Doc's "recovery trees"

[Gabler]

Quick update, I know a ton of the trees where able to be recovered (the crabs) from the blight! No material for me there.

Does anyone know what the next steps for the maple should be? I'm tempted to let the maple grow wild however I haven't a ton of experience with maples... I feel like I should be cutting the (almost 7in) large leaves while letting It grow... Different method for post cutback management would be appreciated if y'all can point me in the direction of those resources it would be greatly appreciated!

(Photo of the maple included)

Let it grow, and adjust the structure in the fall. No pruning; no pinching; no defoliation; just water and fertilizer.

 

[doc spring _work]

This is spike... He is a star juniper... I figure he may already be dead but I'll try to recover him... I haven't much exp with junipers and I don't know if this variety is good for bonsai... Or worth the pain of his needles... But I'll try, worst that happens is a tree from our dead pile back at the nursery... Dies >.> Oh well! Gonna clean off his dead lower branches then I may attempt to thin him out... Advice on junipers welcome (I really suck at junipers and have killed most at this point , trying to put him in a spot that's shaded but gets some light so he won't fry alive on the upper section of the porch as most of them have so far..)

 

[doc spring _work]

I totally didn't forget to add a photo

 

[doc spring _work]

Post op, not particularly attractive yet, I think I'll see if it recovers at all before I consider anything else... Maybe I use it to practice wedge cuts? Or maybe I could do what Cajun Rider does with bald cypress to encourage movement... What remains does seem fairly workable but I think it'll be quite a bit of work to accomplish anything. If he recovers I'll continue to thin him out, think work might have over watered this particular juniper, soil is quite wet and I know this species doesn't like wet conditions (edit forgot the photo again lol)

 

[doc spring _work]

Decided to attempt to thin him out, think I did too much and he looks pretty bad I'll have to let him recover, as soon as temps calm he'll go into the ground to recover.

I did try wire two branches with my thicker wire, definitely a bad choice, juniper appears far more malleable then the deciduous plants I've worked with. Definitely wish I hadn't packed my thinner wire

 

[ShadyStump]

Slow down. Most bonsai pruning is one or two snips at a time for health and maintenance. Styling is as hard on a tree as repotting, so find the right season.
I know it can be hard because we're primates and just naturally want to play in trees, but we have to remember that we're also on the trees' time.

 

[doc spring _work]

Slow down. Most bonsai pruning is one or two snips at a time for health and maintenance. Styling is as hard on a tree as repotting, so find the right season.
I know it can be hard because we're primates and just naturally want to play in trees, but we have to remember that we're also on the trees' time.

I definitely overdid it... Just keeping an eye on it from here on... Need to work on patience.

Looking to get a large B.C and tons of seedlings here soon. The seedlings should keep monkey brain satisfied by splitting my attention so I don't fixate... I hope

 

[DearRosemary]

This is spike... He is a star juniper... I figure he may already be dead but I'll try to recover him... I haven't much exp with junipers and I don't know if this variety is good for bonsai... Or worth the pain of his needles...

Oh, I have a variety of chinese juniper people here call "stricta", it's defo hard on the fingers, feeling your pain right now. Fingers crossed for both of our monkey brains AND the poor trees that have to suffer them.

Please, do keep up your updates on the trash trees! I really like them and every one of your rescures is some valuable info. Always been a fan of a waste-not-want-not attitude towards them little plants.

 

[doc spring _work]

Oh, I have a variety of chinese juniper people here call "stricta", it's defo hard on the fingers, feeling your pain right now. Fingers crossed for both of our monkey brains AND the poor trees that have to suffer them.

Please, do keep up your updates on the trash trees! I really like them and every one of your rescures is some valuable info. Always been a fan of a waste-not-want-not attitude towards them little plants.

Living in Portland you do have a lot better chances of success with a lot that I just won't be able to get away with! With proper techniques you'll do amazing I'm sure. Will be updating with photos of my silver bell, and maple when I'm home again

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Ask yourself, why do I not do well with Juniper? What do I not understand about their care?

Start with basics... light requirements, root preferences... key pruning preferences..

 

[doc spring _work]

Ask yourself, why do I not do well with Juniper? What do I not understand about their care?

Start with basics... light requirements, root preferences... key pruning preferences..

I'd assumed I watered poorly and the blazing 12 hours of full sun definitely didn't help with my ground cover variety... Since the full sun at the nursery wasn't suitable for the juniper (as seen by the needle burning) I put it under partial shade where plant seem to survive here. I definitely went overboard but I was trying thin it out to allow for better light penetration...

After doing it I immediately regretted it but there's not much I can do accept pray the juniper makes a turnaround

 

[doc spring _work]

Maple finished dropping it's leaves after we moved into the new house, going to reduce branches down leaving the most apical branch untouched along with the lowest branch... I think next fall I'll reduce trunk height and possibly later air layer /ground layer just above the graft To both develop better root structure and get rid of the graft scar, unsure what the root is but I hope it'll progress into a nice clump down the line.

eventually the bottom branch should take over as the main trunk as I continue to clip and grow... Not sure this will ever become true bonsai as it is clearly some kind of big leaf maple (variety unknown..) unless I decide to graft a different foliage on in the future.. will also probably need to do some carving to make it look better in the future.

Red line is chop goal, yellow will likely be next fall.

 

[doc spring _work]

Maybe I should go for the burn scar tree id originally posted in this thread for this maple... Thread 'Fire-scar thread' https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/fire-scar-thread.64668/

Which since I'll be going back to my hometown maybe I can find some more burn scar trees for inspiration.

 

[Gabler]

Maple finished dropping it's leaves after we moved into the new house, going to reduce branches down leaving the most apical branch untouched along with the lowest branch... I think next fall I'll reduce trunk height and possibly later air layer /ground layer just above the graft To both develop better root structure and get rid of the graft scar, unsure what the root is but I hope it'll progress into a nice clump down the line.

eventually the bottom branch should take over as the main trunk as I continue to clip and grow... Not sure this will ever become true bonsai as it is clearly some kind of big leaf maple (variety unknown..) unless I decide to graft a different foliage on in the future.. will also probably need to do some carving to make it look better in the future.

Red line is chop goal, yellow will likely be next fall.

I'd let it grow another year without pruning, pinching, or otherwise removing foliage, and then I'd chop as shown, fix the roots, and give it another year or three to grow without further interference.

 

[GreenGrowTheRushes]

I know at some point I'll want better material, but I have plenty of time to hone my skills and save my money for a piece of material that will truly be a work of art, I know the material is sub-optimal but I'm 21 almost 22 and I plan on doing bonsai until I drop dead, I have plenty of time to hone my craft and work towards trees that may someday be revered... I'm not wealthy by any means and I'm doing my best to get by and improve in very poor conditions as Utah truly isn't a great growing environment with high alkali soil, clay, and extreme weather (at my house we regularly get hurricane force winds funneled through the canyon.) Spring remains freezing and we can't get any massive pushes of growth here...

I know it's not perfect but I'm learning the foundations of our practice and these trees if they survive will go on to be used to practice other risky practices later if they thrive. Could I go and purchase one of the best pieces of material in the nursery? Absolutely however it will set me back 500 dollars for the plant alone, not including proper soil, fertilizer, pesticide/fungicide.

I know to become a master there's a significant financial hurdle to jump. . . I'm not there yet and rather use that money to stabilize my life so I can purchase the materials I crave in the future...


So for now, I'll work with trees that have a few flaws, maybe learn to work with flaws to accent the natural beauty of the materials... And in the future I will be better because of it.

Go you. What is that adage, Nothing ventured, nothing gained? I like gardening, and am now a bonsai novice, and IMO, there is no harm in your approach. Reinventing the wheel? Not really. Never hurts to try.

 

[doc spring _work]

Go you. What is that adage, Nothing ventured, nothing gained? I like gardening, and am now a bonsai novice, and IMO, there is no harm in your approach. Reinventing the wheel? Not really. Never hurts to try.

I'll be clear. . . I don't think I'll be John Naka or Peter Chan or Ryan Neil... But I hope to develop the skill and refine my technique, I have nursery training but its no where near bonsai nursery work... I hope one day I get the chance to study under a master but in the meantime as a broke 22 year old.. I'll make due with what I have... Recently I went and collected some sage brush, those have the potential to become masterpieces in my mind so long as I take what I've learned and apply it appropriately.

At new years I do intend to do a proper reflection on my first year in this and lament my fool hardy pride being fooled by channels like bonsai heirloom showing me so many poor examples... Further living in a desert there was no room for error with my plants.. I've improved and have learned I'm no savant or genius and need to be for more ready to listen to the wise experience of those on this website.. I know many of my "recovery trees" may not amount to anything long term other then practice... But still I love this hobby..

Long term I want to go to college to become a plant breeder using mutation breeding techniques to develop new cultivars of trees.. so I know I want to work with trees for the rest of my life keeping bonsai as a hobby i hope to refine my skill at.. hopefully one day I'll have a distinct style of my own but for now, I'll work on these practice trees some yamadori I do plan on acquiring bald cypress seedlings those will hopefully become some of my best works.. but thats getting ahead of myself..

Truly the b-nut community makes me fall deeper in love with bonsai everyday and although ultimately this thread may honestly be a waste of space in comparison to some of the other wonderful threads.. I appreciate the b-nut's who've helped me grow in this area, gabler, shady stump, paradox and so so many other.. truly thank you for supporting me through my journey so far! Sorry I think I got a little carried away there...

I really appreciate your message greengrow that's what I was trying to get at before getting carried away here

 

[doc spring _work]

I'd let it grow another year without pruning, pinching, or otherwise removing foliage, and then I'd chop as shown, fix the roots, and give it another year or three to grow without further interference.

View attachment 575167

Oh I thought for sure id need to cut a much smaller bit off let it grow further then be able to reduce fully.. I can cut it that low next fall?

 

[doc spring _work]

Maple is pushing quite well... Not certain how I can get it to be a bonsai with the large leaf size... That's the reality I'm struggling to face. Options I think would be bud grafting more viable maple varieties however I think the best choice may be to wave the flag with this fella. Put him in the ground and shape him into a nice garden tree instead of a lil guy, on other notes my camera is broken so I'm using the front of my camera for photos also I think I may have a small amur maple pushing in my little seed box upfront (taken with the broken camera) ,

 

[rockm]

Maple is pushing quite well... Not certain how I can get it to be a bonsai with the large leaf size... That's the reality I'm struggling to face. Options I think would be bud grafting more viable maple varieties however I think the best choice may be to wave the flag with this fella. Put him in the ground and shape him into a nice garden tree instead of a lil guy, on other notes my camera is broken so I'm using the front of my camera for photos also I think I may have a small amur maple pushing in my little seed box upfront (taken with the broken camera) ,

Leaf reduction is tied to ramification. Increase ramification of branching/twigs=reduced leaf size as the tree moves to hang more leaves on more branches...Hard pruning into old wood forces natural budding back behind the cut

 

[doc spring _work]

Leaf reduction is tied to ramification. Increase ramification of branching/twigs=reduced leaf size as the tree moves to hang more leaves on more branches...Hard pruning into old wood forces natural budding back behind the cut

I mean... How much can a tree reduce I look at this fella's leaves and his fresh push on nothing but back wood last year and I have a hard time seeing it have any scale.. definitely a big leaf maple