Time to style?

[nicholai hel]

Remove all the deadwood just leave the life line and turn it into literati.
then watch me laughing

Great tree really. Would love to have one like this. Enjoy working/watching it.

By the way, i'd begin with cleaning the deadwood, rewhite it, then the wire job, branch placement, and at last, think about removing any of the deadwood, for a couple of days and nights, before take any further action about that...

Or maybe just make it literati.


edit: just saw that it's been more than a month since the last post. probably you're done with it, sorry for that.
But hey, where's the update then?

 

[larlamonde]

This is the section I want to reduce, I know what you mean about the left side, it has been reduced but I couldn't bring myself to go any further.

I'm with you Ian, it's the one part that doesn't look natural.

 

[PaulH]

Very nice tree.
I think it could be improved by displaying it on a bench with the hills of Rescue, CA in the background.

 

[ianb]

I did clean up the deadwood and lifeline some. There was a fair bit of soft wood on the inside of the deadwood so out came the wire brush. Mostly though it was an old cheap electric toothbrush and water/vinegar mix.

 

[ianb]

Then i put on a few coats of lime sulphur and waited for my wire order from Jim Gremel to arrive. Still need a couple of years and more lime sulphur for the burn marks to blend in but on it's way.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

Judging by the calcium deposits on the bottom of the training pot, you deal with hard water as well?

 

[ianb]

The first branch on the left had a couple of problems, I wanted to bring down the branch close to the trunk and there is a heavy sharp bend near the end of the branch. As there is a lot of deadwood on this branch near the trunk I wrapped it in a wet cloth for a few days to try and soften the deadwood, then it was on with the raffia and #6 wire. In the end it still needed a guy wire to bring it down.

 

[ianb]

The end of the branch was a little trickier but I used a couple of pvc pipes as fulcrums and used guy wires to pull the bend down.

 

[ianb]

Judging by the calcium deposits on the bottom of the training pot, you deal with hard water as well?

Oh yeah, can't keep an Azalea alive for long it seems without shade and using bottled water...I'm struggling with a Chojubai as well that doesn't seem to like the water either.

 

[Neli]

Ian,
Can You tag me on FB....I was out of the country and get like 20 friend requests a day...missed it.

 

[Si Nguyen]

Whoa!! What a tree Ian! I forgot about this thread! That deadwood is spectacular!!!

One little critique if you don't mind: You need more wires, and thicker wires, on that branch. 2 little wires like that is not enough. I have got some big wires (copper) if you need some.

I would probably use that branch as a back branch, but it has enough foliage ( maybe before you reduced it?) to create a foliage pad on the left and a another pad in the back AND bring it down lower and all the way to the right side of the tree for another pad. In other words, that big branch is perfect for 3 pads. Then you need to hide that big branch by bringing down another branch from above. In other words, with a long branch like that, you don't want to end it with just one pad of foliage. The same applies to the rest of the other long branches on this tree. And don't reduce any foliage, just wire them all first.

Then when you're all done, call me and I'll come over and take it home
This is one of those trees that you only need one of.

 

[fore]

Awesome tree Ian! Nice looking raffia job too Would you mind sharing your steps to cleaning live veins? You did a great job, I am still every now and then, going too deep thru the live vein.

 

[ianb]

Si, tell me about it, that is 2 strands of #6 copper on there as thats the largest I had. Thats why i ended up using the guy wires. Right now the branch is split in to 2 pads but they do seem a bit flat in the photo...not so much in real life. Though I haven't done any fine (smaller than #12) wiring.

Here's the next branch that needs to come down.

 

[Si Nguyen]

2 pads out of that branch is good. I am sure it will be real nice. I got some wires if you need some. Free .

Hard to describe in words how I would move that big branch, so here's a quick sketch for it:

You're lucky with this Cali. It has really fine foliage. Is it a male?

 

[ianb]

Hi Si, thanks for the offer, I'm good for now though, I'm really just setting major branch placement this year (plus I'm already done). Next year I'll be hopefully doing a full style. It's a female but only gets one or 2 berries a year.

 

[ianb]

Here's the second branch before and after...

I separated the live vein from the jin, then split the jin in a few places to allow it to bend a little easier. Then wrapped it all in raffia and the #6 wire.

 

[Si Nguyen]

Looking good! You moved that second branch pretty far down!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Si Nguyen]

Sorry to get off topic, but that must be some huge bougainvillea over the wall there. Let me know when your neighbor wants to get rid of them and I'll help you dig some

 

[Si Nguyen]

Hi Si, thanks for the offer, I'm good for now though, I'm really just setting major branch placement this year (plus I'm already done). Next year I'll be hopefully doing a full style. It's a female but only gets one or 2 berries a year.

Another good option for that first branch is to split it from its jin at the trunk and swing the branch across the front and all the way over to the right side of the tree. I think you will need some greenery on the right lower portion to balance the apex later. Just something to think about.
Good luck.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Nice material...coming right along.