Shohin spirea - hard pruning

[davetree]

Sometimes with small bonsai you have to cut way back and almost start over. This tree had a lot of root work done last year and the branches grew wild. Going the through the tree this winter I realized it was time to cut way back, keeping the good branches and getting rid of all the long ones and pitchforks. This looks severe but the tree will recover and be a better bonsai. It's easy to grow a bush on top of a trunk but to make old looking branches takes fortitude. As Rockm says it can't be faked. This is the second time I have done this to this tree and it is just starting to look old and gnarly. I left three apexes on top for options. This year the tree will have less foliage and should look better showing off a little more trunk. Comments are appreciated, thanks

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[JudyB]

Excellent, Wonderful work. I think you've just taken this tree to the next level.
I really really like it.

 

[MACH5]

Looks great Dave! Very nice editing. Was this originally from nursery material?

 

[davetree]

Yes from nursery material. $3.00. Thanks for your comments. It needs a new pot this one cracked for some reason.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Wow! great looking tree. nice job.

 

[october]

Yes, exactly the right thing to do. Having to cut back and almost start over again is just another one of the challenges of shohin. This is a very nice tree!

rob

 

[NewWorldBonsai]

Awesome!

Do you have an idea of how old it is? I've never come across a spirea with a nice solid trunk that large.

Nice work, can't wait to see how it develops!

 

[John Ruger]

I love that tree, keep the updates coming.

 

[Dan W.]

Yes from nursery material. $3.00.

I'll give you $30 today... that's a good deal isn't it....10x? Good profit I'd say!

Seriously though, great example of what can be done with nursery stock.

 

[davetree]

Thanks for your comments. Feedback means a lot from my peers.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Nice tree, but you probably won't like my thoughts on the work. It's one thing to be bold, and it's good to have the mettle to do it. But...the goal of all work is to end up with a fantastic crown of ever-finer branches, over a great trunk, sitting on a buttressed, radial nebari. You have the crown, over the nice trunk and nebari. The primary branches are the (only) weak part of this bonsai.

Starting over means you weren't happy with some part of the bonsai, so you go back to address the layer you didn't like, necessarily, removing everything above it.

If you're going back this far, look at everything that's left, and be sure you've addressed it. I don't think you have, because the only thing that sticks out to me on the before shot are the straight, un-tapering primary branches. Theyre still there, and in 4-5 years you'll be right back here again.

 

[davetree]

If you mean the two straight right hand branches you are right. They need to be cut back by half or get completely removed. Everything else looks ok to me, what jumps out at you ?

 

[davetree]

Or do you mean all of the primary branching ?

 

[JudyB]

BVF, training our eyes again... Thank you.
I would say that it's only the two on the right davetree, but now I wonder what he will say...

 

[Poink88]

Nice tree, but you probably won't like my thoughts on the work. It's one thing to be bold, and it's good to have the mettle to do it. But...the goal of all work is to end up with a fantastic crown of ever-finer branches, over a great trunk, sitting on a buttressed, radial nebari. You have the crown, over the nice trunk and nebari. The primary branches are the (only) weak part of this bonsai.

Starting over means you weren't happy with some part of the bonsai, so you go back to address the layer you didn't like, necessarily, removing everything above it.

If you're going back this far, look at everything that's left, and be sure you've addressed it. I don't think you have, because the only thing that sticks out to me on the before shot are the straight, un-tapering primary branches. Theyre still there, and in 4-5 years you'll be right back here again.

My thoughts exactly too. It looks like very little was changed on the main branches where it was cut back to. As BVF said...it will just go back to where it was in a few years...and that is fine if how it is now is what he wants to maintain perpetually.

The knobby part of the main branch stick out like a sore thumb to me...I feel that it should be carved or shortened. Also a few more branches need to be removed. Pics being 2D...it is really hard to make recommendations.

Having a plan/picture/virt of the intended finished product (I believe) is the key. Then chop as needed.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

If you mean the two straight right hand branches you are right. They need to be cut back by half or get completely removed. Everything else looks ok to me, what jumps out at you ?

Definitely the straight branches on the right, but more. Here is what jumps out at me:

Red lines denote straight areas lacking taper.
Purple areas are "knobs" that are forming that will not improve with age.

If you cut back further, spirea will likely sucker up from those areas and you'd need to ride hard there to manage it. Cutting below them will give it another chance, and then managing the growth during the season will help keep them in control. You might need to defoliate it to get a good look in early June, and allow it to leaf back out.



Now, the part about not liking my thoughts. Since you've already committed, you might as well go "all-in" and address those areas. Which, to me (and only by the photo...could be different in person), would look like cutting back at the yellow lines:


Which means this...for a few months anyway:


Again, this is a nice tree, and I'd be proud to have it on my bench, as it sits. These are much easier to vitrually modify than to physically modify, but the difference between a nice tree and a show-stopping shohin are these little details. And...since you've gone this far, it will never be easier to correct than it is right now.

 

[davetree]

With spirea you ultimately get branches with little taper no matter how many times you cut. This is a small tree and I cut back because that part was overgrown. The tree won't look the same, it should be smaller and more sparse and look good in a smaller pot. What is the alternative ? If I don't cut back I will have a tree with twigs getting thicker and thicker. They were already too thick. The knobs will be carved of course but not now the stub needs to dry or you risk dieback with this species.

 

[davetree]

Oops posted before I saw your reply BVF. I understand now what you are saying. To really make this tree better I should try to prune for even better shorter taper. Is that it in a nutshell ? I can do that, not trying to be defensive or anything. Thanks for the advice, I will go home today, get out the cutters and take a deep breath .....

 

[Poink88]

I will go home today, get out the cutters and take a deep breath .....

I do not envy you brother...even I find the recommended cuts too extreme and very hard to make. Glad it is not me who have to do it.

(Note: I am not questioning BVF's recommendation)

 

[Vance Wood]

Yes from nursery material. $3.00. Thanks for your comments. It needs a new pot this one cracked for some reason.

You ought to be taken out in the woods and shot for thinking that you can make a decent bonsai out of a $3.00 nursery tree. Heresy, this should not be, you could have at least lied, (which is worse lies or heresy?), and said it was at least a $200.00 piece of pre-bonsai. LOL

Wonderful piece of work and a real encouragement for those starting in bonsai knowing they can't afford meg-bucks for starter material and here you show a $3.00 tree that is as good a bonsai as many that get shown in many shows and web sites.