Sean’s Trident Projects

[SeanS]

This tall clump has concrete around the base and was ground layered this season. I've checked on the roots during the season and they're looking good, I'll decide whether it's ready to be separated in spring.



Small little trident that was layered through a washer 2 seasons ago. I'll separate the original roots in spring.



Most of my little tridents chilling in the crisp autumn/winter morning air. Autumn has been very strange this season, it's already June and most of my plants in my grow beds that you can see behind this bench are still holding onto their leaves and have only just started turning colour.



This literati trident should be ready for some autumn work by next weekend.

 

[Shibui]

Some very interesting shohin tridents developing there, @SeanS

 

[Yamabudoudanshi]

That last one is great. Those are the kind of bends you expect to see on a red pine or something.. But a trident.
So unconventional, but awesome.

 

[SeanS]

That last one is great. Those are the kind of bends you expect to see on a red pine or something.. But a trident.
So unconventional, but awesome.

Thanks! Bonsai should be fun sometimes, with enough material to play with you can be creative and don’t always have to stick to the conventional

 

[badatusernames]

Every time I see this thread



Maybe I’ll have something similar to show in a few years anyways tho!

 

[Shibui]

with enough material to play with you can be creative and don’t always have to stick to the conventional

With enough material to play with you can also take risks and try new things. That's a great way to push the boundaries and develop new ideas.

 

[SeanS]

With enough material to play with you can also take risks and try new things. That's a great way to push the boundaries and develop new ideas.

So true @Shibui, having loads of seedlings to start with has allowed me to try different techniques and styles with a lot less worry about killing my single little snowflake seedling. I encourage everyone who has the space and resources to sow loads of seeds and just see what happens. It's a lot more enjoyable having less risk or at least concern for killing a few seedlings along the way.
It also allows one to really build the best possible trees. As an example I have 3 trays of tiny trident seedlings which I kept stunted by growing them in the shade which I will use as root grafts when I repot the trees I've just posted. I am really trying to build high quality trees, so I want to have every resource available that I may need, including an almost endless supply of seedlings

 

[SeanS]

Every time I see this thread

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Maybe I’ll have something similar to show in a few years anyways tho!

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@badatusernames I could send you some seeds...

 

[badatusernames]

@badatusernames I could send you some seeds...

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Hah! Not sure how happy customs would be - but I'm planning on sourcing some seeds here for sure.

 

[SeanS]

Hah! Not sure how happy customs would be - but I'm planning on sourcing some seeds here for sure.

@badatusernames is it difficult finding trident seeds where you live? We have tridents aplenty in the surrounds neighborhoods where I live in South Africa (Johannesburg) so seeds are very easy to come by.

 

[badatusernames]

@badatusernames is it difficult finding trident seeds where you live? We have tridents aplenty in the surrounds neighborhoods where I live in South Africa (Johannesburg) so seeds are very easy to come by.

No I don't think they are, I just didn't look very hard and when I thought of it I realized I'd need to wait til next winter to stratify them. It'll definitely happen!

 

[SeanS]

A few more

Will check on the 3 root grafts closer to spring when I replace the top layer of soil. Pretty sure they’ve taken

 

[SeanS]

Styled this little clump, 15 seedlings planted through a washer 3 seasons ago. This took ages to wire




This is my inspiration

 

[BobbyLane]

Styled this little clump, 15 seedlings planted through a washer 3 seasons ago. This took ages to wire

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This is my inspiration

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A man with a plan, I like it!

 

[SeanS]

Future shohin forest from today



October 2021 when I had just put it together

 

[SeanS]

Big ROR ready to be cut down to the graft (right above the roots). More updates this weekend

 

[SeanS]

Couple more updates

ROR, I'm really excited about this one's development this season. I managed to grow a section of trunk and start the branching. I've got plenty of branching options available in all the right places, including 2 little branches that sprouting on either side of the top of the rock.







The trunk line on this ROR is a graft performed earlier this season. it will be cut back to the buds that are on the inside of the curve of the grafted shoot. I also managed to use a shoot that grew from the entry side of the graft to place a future branch on one of the roots to create a low first branch.




Another grafted ROR. The grafted shoot will form the future trunk line.




The big ROR from my previous post showing the graft for the future trunk and a branch I grafted on the backside of the initial section of trunk.

 

[SeanS]

Another grafted ROR




5 seedling ROR. This one will get a bunch of seedlings added and grafted to the existing roots/trunks to create multiple trunks. 2 of the seedlings have fused and I also grafted a shoot across both of them to help them fuse. There's a bud that's appeared just below the cut back point on the one. The failed experiment of trying to bind 2 of the trunks together will be cut off once I've got some new seedlings grafted to the base of them.




These 2 seedlings (and the branch across the top of them) are fused together just behind the trunk in the front. You can see the small bud close to the rock on the front seedling.



Small ROR created with 2 seedlings that have fused. I grafted a shoot between the 2 seedlings to create the future trunkline and first branch.




Small literati trident

 

[SeanS]

ROR now leafless. Going into a pot in spring to work on the branching and rest of the trunk

 

[SeanS]

All of the above RORs have been created using the @Shibui aluminium foil method. Anybody still using other methods needs to reconsider their decisions