Gabes Hinoki

[WavyGaby]

The Bonsai Society of the Carolinas (BSOC) Sponsored a Hinoki Challenge in October 2022. It was $20 and we each received a 3-gallon sized nursery stock Hinoki and a short demonstration how to proceed.

We drew numbers and this is the one I was given.


I took it home and immediately styled it. I liked it because it had a lot of low fine branches that I thought were usable. I cut off the top and made a little jin and some shari along the trunk. I am not sure if the shari was the best decision for this species and particular tree but we will see.
I dug out the base a little bit, but not enough.


Here is the tree before the club voting in December 2022. Not much to look at but I felt I could have a winner in a few years. I covered the top with moss and showed it as is. I came in second and got to choose one of three clay pots!


Spring 2023. It started to fill in from the fall work. I dug out the base and I got lucky that it flared in a direction that was helpful to the design.


I repotted in April 2024 and took this pic today. I took off a lot of roots at that time and it didnt skip a beat. I pinched tips in June. I like it.

 

[19Mateo83]

Looking good Gabe!

 

[WavyGaby]

Looking good Gabe!

Thank you! See you at our August event at Bonsai Learning Center?

 

[19Mateo83]

Thank you! See you at our August event at Bonsai Learning Center?

I hope so!

 

[gooeytek]

That looks great a little elevated from the soil, sweet work man.

 

[WavyGaby]

That looks great a little elevated from the soil, sweet work man.

Thank you!

 

[WavyGaby]

That looks great a little elevated from the soil, sweet work man.

By fall 2024, the soil started erroding around the trunk and it revealed a hole below the trunk, between two large roots. Lesson learned to excavate around the nebari better to avoid this situation.

I disliked the hole enough and didnt want to wait until spring. In September 2024, I took it out of the bonsai pot and cut into the large roots (like a partial ground layer). I buried the base deep into a nursery pot, unwired, and let it be through winter.





This week I dug down a little and I see some fine roots but I am not sure where they are coming from. Ill wait until late April or possibly fall for a repot.

The previous wire didnt stay on long enough to set structure. My wiring and design has also improved a lot since last year so I restyled it with a different front. I removed the two lowest branches and wired the trunk. I pulled down the lowest branches and only wired two other branches (one wire) in the apex. I cracked one of these branches by over working it lazily after I already set it, smh.

 

[gooeytek]

Oh no, sorry to hear about the cracked limb. I would have left it just like in the pic from 6/2024

 

[WavyGaby]

Oh no, sorry to hear about the cracked limb. I would have left it just like in the pic from 6/2024

I think the branch will make it but it will probably always be weak due to the poor push I made.
I was on a decent path last year with that design but the root issue was not amenable. Also, the lower branches were tough to incorporate and last years photo hid a few issues. I still have three branches coming from the lowest node, haha. However, you cant see that.
I like taking chances with my inexpensive material to see what I can pull off.
Thanks for the comments!