Shimpacu/prostrata

[grouper52]

Conflicting? You think I have some kind of mental problem? I'm not conflicted...

V

Hey Vic! Mental problem, schmental problem. You know I don't mess around with mere conflict-level craziness: If your voices aren't telling you to kill more than ten people, I'll just refer you to someone who deals in that sort of petty stuff.

Dwight - Bravo!! I like to hear you figuring out your way forward - most excellent!! That tree you killed, BTW, that wasn't the one I . . . . naw, you'd have told me. Wouldn't you?

 

[rockm]

"Ok , now that you guys have scared the hell out of me here's what I think I'm gonna do. NOTHING !!!!!!!! Well not exactly nothing. I've spent much of today sitting by the tree and conversing quietly with it ( Vic will understand ) and while doing this I've noticed it has a bunch of jins that Gary had already started."

This is perhaps, the greatest step forward you're making...You acquired the tree two weeks ago, spending a pretty penny on it. Expecting to have a firm grasp of a design for it now is not realistic.

Designing a tree worthy of what you've bought can't be done in a "styling session" or two, or three. It must be done over time, sometime A LOT of time. In the last 20 years or so, I've gone from "designing" a tree in three hours in one day to contemplating stock for a year or even more, before settling on exactly what the tree should look like.

Some trees offer up things immediately. Others take time to dissect and understand--along with what's there and what needs to be added.

Living with a piece of stock day in and day out can be revealing. With one tree of mine, the solution came up in one afternoon, but only after looking at the tree for two years...

There's no rush to complete this tree. Don't be fooled into thinking you must get it done. Settle down. Do the tree the courtesy of actually LOOKING at it and it's possibilities, Think about them. Consider them. Resist the urge to start chopping it up immediately, that's what beginners do with $14 maples from Wal Mart.

 

[Dwight]

Hey Vic! Dwight - Bravo!! I like to hear you figuring out your way forward - most excellent!! That tree you killed, BTW, that wasn't the one I . . . . naw, you'd have told me. Wouldn't you?

Nope , yours is alive and healthy and starting to look something like a bonsai

 

[Dwight]

You can get maples at Wal Mart for $14 ?????? Alas , here in the dester even Wal Mart is smart enough not to cary maples.

 

[mcpesq817]

There's no rush to complete this tree. Don't be fooled into thinking you must get it done. Settle down. Do the tree the courtesy of actually LOOKING at it and it's possibilities, Think about them. Consider them. Resist the urge to start chopping it up immediately, that's what beginners do with $14 maples from Wal Mart.

Hey Dwight,

One thing you might consider too is that your intended design for the tree may change once you get the tree out of the nursery pot. I picked up a Ponderosa last fall, and spent the winter trying to figure out how the tree should be styled, to the point of sketching an intended design. Come spring, I repot the tree into a training pot and change the planting angle to be more like my intended plans. However, after the repot, I took a step back and realized that the better tree would have completely the opposite movement from my original design. So even though I had used wedges and stuff to prop up the tree to different planting angles, the tree came across as completely different once it was out of the original container and into the training pot. When you repot your juniper, you might find that some other design jumps out at you.

In any event, I think your decision to wait and take some time to examine the tree, and get the help of an expert down the road, is the best decision you can make. I don't see how coming up with a couple of design plans, showing them to Marco and having him give his thoughts and suggestions to those design plans is going to shortchange your development - if anything, I think that's exactly what would help you most. Plus, you won't find yourself in the position of wishing you hadn't cut off a particular branch if you wait on doing work before showing the tree and your plans to Marco.

 

[Just Duane]

Holly smoke Dwight, thats going to be on fine tree! Wish you the best on this one.

 

[Dwight]

Well I couldn't get to Harrys to let Marco work on my tree so I've done a little by myself. Mostly just cleaning and working on the existiing dead wood. I have pruned it a bit and repotted it in a mica pot ( wish I could find a nice unglazed ceramic pot just like it ). I also started a shari on the mother trunk which follows a path that looks pretty empty of branches. I like the way it looks so I'll gradually widen it. There's another candidate location for a shari on the back. I've also done some very basic wireing , nothing drastic. I went to a workshop in Albuquerque in April with another grafted shimp and learned a lot .... like trust Ishi san as to where he puts branches so no primary or secondary branches have been removed. It must be happy as it's backbudding like crazy. Can't wait to see what comes out.

What do you think ?

 

[mcpesq817]

Nice progress. Interesting that you posted as I've been working on my Ishii kishu this week as well.

It's a bit hard to tell from the photographs, but I think you could probably thin the foliage a bit more. If you repotted this spring though, you might want to take things slow. When I repotted my tree with Boon last spring, he recommended doing things like cleaning out weak foliage that year, but saving the more involved work for this year after the tree had rested and gained strength.

In any event, really nice tree

 

[Dwight]

A little wire and a little triming and VOILA. Still need to do a lot of work on the apex. What say you ?

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

My friend.... do me a favor and take a level shot of it. From what I can see, I think it's coming along well... I'd love to work on it myself.

V

 

[Dwight]

Oh that would be fun. I'll try to get some better photos but my photagraphy skills suck. I'm thinking of having a friend of my daughter ( who's a pro ) take some shots so I can show you guys a 360.

 

[october]

This is looking really nice.. I would also like to see a frontal shot.. You had asked about the apex... Do you have any plans for it? It will probably have to be reduced... However, from the pics, I don't think advice could be given, at least not with more info and pics of the interior... Generally, when a tree is initially structured, the apex is realtively small and basic..and in time, the tree kind of grows into it so to speak...However, sometimes a tree is set up with a generally good proportioned apex and then it is more of a maintenance and a little growing situation. This is more for older trees..

Depending on the proportions of the tree, bottom width to top, you may not (key phrase may not) have make any major reductions. Just have a nice apex with smaller pads on the upper half of the tree.

These are just a couple of examples that you might find helpful.. The first pic is a Shinji Suzuki tree.. Notice how there is a large pad at the top for the apex and then smaller pads.. Which form a beautiful composition for the upper half of the tree.

This next one is from Suthin Sukosolvisit and is a spruce, I believe.. Notice the basic structure of it, small, simple and well structured. When it grows out, it will remain well structured..just a little fuller...

All in all, you would know best since it is your tree and you know what you are working with.. Maybe make a sketch and see what would looks good or do a virt based on real possibilities. This way, instead of trying this and that on the tree, you will just do it once and it's over and the tree can relax..

I hope this was helpful. Once again, this tree is looking very, very nice.

Rob

 

[Dwight]

I'm looking to have an apex more like the Suzuki tree. Too bad my photography is so limited. This is a tree Mas Ishi did and he started on it 40 yrs ago> Gary thinks the bas tree ( San Jose ) is almost 50 so it's pretty well set. If you could see the apex up close you'd see that Mas basically did it for me many years ago. There are some very old ptruning scars up there.It does need some fine wiring and I think it needs a little more thinning just so I can controll the regrowth.

This is the second Ishi tree I've bought and they are so far along ( at least the grafted ones are ) that it's mostly a matter of finishing what a couple of masters have started.

 

[greerhw]

I'm looking to have an apex more like the Suzuki tree. Too bad my photography is so limited. This is a tree Mas Ishi did and he started on it 40 yrs ago> Gary thinks the bas tree ( San Jose ) is almost 50 so it's pretty well set. If you could see the apex up close you'd see that Mas basically did it for me many years ago. There are some very old ptruning scars up there.It does need some fine wiring and I think it needs a little more thinning just so I can controll the regrowth.

This is the second Ishi tree I've bought and they are so far along ( at least the grafted ones are ) that it's mostly a matter of finishing what a couple of masters have started.

Nice tree old timer, I couldn't have done better myself..............

keep it green,
Harry

 

[greerhw]

Oh that would be fun. I'll try to get some better photos but my photagraphy skills suck. I'm thinking of having a friend of my daughter ( who's a pro ) take some shots so I can show you guys a 350.

Just curious, but what's a 350 besides the engine in your PU...............

keep it green,
Harry

 

[Dwight]

Just curious, but what's a 350 besides the engine in your PU...............

keep it green,
Harry

360 ...oops...as in degrees

and the engine in my truck is a FORD 347 !!!

 

[Dwight]

My friend.... do me a favor and take a level shot of it. From what I can see, I think it's coming along well... I'd love to work on it myself.

V

Is this better. I also included a bach side shot

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Much better view!!! Thank you my friend....

V

 

[Dwight]

You're welcome mam