Bunjin Buttonwood

[A Random User]

Some might have seen the Buttonwood from my past life...
Thought I would post some recent pics...

 

[A Random User]

and a couple more....
sorry, just hate when someone post a tree with a single pic...
makes me wonder if they are hiding something on the other
side, that they don't want you to see !!!

 

[Poink88]

sorry, just hate when someone post a tree with a single pic...
makes me wonder if they are hiding something on the other
side, that they don't want you to see !!!

I've done that and yes on a few cases I don't want others to see the back (I admit it too)...is that a problem? I believe posting one pic (even just a stick) is better than not posting any at all...which is a common practice by some here. All talk, no show.

BUT, to me the worst are those who just lurk...read but not participate. The community need help...and you can give by participating.

 

[A Random User]

I've done that and yes on a few cases I don't want others to see the back (I admit it too)...is that a problem? I believe posting one pic (even just a stick) is better than not posting any at all...which is a common practice by some here. All talk, no show.

BUT, to me the worst are those who just lurk...read but not participate. The community need help...and you can give by participating.

No, it's not a problem, and I totally agree with you about folks who don't
post... I just put up 8 or 9 threads, that I spent pretty much all day yesterday
photographing, so I could contribute to the discussion, and only 3 of them
actually got any replies??? I mean really ??? Now if I had posted a thread calling
everyone idiots... they would have come out of the woodwork !!! But, this is life
here at B-NUT, all about the arguing...

Back to the subject... the thing is, that everyone has been down the same road
where they didn't like a side of a tree... and so didn't want to show it... The problem
with this is that anybody who has been doing Bonsai for a while will pick this up
"immediately", and ask why you don't want to show the other side...

BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY... Bonsai trees are a 3D Sculpture, and must be
designed and styled as such... when one comes to terms with this and designs
a tree with this in mind, not only will your tree's deign be better, but then one
could almost pick any side for the front.

 

[october]

Nice tree. It's good to see some variety in the tropicals section.

They used to have some buttonwoods at the nursery years ago. I don't think there has been any since that brief time period. They are tropical and many, including myself, will not deal with tropicals in this climate.

Rob

 

[evmibo]

Cool tree. It will be interesting to see the branch developments down the road... Do you 1/2 the leaves in later May typically? Also, on healthy tree, do you 1/2 the larger leaves more than once a year?

 

[Poink88]

I am into 360* viewable design but sadly, not all stocks are adaptable to it....especially the ones I experiment with.

I've got a couple buttonwood I am working on (you've seen one) that I hopefully can pot next year.

Re: your tree, I like pic 2 in post #2. Buttonwood have nice trunk/branches that would work with bunjin style but not sure the foliage will match it. At least in my experience, they seem to grow foliage like crazy esp when it is warmer. I think you will be fighting the tree regularly with this design...well at least if you want it displayable and show ready.

 

[A Random User]

Nice tree. It's good to see some variety in the tropicals section.

They used to have some buttonwoods at the nursery years ago. I don't think there has been any since that brief time period. They are tropical and many, including myself, will not deal with tropicals in this climate.

Rob

Understand... I would love to have some ponderosa pine, but they don't do well in mine.

 

[A Random User]

The key to reducing Buttonwood foliage, as well as with just about any tree, is
"mass". By this I mean the more foliage a tree has the smaller the leaves will become
due to the fact that the tree does not need to produce larger leaves to retain light...
So, More leaves... smaller size... Remember This !!!

So, to answer both of your questions... Evmibo and Dario...

I leaf cut Bottonwoods. By this I mean I cut the all the leaves on the tree in half with
scissors. Some of the larger leaves I will cut even more. What this does is that the
tree recognizes the leaf has been damaged, and sends out new growth to repair the
damage. By maintaining the partial leaf though, the tree still is able to maintain it's
intake of light, so that it does not put the trees health in jeopardy, like defoliation
would.

Now as far as when to do this and how often ??? This depends solely on the tree's
responds... Some trees can be done all the time, by this I mean, when the new growth
pops up and reaches a size larger than the previous cut growth, I cut the new growth.
Some trees are a little more sluggish to respond, they just don't push the new growth
as fast... and then you would want to back off a bit. Let them grow to their full size,
maintain that full size for a while to build up the strength of the tree, then cut and see
how it responds.

I have quite a few Buttonwoods... One of my large ones, the one I posted a video about
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?11483-Rather-Large-Buttonwood
I go through and leaf cut this thing almost every week !!! You want to talk about a pain !!!
I have another that is even bigger it's 4 ft, that I have done alot of work on lately, styling,
and carving, the whole front of the tree is deadwood. It obviously is alot slower to respond
because of the recent work done to it, so I had to back off...

As far as what time of the year to start ??? I again just let the tree tell me... During
winter the tree slows down obviously... when spring comes and it starts taking off I
let the new growth go for a couple of weeks to a month, just to let it build up it's energy
and then begin... This winter however where I am at was very mild so I didn't have to
wait to long. I think I started in Feb-March.

 

[A Random User]

Thought I would add one more thing to this discussion, that Mary Madison
who has been working with Buttonwoods for a very long time, obviously no
insult intended , said that she leaf cuts at the stem of the leaf, leaving
virtually no leaf on... She says it produces new leaves faster. Now let me
say that personally I have never done this, so I can't really throw in my 2
cents regarding it... But, in Theory... My only prob. with this would be a
couple of things, the first that you are virtually eliminating the entire leaf all
together, which kinda throws the whole more leaves smaller size for a loop,
the second would be that you are pretty much just then defoliating the tree,
which obviously because of the stress, cannot be done on a regular basis.
Lastly, you end up with a Charlie Brown tree with no leaves... Which the wife
then asks you why you are spending so much time on that dead thing ???

 

[A Random User]

Bunjin Buttonwood recieves it's first pot


Re-potted my Buttonwood today, in a pot that was actually made by
my wife a long time ago when she was in college...

Now there is a joke to this and it is that my wife is artistically challenged...

When we were over at her mother's house, her mother dragged out 2
pots out of the closet and asked if I wanted them... My wife screamed out,
he doesn't want those !!! I think a little on the embarrassed side...

I looked at them and to my wife's surprise, I said of course I do !!!


To be fair... I did dress them up a bit with some paint, and had to drill
holes in the bottom.

 

[Poink88]

I love that pot! Ask her to make more.

 

[Dan W.]

It looks like it was made for this tree.

 

[A Random User]

I love that pot! Ask her to make more.

That's funny !!!
She thinks I am ridiculous for using it !!!

 

[A Random User]

It looks like it was made for this tree.

I agree, I think for me what works really well is the curvy lines in the pot...
somehow these lines seem to really tie it together with the tree.

 

[Smoke]

Hmmm...Good to know that wives from the Florida Swamps feel the exact same way about little trees as those from The Central California Desert.

I think that pot is very nice, and works pretty well with the tree.