actual work being put into it in the last 4.

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks Brian. I have actually owned the tree for 15 years now with actual work being put into it in the last 4.

There is nothing worng with that. Sometimes when you get a tree your skill level may not have advanced to a point where you can visualize what needs to be done with the tree, I have posted work on several of trees in that category. It is better to do that than ruin a potentially great tree just because you want to turn it into a Formal Upright, or something else equally inappropriate or relevant to the form of the tree;---- and you insist on doing it now. I think sometimes we want every body to think our bonsai skill became fully formed from birth and are loath to present anything to the public that suggest we still have things to learn.

 

[MACH5]

There is nothing worng with that. Sometimes when you get a tree your skill level may not have advanced to a point where you can visualize what needs to be done with the tree, I have posted work on several of trees in that category. It is better to do that than ruin a potentially great tree just because you want to turn it into a Formal Upright, or something else equally inappropriate or relevant to the form of the tree;---- and you insist on doing it now. I think sometimes we want every body to think our bonsai skill became fully formed from birth and are loath to present anything to the public that suggest we still have things to learn.

Yes! I seriously had no idea what to do with this piece of material until it hit me one day! I also think of course that what helped me was that my eye had become a bit more experienced than it was back then which is the point you made.

 

[fore]

Ahhh no!!! Thanks fore, I wasn't aware of it. Is there a way at all to tell from just a casual visual inspection? I love the bark since it allows the tree to retain some of it's wild feel. Well I guess if I have to I will since I agree I don't want to risk the unnecessary death of this little poor tree.



Thanks Vance! I am happy with the progress this tree has made in about 4 year's time. From rags to well... less raggy!

I bet having it that long you should've seen damage by now. I did see a small pile of sawdust before flicking off bark and finding it. Older signs are encrusted w old sap.

 

[MACH5]

Here is an update on this RMJ. It has been growing well and pretty much now it has all mature scale foliage. The growth on this juniper tends to be slow but even and steady. Left it to grow for a while but now it needed work again.

Below is a recent photo of the tree.






The tree carefully thinned out with many parts rewired as I continue to develop and refine it.






A few different close ups just for fun.

 

[Vance Wood]

Very nice work.

 

[Geo]

Lovely work overall! I have read this whole thread. Maybe I have a problem (there is a good hook for someone), but the horizontal jin at the base of this tree bothers me in all the photos. For me, this jin just distracts from the rest of your work on the tree. Very honest here, not wishing to criticize a 250 year old, but I cannot ignore that jin when I look at the overall "design".

 

[Geo]

Stow that. Forget it. I have to stop looking at so many Junipers with so much deadwood! Sorry for bothering you.

 

[Vance Wood]

Stow that. Forget it. I have to stop looking at so many Junipers with so much deadwood! Sorry for bothering you.

There's no reason to apologize for an opinion. I see your point. However; natural dead-wood is considered almost sacred and must be reduced or removed only after a good deal of consideration. This tree's development, as interesting and fine as it might be, is still very young artistically and reducing down natural dead wood could cause problems. The old rule: Once it's gone you don't get it back. You can graft in living branches and you would be praised for the effort; try grafting in dead wood and you are likely to be crucified.

 

[barrosinc]

There's no reason to apologize for an opinion. I see your point. However; natural dead-wood is considered almost sacred and must be reduced or removed only after a good deal of consideration. This tree's development, as interesting and fine as it might be, is still very young artistically and reducing down natural dead wood could cause problems. The old rule: Once it's gone you don't get it back. You can graft in living branches and you would be praised for the effort; try grafting in dead wood and you are likely to be crucified.

Isnt the dead wood grafted??? (stuck on... Or whatever you call it... 'tanukied' maybe a word...)

 

[Vance Wood]

Isnt the dead wood grafted??? (stuck on... Or whatever you call it... 'tanukied' maybe a word...)

No. Sometimes this feature can be attached to a Juniper (tanuki) but the practice is usually frowned upon and the artists doing those things are usually frowned upon too.

 

[KennedyMarx]

No. Sometimes this feature can be attached to a Juniper (tanuki) but the practice is usually frowned upon and the artists doing those things are usually frowned upon too.

If you reread the first page of this thread you'll see where he cut a piece of deadwood from another plant and attached it to the base of this one with a brass screw. I think it would look good either way, but it was a slick idea.

 

[Geo]

I understand. Thanks.

 

[Vance Wood]

How did I miss that, I stand corrected.

 

[Vin]

Beautiful work as usual! Thanks for the closeups. This will help a lot when I do an initial wiring on mine.

 

[Geo]

So I end up liking the screwed in jin and not the jin that is part of the tree! Hmm... Nevertheless Vance, it doesn't negate what you said about timing and patience. After all we were talking about the "real jin". Can't unscrew that one.

 

[Kelly]

Not being an expert ... the horizontal jin and all previous work "works" for me. I also appreciate that you had the tree for so long before you completed the work. I think its really well done. Certainly helped me as I am at the stage where I can grow the trees but am learning how to visualize what the end result could be ... Also trying to learn what "it should be". Having said that, the entire thread is useful both for the ideas, comments and critiques. Thanks for sharing.