Sean’s Trident Projects

[SeanS]

Starting a thread to document some of my trident projects. Over the last 12 months I’ve managed to amass around 60 tridents ranging from 1 year old seedlings grown from seed myself to a really chunky stump that I chopped down from a 3m tall nursery tree. I’ll document them all here.

I currently live in a small townhouse (condo) with a really small garden. We have 2 pet bunnies so everything has to be off the ground or caged off. I have a few raised benches and some raised “herb planters” that serve as my grow beds. This past weekend I set up an additional fenced in grow bed for the biggest stump and my ROR project.




This week I started my first ROR projects, but in the muddy rush I forgot to take photos! Here’s the biggest rock set up prior to planting. I drilled a hole through the base to allow for future mounting into a pot. The roots of the seedling I selected were perfect and followed the virt almost perfectly, maybe even better




Today I started a few more. The roots on the bigger one fitted like a glove! It was like the seedling knew it was intended for this rock while it was growing! I’m using the @Shibui tinfoil method






2 smaller shohin compositions

 

[jason biggs]

the big rock looks cool ...

 

[just.wing.it]

I like how you secured the rock to the steel. Great idea.

 

[SeanS]

I like how you secured the rock to the steel. Great idea.

I removed the steel before planting, but will reattach again one day when it’s time to go into a pot. I’ll use a smaller steel plate (or the same one but cut smaller) when the time comes. It’s very stable when on the plate and should be very stable in the pot with the plate wired into the pot

 

[Shibui]

I removed the steel before planting, but will reattach again one day when it’s time to go into a pot. I’ll use a smaller steel plate (or the same one but cut smaller) when the time comes. It’s very stable when on the plate and should be very stable in the pot with the plate wired into the pot

I expect you'l find it becomes more stable when the roots have developed. The roots are not only on the rock. By the time the roots on the rock and the trunk have developed enough there should be a mass of feeders and thicker roots under and around the base of the rock which usually provides a stable platform no matter what the base of the rock is like.
Rocks look great, roots appear to have been arranged nicely so these are off to a good start. We are finding that tridents will develop many new roots under the foil so you may have even more options by next year. Often I need to thin out the new roots each year to maintain the desired root run and spaces.
Getting a good root'rock arrangement is just the first of many steps in ROR bonsai. Next challenge is to get a trunk that also matches the lower section. Unfortunately every added element in a bonsai multiplies the complexity of getting an ideal result.

Look forward to seeing the results of these next year.

 

[SeanS]

I expect you'l find it becomes more stable when the roots have developed. The roots are not only on the rock. By the time the roots on the rock and the trunk have developed enough there should be a mass of feeders and thicker roots under and around the base of the rock which usually provides a stable platform no matter what the base of the rock is like.
Rocks look great, roots appear to have been arranged nicely so these are off to a good start. We are finding that tridents will develop many new roots under the foil so you may have even more options by next year. Often I need to thin out the new roots each year to maintain the desired root run and spaces.
Getting a good root'rock arrangement is just the first of many steps in ROR bonsai. Next challenge is to get a trunk that also matches the lower section. Unfortunately every added element in a bonsai multiplies the complexity of getting an ideal result.

Look forward to seeing the results of these next year.

Thanks @Shibui, I wanted to do you proud!

I suspect I’ll eventually have to graft a shoot low down onto most of these to form the actual trunk. I wasn’t too concerned with where the trunks ended up, I was mostly concerned with root placement on the rock and didn’t bother wiring the trunks for movement, only placement and securing them to the rock. I’ll pump these up with loads of fert, water and sun to get max growth. Let’s see what these look like in a year

 

[SeanS]

I collected close to 30 2-4 year old (I’m guessing) seedlings from a local garden recently. This morning I put 10 of them together into a forest planting. I’ll let them recover and then start pruning and styling later this season

 

[SeanS]

This is my largest trident that I chopped in January (mid summer here) after bringing it home from the nursery. Unfortunately nothing happened, no buds popped and it sat sulking since then. I finally got it out of the nursery bag and had a look at the roots this weekend. I sawed the base as flat as I could manage and screwed it to a board. The trunk is still green under the bark, so I approach grafted 3 seedlings to it in hope that they’ll take and the trunk will live. Live and learn…

 

[SeanS]

Here’s a shohin clump I started the styling on. I had a blurry second clip from this years Gafu-ten to go by, I absolutely love the look of this tree.

My seedlings are my 2020 batch from seed, I repotted then into the clump when they were 2 months old and they have already started fusing at the base.

Inspiration tree from 0:35

 

[clem]

I like very much your multi-trunk in the blue pot (maybe this pot is too small depending on your final project)
The first stone shape is very nice. Another idea with a global movement to the left (same as the stone's movement, as if the stone was the trunk) ->

 

[SeanS]

I like very much your multi-trunk in the blue pot (maybe this pot is too small depending on your final project)
The first stone shape is very nice. Another idea with a global movement to the left (same as the stone's movement, as if the stone was the trunk) ->

View attachment 391942

Thanks @clem, that virt is interesting and something I could consider as time goes by.
Yes I realise the pot seems a little small for the forest. I think as the trees become established this season and I start reducing the trunks it may seem more fitting. A larger shallower pot more suitable for a forest planting will be used in future.

I have this sort of image in mind with strong movement to one side but still a wide broad canopy that fills in over the whole pot

 

[SeanS]

Thanks @clem, that virt is interesting and something I could consider as time goes by.
Yes I realise the pot seems a little small for the forest. I think as the trees become established this season and I start reducing the trunks it may seem more fitting. A larger shallower pot more suitable for a forest planting will be used in future.

I have this sort of image in mind with strong movement to one side but still a wide broad canopy that fills in over the whole pot

View attachment 391951

Or something like this. The trunks on the periphery will be drastically reduced

 

[clem]

Both projects are nice imo. On your forest the curves of the trunks on the 1rst 2 inches are very interesting and as we go up, the trees are parallel so i agree with you that clip & grow could be a good way to give movements on the upper part of the trunks. Dunno if the trunks can still be bent with wire

 

[SeanS]

Anyone needing proof of the effectiveness of planting seedlings through washers, STRAP IN!

I planted 3 collected seedlings through a washer last October. Today I checked on their progress and did an initial styling of the trunks.





Once out of the pot and halfway through combing out the roots I second guessed myself as to whether I had actually planted these guys through a washer. I just couldn’t find it

THERE IT IS!



After a trim of the roots that had grown above the washer. The original roots are in my hand, the roots visible are the new, perfectly radial roots. There was 1 heavy root off of the main trunk that had dived deep off the side of the washer that I removed completely. The trunks have completely fused. I repotted with the original roots still intact to aid growth of the trunks. I’ll remove them at the next repot in 2 yesrs




Here’s the inspiration for this tree, I love its natural look. I’ll let the trunks gain the necessary thickness and then give them an initial cut back to start building taper. Intended to be shohin size or slightly taller.

 

[clem]

Nice styling and project imo !

 

[SeanS]

Trident Maple shohin multi trunk start

youtube.com

 

[lunchbox27]

Starting a thread to document some of my trident projects. Over the last 12 months I’ve managed to amass around 60 tridents ranging from 1 year old seedlings grown from seed myself to a really chunky stump that I chopped down from a 3m tall nursery tree. I’ll document them all here.

I currently live in a small townhouse (condo) with a really small garden. We have 2 pet bunnies so everything has to be off the ground or caged off. I have a few raised benches and some raised “herb planters” that serve as my grow beds. This past weekend I set up an additional fenced in grow bed for the biggest stump and my ROR project.

View attachment 391074
View attachment 391077

This week I started my first ROR projects, but in the muddy rush I forgot to take photos! Here’s the biggest rock set up prior to planting. I drilled a hole through the base to allow for future mounting into a pot. The roots of the seedling I selected were perfect and followed the virt almost perfectly, maybe even better

View attachment 391073
View attachment 391075

Today I started a few more. The roots on the bigger one fitted like a glove! It was like the seedling knew it was intended for this rock while it was growing! I’m using the @Shibui tinfoil method

View attachment 391076
View attachment 391078
View attachment 391081
View attachment 391082

2 smaller shohin compositions

View attachment 391079
View attachment 391080

Can you talk more about your bonsai work stand there. In particular the ball/socket mount please.

 

[SeanS]

Work the roots of my 2nd largest trident. I started this from nursery stock last September. I saw off the bottom of the original root ball at the wrong angle and ended up leaving the one side of the trunk completely bare of roots, WHOOPS! It had 1 tiny little shoot at the top of the trunk. Over the 2020/2021 growing season it extended well over 6’, along with another shoot that emerged right at the base of the trunk on the backside. I’m letting that back shoot thicken the lower part of the trunk.

September 2020, my large trident cutting




Today. Cut off the lower shoot at the base of the leader





Scored the edge of the chop wound and resealed



After washing out the roots



Roots cut back. Any large roots were cut back short and anything under the trunk removed. There weren’t many wayward roots as I had planted it above an upturned terracotta saucer




Back in my raised grown bed

 

[SeanS]

Settled in with his trident and celtis sinensis friends for (hopefully) another great season

 

[SeanS]

You may have heard about the @Smoke “Trident in a hole” technique, well how about some TRIDENTS THROUGH COLD HARD STEEL!





Joining my other trident projects. LOOK AT ALL THOSE TINFOIL TATERS!



Let’s see how these swell and start to fuse in the coming years. Maybe I’ll create one of those grotesque tridents with the massive plate nebari and a single spindly trunk out the middle