Young collected larch

Tycoss

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IMG_2808.JPG This is my only larch. Collected about 4 years ago. It spent the first two years in a big pot putting on height and gaining strength. Two years ago, I cut the branches way back and wired them down, as they were growing nearly vertical. A year ago I repotted it into this ugly little pot and removed about 75% of the roots, jinned some branches, and tried to wire up a new leader.

I think I need to chop it off and wire up a new one, as it is not straight. I'm trying to keep it tall and with short branches to imitate real alpine conifers, rather than traditional bonsai styling. I will be re-wiring and further reducing foliage this year.

Any thoughts? Should I keep the tilt? Plan on repotting ont a slab with one or two other larch. Mostly just getting used to the species before trying to collect older stuff, but it's still been fun.IMG_2810.JPGHere it is without the tilt.
 

0soyoung

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Since you are trying to present a naturalistic image, I think NO TILT.

Based on my limited wanderings in forests, leaning trees are very old and occur when an embankment gives way on one side of the tree (or they are nearly dead). They quickly show damage on that side and apical growth that curves, turning vertical.
Younger trees rarely ever remain tilted as growth tends to curve the trunk so that it is again going vertical - that is they have curvature at the bottom of the trunk that never goes away.
Regardless of the age you are trying to portray, your straight trunk should be vertical and you are making an image of most forest trees, IMHO. But, this leaves lots of possibilities for creative, yet realistic, things at the apex

However, IF you want to be arty instead ....
 

Tycoss

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Thanks for the feedback. Naturalistic thing might look better with a couple of "buddies". Problem is the only other larch where I got this are either seedlings or full sized trees.
 

0soyoung

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Thanks for the feedback. Naturalistic thing might look better with a couple of "buddies". Problem is the only other larch where I got this are either seedlings or full sized trees.
One of my favorite bonsai is a leaning straight trunk tree (with shari and carving to look like a dying old tree) with a young sapling growing in its shadow (mother daughter image).

Nick Lenz:
Geriatric-bean-pole-Lenz.jpg


Give you ideas?
 

Tycoss

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Love that tree. Might be my favourite larch composition. Don't think my scrubby little thing would do that sort of image justice anytime soon
 

Soldano666

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Problem is the only other larch where I got this are either seedlings or full sized trees.
Yup that's seems to be the way with finding larch. I'd dig some small ones and make a forest of almost formal uprights. Orrrrr spend some time and cut out all the downward growing needles/buds and limit pinching leader shoots for a season then cut back again next spring. I have a few like this to run some tests on This summer
 

Tycoss

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IMG_5239.JPGUpdate: I reported this larch more upright about two weeks ago. The buds are beginning to burst now. I wired up the top. I was reading @wireme's thread on a spruce that is supposed to be "just a tree", not a traditional bonsai or tree in an extreme environment, this is my larch equivalent. Any thoughts now that the structure is visible and the tree is more upright? I am still considering making it part of a two or three tree group. It is overpotted for faster development. It's fun to work on. Need to dig more larch!
 

wireme

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View attachment 188685Update: I reported this larch more upright about two weeks ago. The buds are beginning to burst now. I wired up the top. I was reading @wireme's thread on a spruce that is supposed to be "just a tree", not a traditional bonsai or tree in an extreme environment, this is my larch equivalent. Any thoughts now that the structure is visible and the tree is more upright? I am still considering making it part of a two or three tree group. It is overpotted for faster development. It's fun to work on. Need to dig more larch!

Nice, starting to look like a tree alright!
What type of larch, lyallii?
 

Tycoss

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I'm pretty sure it's just tamarack (Larix laricina). It was from a low area north of here. When the snow melts some more in the mountains (probably a month or so) I'll be looking for trees west of here. I'll hopefully find some nice legally collected lyallii.
 

Tycoss

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I love the look of larch this time of year, with their tiny lime green "brushes". It's been a while. I've settled on a tall, slender naturalistic look for this larch. I'll be removing the ugly overly thick aluminum wire shortly, and working on the apex once it has smoothed out the taper. It really is starting to remind me of the real larches up north.3159A833-406C-497F-AC5D-F384F96C939B.jpeg
 

Tycoss

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As of now, pads are developing nicely, although some need shortening. The bark has really improved. More refinement to come on the apex.A6CF3FE1-7F61-4A96-9553-47F3FAF27C2D.jpeg31E863D5-1993-438A-9984-EA0AB7FC6254.jpeg29153B9E-0DF9-48BF-A47F-2A335D0BE3C0.jpeg
 

WNC Bonsai

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I agree that it is getting a natural look. There seems to be something of a stylistic dichotomy these days between the Asian approach with the traditional bonsai look as opposed to what I will call the western approach that goes for more of a natural style. Nigel Saunders describes it by saying a larch should look like a larch not like a Japanese Black Pine, etc. I think forest plantings come closest to achieving that and hope you can find some additional trees to compliment yours. I have a 5 tree American larch forest and a 7 tree Japanese larch forest as well as 5 individuals of each species I kept just in case 1 or 2 didn’t survive the transplanting. I may work them in with the others when i repot in a couple of years. The problem is moving these big forests around as these pots weigh a ton on their own.
 

Tycoss

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I agree that it is getting a natural look. There seems to be something of a stylistic dichotomy these days between the Asian approach with the traditional bonsai look as opposed to what I will call the western approach that goes for more of a natural style. Nigel Saunders describes it by saying a larch should look like a larch not like a Japanese Black Pine, etc. I think forest plantings come closest to achieving that and hope you can find some additional trees to compliment yours. I have a 5 tree American larch forest and a 7 tree Japanese larch forest as well as 5 individuals of each species I kept just in case 1 or 2 didn’t survive the transplanting. I may work them in with the others when i repot in a couple of years. The problem is moving these big forests around as these pots weigh a ton on their own.
I can see what you are saying. I think in terms of naturalistic vs. traditional styling, I tall just depends what style brings out the best features of that particular tree. I'm on the lookout for more larch to compliment this one, but forest plantings may need to wait until I expand the bench this one is on.88AAFDEE-7439-4250-8760-BA2B3BE4B8C4.jpeg
 
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