Shimpaku pre-shohin

[Dav4]

Looking very nice and healthy!

Question. At mid-height of the tree, there are 2 branches on top of each other towards the left...are you intending on keeping both?

Thanks Dario. I'm going to keep them both for now, as there are only three branches and an apex that make up 90% of the canopy, this one included. The branch on top only has a small amount of foliage associated with it, so it's really the least important out of the bunch, so it may go down the road.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yes, it was a very nice day! I spent 2 hours mostly unwiring trees ( Including your hawthorn), then spent the rest of the day with the family and some friends...perfect.

Cool...eager to see how the hawthorn is doing!

 

[october]

Dave, I read that you now have mites on all your junipers. How is this one doing? Also, is there damage? Damage as in starting to ruin the overall look of the trees?

Rob

 

[Dav4]

Dave, I read that you now have mites on all your junipers. How is this one doing? Also, is there damage? Damage as in starting to ruin the overall look of the trees?

Rob

Thanks for asking. This one has mites, but actually looks quite healthy and has grown very well this spring...I checked it after I confirmed mites on other trees. Really, only two or three of them actually have lost the vibrant green color that all my shimps tend to have this time of year, and really only on one or two branches. Still, I've unfortunately had to break out the big guns and will spraying alot from here on out, I guess....frustrating

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Are your RMJ any more or less susceptible to pests and diseases than the shimps?

 

[october]

What did you notice first? The discoloration, shaking the tree over paper or the webs? My one juniper that had it just looked pale yellow on a couple of the stems. I looked closer and saw the webs. It was the webs that gave it away for me. As you know, most of trees are shohin and chuhin. Between, scale, fungus and mites it is making doing bonsai very difficult. I mean, when most of your trees are only 8 inches tall, losing a section on these is a style destroyer. As opposed to a larger tree which after some wiring, you might never notice. Seems like there are more and more problems with pests and disease over the last couple of years for many bonsai enthusiasts.

Rob

 

[Dav4]

Are your RMJ any more or less susceptible to pests and diseases than the shimps?

Last year, the RMJs had a bit of tip blight, I think, and a touch of rust...that's it. This year...lots and lots of rust ( my shimps had none ), and now mites...no obvious damage or discoloration, but they are there. They grow very well here, though, all things considered.

 

[Dav4]

What did you notice first? The discoloration, shaking the tree over paper or the webs? My one juniper that had it just looked pale yellow on a couple of the stems. I looked closer and saw the webs. It was the webs that gave it away for me. As you know, most of trees are shohin and chuhin. Between, scale, fungus and mites it is making doing bonsai very difficult. I mean, when most of your trees are only 8 inches tall, losing a section on these is a style destroyer. As opposed to a larger tree which after some wiring, you might never notice. Seems like there are more and more problems with pests and disease over the last couple of years for many bonsai enthusiasts.

Rob

I had been routinely looking for the mites...shaking a branch over my hand and looking for the little b***terds. As of two and a half weeks ago, I hadn't seen any...then it started to rain. We've received 9 inches of rain so far in June...3 times the average. Mites are supposedly favored by hot, dry weather...so, yesterday, I was shocked to find that one of my shimps (twisted deadwood wanna be in a 3 gal nursery can, unstyled) had a large branch that had turned a sickly grey. I knew what it was instantly, but looked anyway...loads and loads of them. No obvious webbing, but I'm sure I'd see some if I looked closely. Luckily, no scale this year on anything. Fwiw, my issues with disease in my collection started when I moved to GA 4 years ago...I assumed it was the change in local.

 

[bonsaibp]

Looks like the tree is getting some nice growth all over. Also, just the little bit of growth on the right side is already making the tree look more balanced. I wish there was more material like this available around here. When material like this does show up, it costs a fortune.

Rob

So far there's 13 or so years into this. Thats why material like this cost what it does. This stuff does'nt happen overnight.

 

[fore]

Last year, the RMJs had a bit of tip blight, I think, and a touch of rust...that's it. This year...lots and lots of rust ( my shimps had none ), and now mites...no obvious damage or discoloration, but they are there. They grow very well here, though, all things considered.

I've only had a touch of blight on my RMJ. But my shimps have had scale a couple times. Boy is this hard to get rid of. But I've gotten it under control finally. It's my JBP that took the biggest hit this yr. And Dave, I too only got introduced to all these diseases when I moved here from N. Ca. I never got a disease there exc. powdery mildew. So I too thought that it was the new location too.

 

[Dav4]

I unwired this one last fall, but only got around to reworking it last week during my weather induced vacation. The first is obviously before the recent work, the second is after thinning and wiring, with a little lime sulfur applied.

 

[GO-OK]

Great job. This is a nice little tree. What plans do you have for a pot. Or are you planning on keeping it in this one?

 

[Dav4]

Great job. This is a nice little tree. What plans do you have for a pot. Or are you planning on keeping it in this one?

Thanks. Right now it will stay in this pot as the roots still need work and the tree still has a bit more growing to do. I like the style of pot, but if I could eventually get it into a slightly smaller one, that would be ideal. Do you see a better pot for this one?

 

[edprocoat]

Dave I like the pot fro that tree, it looks like a crusty old man setting down at home. You know the wife is around saying, you tracked in some dirt, that old shirt needs washing, take out the trash....

ed

 

[Dav4]

So, 10 days after Irma ripped through GA, I realized as I was driving home that I didn't recall seeing this one recently as I watered each morning. Sure enough, I found it last night on the ground in between/behind benches where it had been placed before the storm rolled through. For the past week, temperatures have been summer like, in the high 80s to low 90s and NO rain. A bit of water last night and this morning and it's greening up nicely.

 

[Bonsai toto]

lovely strong shohin

 

[Adair M]

So, 10 days after Irma ripped through GA, I realized as I was driving home that I didn't recall seeing this one recently as I watered each morning. Sure enough, I found it last night on the ground in between/behind benches where it had been placed before the storm rolled through. For the past week, temperatures have been summer like, in the high 80s to low 90s and NO rain. A bit of water last night and this morning and it's greening up nicely.
View attachment 161614 View attachment 161615

None of the neighbors trees fell during the storm?

Too bad.

This tree needs more sun.

 

[Beanwagon]

Love dat trunk.

 

[sorce]

Whew!

Wicked wicked wicked base!

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

None of the neighbors trees fell during the storm?

Too bad.

This tree needs more sun.

Maybe. It gets 5-6 hrs of sun from 10:30-4:30, which is as good as it will ever get in my yard. All the trees in my neighbor's yards could have blown over and my yard wouldn't be any brighter. Being on the southwestern slope of a mountain pretty much limits any am sun to late morning. To get more afternoon sun, I'd have to burn my house down. Besides, this one had spider mites- again- last year, was essentially bare rooted and placed in an akadama mix this spring... and it wasn't watered for almost 2 weeks until the day the pictures were taken. I'm going to give this one a mulligan.