The fastest way to develop deciduous bonsai: Walter Pall's hedge pruning method explained

[bonsaichile]

Taxus, Juiperus, Picea - not always, but often.

thank you!

 

[jonathanvperth]

I apologize for missing 8 words in post #91 of 173 posts in this 9 page thread. I’ll try to be more careful.

Are you seriously being rude to him? It’s a blessing he contributes to this site. I bet a lot more people would contribute if people learned a little restraint/humility

 

[Walter Pall]

Well, a lot of people come here to learn. Thy somehow assume that the oldtimers are here to teach. And then they don't teach and the newbies are annoyed. The truth is that I absolutely do not come here to teach. And I certainly do not come for small talk. If they really want folks can learn from me though, but they have to do their homework and if they are decent then i will discuss serious things like the reason for being. Or so.

 

[Cable]

Are you seriously being rude to him? It’s a blessing he contributes to this site. I bet a lot more people would contribute if people learned a little restraint/humility

Yes. You give, you get. I like Walter and think he's extremely talented but I don't care who you are, nobody talks down to me. Walter could have ignored the question. He could have said he already answered it. He chose to give a dick response instead so got a reply in kind.

 

[Paulpash]

When people even try and help you it seems you have a massive chip on your shoulder @Cable. The way you talked to me in post #179 you'll get jack shit off me in future.

 

[Flounder61]

Sorry to correct you. But forum etiquette requires to ask: "Who TF are you?"

Mr. Pall: I am new to this forum and bonsai. I don't know you, and I just learned about you, but GD, you are FANTASTIC!

Your "hedge method" and willingness to try new stuff is cool as hell. Thanks for your willingness to share what you have learned.

 

[Cosmos]

See WP in action here, in the free video called "Hedge Pruning and Defoliation":

https://www.bonsaiempire.com/courses/developing-deciduous-bonsai

 

[Maloghurst]

I did a google search for for “Dennis Vojtilla” and saw something very familiar not far down the page.
Of course if you click on it then everything underneath it is Walter palls images and blog posts. “Walter Palls Hedge Pruning method” I still believe there is a definite ethics issue with this video.

 

[Forsoothe!]

The fastest way to develop deciduous bonsai: Walter Pall's hedge pruning technique explained! New video. Postscript note to the video by @Walter Pall : "I would like to add that, yes it is for developing trees. I personally have only trees in development. So I use this method on ALL of my broadleaved trees. I found that it also works well on many conifers. One drawback is that the tree only looks good in winter when it is in storage usually. But you can improve the quality so much more than with orthodox methods. A method should never be assessed according to what you know already, what is common knowledge. a method should only be measured by long term results. Who has the better trees in the long run has the better method."

I thought he really used a hedge trimming device. This is what I would characterize as selective tip pruning done too late to economize on the energy spent to grow the wood that winds up on the floor. I prefer tip prune anything that violates, or will violate the imaginary canopy line in my mind's eye and have only buds or single stems left on the floor. (This is labor-intensive, continuous through summer and might be prohibitive on a grand scale. I have two.) I think that gives me more internal budding which I handle the same way. I'd bet that Walter fertilizes a lot more than I do, so it may be a trade off, just ~maybe. Of course, I prefer layers and clouds and overall much smaller trees, so that's a trade-off, too in that I require a lot less growth, too. This is not a criticism, this is another way to look at both ways in comparison. I have no less than 150 pictures of Walter's trees as computer screen backgrounds and he is my favorite bonsaiist. Thank You Walter for your contributions to the Art.

 

[Hartinez]

Holy smokes. I can’t believe this thread still has legs. SMH

 

[Rafael Najmanovich]

Of course if you click on it then everything underneath it is Walter palls images and blog posts. “Walter Palls Hedge Pruning method” I still believe there is a definite ethics issue with this video.

WP saw the video and approved it before I posted it, he even added some information that I wrote in the description of the video. I see no ethic issue. If Kimura had developed a method and to this day that method was called 'The Kimura method' and someone else, say Ryan Neil wants to explain it to the world with Kimura's approval, he could use a title in the same lines as the one I used and I don't see any ethical issue. Furthermore, there are many other resources by WP himself if you want to learn about the hedge pruning method but you object so much about the title of the video or hate so much the author of it.

 

[leatherback]

Can we let this thread die a silent dead? Has everything not been said?

 

[Hartinez]

Can we let this thread die a silent dead? Has everything not been said?

Please for the love of god please.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Maybe if we keep posting it will go away!

 

[Vance Wood]

Someone always has something to say about or in regards to it. I see no problem in discussing it. Sometimes threads like this have the tendency to show us just how shallow some of us are; even about bonsai. When you analyze both sides of the discussion you start to see the pros and cons of both ideas. I have found in my life and even in my experience with bonsai that the truth is like a coin it has two sides.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I did a google search for for “Dennis Vojtilla” and saw something very familiar not far down the page.
Of course if you click on it then everything underneath it is Walter palls images and blog posts. “Walter Palls Hedge Pruning method” I still believe there is a definite ethics issue with this video.
View attachment 294915

Exactly which ethic is at issue? I don't understand what you're saying.

 

[Vance Wood]

I have heard Walter and Bjorn both discuss their side of the issue; Walter and the hedge pruning technique and Bjorn and the absolute detail clipping of each individual shoot in the right place at the right time for the right reason. Both have valid ideas and both create valid results and can produce the desired result for the desired stage of development. The problem is that we seem to look at this as an "either or" argument and not the validity of both on the same tree.

 

[Lazylightningny]

The only problem I have with the hedge pruning method is that there is no consideration for where the cut is made. Some branches will be left too long, and some too short. It seems like just a shortcut to me, for a person with too many trees to pay close attention to. I prefer Bjorn's method. Even though it takes a lot more time, there is more precision is where the cut is and how the long-term results will be.

 

[Walter Pall]

The only problem I have with the hedge pruning method is that there is no consideration for where the cut is made. Some branches will be left too long, and some too short. It seems like just a shortcut to me, for a person with too many trees to pay close attention to. I prefer Bjorn's method. Even though it takes a lot more time, there is more precision is where the cut is and how the long-term results will be.

It would help a lot to inform yourself what really is done an what effect it has. Guessing is not enough.

 

[Dzhokar]

I've seen Peter Chan use this method in some of his videos and my first thoughts were: "Man, I know this guy makes nice bonsai, but that looks haphazard!"
Seeing this thread and reading Walter's description of the process and seeing the results from his progression threads, it now makes perfect sense.
There's no arguing with the results, eh?