Are you experienced?

[Maros]

As far as branches go, young branches point up, old branches point down. You want your bonsai to look like an adult tree in miniature, so the primary branches always hang down as if weighted by age, environment and size. Young branches up at the top of the tree can sometimes point up, depending on type of tree.

View attachment 67599

This is my Fibonacci sequence tree. I am posting it to show branches hanging down, and because it will drive Al nuts

BNut, what you are suggesting is true. Except for the cases when it is not. Branches hanging down like on your Fibonacci tree are OK for pines, spruces - conifers generally. There are conifers growing differently in different conditions depending on amount of harsh conditions to which tree in nature is exposed.

On deciduous trees in nature main branches/sub-trunks almost every time grow up. Even on very old trees - like on this old oak. And deciduous trees does not have apical dominance so they often does not have single apex.
But I understand if somebody wants to have maple bonsai shaped like pine.

 

[Anthony]

Hmm, is it the natural shape of the tree one is after - e.g. Elms ?

The perfected style that a given tree might look best in e.g. Zelkova ?

Or the design that the tree looks good in by accident or design - can't think of an example for the reader.

Or do you grow a hedge type into a tree shape - e.g, Chinese serissa in the style of our local poui or immortelle.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Bunjeh]

Bunker

Personally, I don't have 30 years. I'm being perfectly honest here, I would spend my time working on better material.

Amen. I started collecting a few betula and then read that they are not popular because "they are short lived at only 80-90 years". I had to laugh. I figure I have about 40 max with the last five in Depends.

 

[Dav4]

Amen. I started collecting a few betula and then read that they are not popular because "they are short lived at only 80-90 years". I had to laugh. I figure I have about 40 max with the last five in Depends.

My understanding is that betula, along with being short lived tree-wise, tend to drop branches if you look at them funny, making it hard to have an imposed design stick. Having said that, I HAVE seen a few descent betula bonsai, so I think you shoul keep on keeping on with them and let us know how they respond.

 

[Paradox]

Am I experienced? Not even close but Im trying to work on it.

Right now half my trees are frozen solid, the other half are half frozen solid. There is no working on trees now. My tropicals are in the basement and it isnt time to work on them either.

I havent been reading the forums as often lately because, it is winter, my trees are sleeping and its slow.
What the hell happened with Dario? He gone again? Someone PM me and tell me what the hell happened please.

 

[Adair M]

Dario met Walter Pall, he's been admitted into the inner sanctum of bonsai nuttism. You know, that secret place where all is revealed, everyone has perfect material, and every tree is not only show worthy, they're show winners! By Invitation Only, of course. I haven't been invited.

I think the first requirement is to own as many concave pruners as you do trees, but there's a minimum. (Closely held secret, of course.)

Oh, and don't forget about the secret handshake! You don't actually touch the other member's hand, but there something you do with raffia and wire... I think it's described in that "Shades of Gray" book.

Of course, I'm not a member, so I'm just passing on the rumors I've heard.

 

[coh]

Dario started his own facebook group...which actually has a lot of members and is fairly active. That's where he seems to be spending his "forum time" these days.

 

[Adair M]

Ah, the secret society!

 

[Don Blackmond]

Dario started his own facebook group...which actually has a lot of members and is fairly active. That's where he seems to be spending his "forum time" these days.

I thought he was antifacebook. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.

 

[Don Blackmond]

After recently posting a repl;y in a thread about snow, t seems I may have missed that it is still febuary in parts of the country. If you still are buried in 8 feet of snow with more to come this weekend, I apoligise for the rant. You are excused.

The rest of you that share a 11 month growing season like I do, get busy and start posting some pics of your trees with leaves coming out, there are people with snow that won't share your experience until I have defoliated twice...Bwahhh hahahah, oh crap my shorts fell down..

Ghidorah-1 getting repotted right now as we speak.

The last several days have reminded me that its still winter here. Not much going on outside, but a lot going on inside.....

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Very cool. I guess my browser has decided to let me post pictures now. Some Japanese red pine sprouted up. Had so many seeds, I decided to throw them out in the growing bed. The Japanese black pine seeds sowed the same day haven't popped yet.


My experience is still juvenile much like these seeds, but through practice and trial and error I'm going to improve. I also need to get myself a real good set of bonsai tools! I'll post more pictures when I can.

 

[Adair M]

Thumbless, it sounds like you want to join Dario's secret society with the tools purchase and all!

 

[coh]

I thought he was antifacebook. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.

Pretty sure you're thinking of a few other members of bnut who take every opportunity to bash facebook.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Very cool. I guess my browser has decided to let me post pictures now. Some Japanese red pine sprouted up. Had so many seeds, I decided to throw them out in the growing bed. The Japanese black pine seeds sowed the same day haven't popped yet.
View attachment 67803

My experience is still juvenile much like these seeds, but through practice and trial and error I'm going to improve. I also need to get myself a real good set of bonsai tools! I'll post more pictures when I can.

Thumbless,
How long after planting did it take for those red pine seeds to sprout?

 

[Don Blackmond]

Pretty sure you're thinking of a few other members of bnut who take every opportunity to bash facebook.

Could very well be. I just thought I recalled him wanting out after joining, but maybe that was someone else.

Mind is rooted elsewhere these days.....

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Thumbless,
How long after planting did it take for those red pine seeds to sprout?

It was less than a month ago, right around January 24th. I've kept them in the fridge for about a year, dry. Late January, I took them out and soaked them in water for 48 hours and just poured them out onto the growing bed along with the water they were soaking in. I covered the top with some of the soil.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Thumbless, it sounds like you want to join Dario's secret society with the tools purchase and all!

You and a few others on Bnut are really keeping me entertained. I'm growing to like Bnut a lot this year, and the 2.0 version makes it all bettah.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Going over my photos of my trident from last year and comparing with how it looks today. Last year I made a chop and left a leader to grow freely. Although the portion below the chop grew, it wasn't much. The leader grew a lot and looks like it'll match the size of the portion below the chop. Right now it stands over 6 feet tall. I have a feeling some taper will remain just not very dramatic. After this experience, I think I'll wait a much longer while before I make a chop again.

I should mention that I'm going for a final height of about 20 inches and would like a trunk of about 6 to 8 inches. Also, the maple has not been grown in very idea conditions. It's experienced some very hot and dry summers. This year I added mulch (I pulled the mulch away from the trunk just to check on the nebari and have covered the roots back) and will fertilize the crap out of it.

 

[Adair M]

Thumbless,

Got a question... Is the top picture when you did the cop, and the bottom picture a year later?

If so, the problem is there wasn't enough size difference between the lower trunk and the new leader to begin with.

And watch those roots! See how you're getting a few huge ones? You don't want that. You want lots of small ones coming off the base of the tree.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

You got it right. The top image is from last year when I did the chop. I'll definitely use a smaller branch for a leader next time, and I'll address the big roots.