Whats Going on in Smoke's Backyard?

[Smoke]

The tree was loaded up in the wheelbarrow, where it will be worked over for the next few days or weeks if needed.



Right smack dab in the front of the tree is a whorl of branches that had formed most of the right side of the tree. This was due to me cutting off the entire right side of the tree due to a very long arm there after collection in 2003.



The lowest branch on the left is what I am talking about in this last photo. That branch now projects forward as the tree was turned 90 degrees to the right. So this is the present configuration, only sans branches and mucho foliage!

 

[Smoke]

OK, so back to today The branch was cleaned up and many of it's branches were removed and turned to jin.




With that out of the way I spent about two hours cutting off wire and cleaning branches of dead crap, old wire embedded, stubs, dead birds, found an old tennis shoe and three rubber bands. They fell apart....
Now the tree is all cleaned up.



Tomorrow, The trunk will be washed and cleaned with a pressure washer and treated to enhance the bark. The tree has only one large live vein left in the back of the tree. It forks about two thirds up and one goes to the area I just worked on the jins and the other runs up to the top of the tree. Tomorrow I will start the tedious task of wire. What a drag, I figure about four rolls will about do it.

To the left of the live vein you can see the old stub of the entire right portion of the trunk I removed several years ago.

 

[Giga]

I like this thread - make me want to start one

 

[Johnathan]

@Smoke forgive me for my beginner knowledge, but it appears that branch/jin is pointing straight forward (assuming thats the front) I've been reading a lot and thought forward pointing limbs was a big no no. Correct me if I'm wrong, just an observation.

 

[Smoke]

@Smoke forgive me for my beginner knowledge, but it appears that branch/jin is pointing straight forward (assuming thats the front) I've been reading a lot and thought forward pointing limbs was a big no no. Correct me if I'm wrong, just an observation.

Big no no to who?

 

[Johnathan]

Big no no to who?

I forget where I read it, but I believe it said something along the lines of in Japan pointing at someone is an insult, and forward facing branches was consisered pointing at someone. I could be mistaken though.

 

[Smoke]

I forget where I read it, but I believe it said something along the lines of in Japan pointing at someone is an insult, and forward facing branches was consisered pointing at someone. I could be mistaken though.

I live in California and know nothing of the customs of Japanese finger pointing......

 

[Smoke]

Fixed it.....checked with a protractor and it is 12 degrees off from pointing straight at you.....

Japanese myth does not apply now.....We can both rest easy now....

 

[0soyoung]

Fixed it.....checked with a protractor and it is 12 degrees off from pointing straight at you.....

You're going to put your eye out kid (oh hoh hoh hoh)

 

[my nellie]

I forget where I read it, but I believe it said something along the lines of in Japan pointing at someone is an insult, and forward facing branches was consisered pointing at someone. I could be mistaken though.

I have read the same, somewhere... I don't recall where it was any more...
Now, after some years from the first reading, I do not quite strictly take that into account any more!

 

[Vance Wood]

Fixed it.....checked with a protractor and it is 12 degrees off from pointing straight at you.....

Japanese myth does not apply now.....We can both rest easy now....

One of the most bitter and convoluted arguments I have had was when I asked if there was a reason why a group planting had four trees. Sometimes the rules are just stupid.

 

[Johnathan]

I live in California and know nothing of the customs of Japanese finger pointing......

#Merica

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

One of the most bitter and convoluted arguments I have had was when I asked if there was a reason why a group planting had four trees. Sometimes the rules are just stupid.

My buddy had a Japanese sister-city ambassador visit his bonsai garden, which contained a very large ficus nerifolia group, which had 4 prominent tall trunks. The ambassador walked way around it, refused to look at it, and commented on each tree but the 4-trunk nerifolia. Some people are superstitious. The nerifoloia was collected by Mary Madison in the 1980s, and in an ABS article, she asked John Naka about the tree, "how about the 4 trunks?" His response: "so?"!
We did add a 5th tree to the group back in the late 1990s, just to break the symmetry; before that it looked like a lifeguard stand. Then he shortened the whole thing by half. This is a more recent shot at MABA in Chicago:

 

[Smoke]

While working on this stupid juniper, I would take a break, water stuff, pull weeds, chug tequila and listen to some blues. It dawned on me that I havn't taken a pic in a while of a few trees.

The pyracantha I just defoliated



The black pine



A trident


...or two


Very first ficus, a cut back and first wire. First is as purchased and the second is the cut back

 

[JoeR]

While working on this stupid juniper, I would take a break, water stuff, pull weeds, chug tequila and listen to some blues. It dawned on me that I havn't taken a pic in a while of a few trees.

The pyracantha I just defoliated

View attachment 148953

The black pine

View attachment 148954

A trident
View attachment 148955

...or two
View attachment 148956

Very first ficus, a cut back and first wire. First is as purchased and the second is the cut back

View attachment 148957 View attachment 148958

Nice! Can't believe that's your first ficus, where'd you pick it up?

 

[Smoke]

Well in my little world....Ficus ain't bonsai! Of course as I've grown over the years and have had more access to trees from around the world via the internet and have seen some of the amazing shohin being made from ficus, I thought I would give it a try. Weathering a tree is new to me as I have always been able to leave everything out side for the winter.

This tree came from the Southern California fundraiser for the Collection South, The Bonsai-a-thon and a gentleman named Gary Lai. A willowleaf ficus about 6 inches tall with a two inch trunk. $120.00

 

[Smoke]

Well with all the crap on the tube I decided to go out and massacre a tree! I'm in Central Cali so not totally crazy...yet?

The back story,

2012
I dug this trident from my friends field. It had a good base and was powerful looking so thats the one I wanted. I let it go for the winter and then did the unthinkable. Repotted it after collection into a black pot that was better suited for growing out.



Chopped on the roots too and took another portion off that I showed by hand.






In the black pot. Cut down five. Brand new one too!


Got some leaves in 2013 and started to choose some branches.

 

[Smoke]

By fall of 2013 I was starting to spply some first wire to train branches.



In 2014 I transplanted into a colander to get the root ball more compact. keep in mind that by now the tree is taken out of the pot each year and root pruned and large roots reduced or removed. Its the upper tree on the left below.


In 2015 the tree went into a ceramic training pot to better prepare the tree for a correct size show pot.

 

[Smoke]

In 2017, the tree is finally ready for a show pot. I purchased this Japanese bag pot from Kora Dalager for this tree. In the photo's above one can see the large root on the lower left. I removed that large root because it was preventing me from getting the front orientation correct in the oval pot. It was never going to be in a good position even for a rectangle pot so it had to go.

The pro's, The removal of the root allowed me to get it into the pot.
The removal of the root allowed me to lift the tree in the pot for more trunk flare.

The con's, the removal of the root took away a substantial portion of the flare on that side.
The tree seems oddly shaped with that flare missing. Blunt!





The tree yesterday.




The tree today...hmmm....

 

[Smoke]

I guess the tools and the cut paste are a dead giveaway! Two branches MIA


Cleaned up the root wound and sealed it...I forgot in Jan. and sealed tonights cuts.


So now how will I fix the con's. It will be a few years, but probably a complete ground layer will be done, or grafting. I havn't decided...I have time. Right now me and the sheet metal dog can just enjoy it.....