Schmikah
Shohin
Here's the before shots. They're not great, I got way to excited and forgot to take good photos.
My only big trident
- Thread starter Schmikah
- Start date
Schmikah
Shohin
The repot. Lots of field soil left and large diameter gravel. Despite the poor soil it looks like it's doing pretty well (not shocking for a trident) .
I had to do some digging to get the mud out of the center of the rootball but it opened up after about an hour.
Finally got the roots combed out and crossing roots trimmed up.
I had to do some digging to get the mud out of the center of the rootball but it opened up after about an hour.
Finally got the roots combed out and crossing roots trimmed up.
Schmikah
Shohin
During the last workshop we talking about getting into a shallow oval pot but with the work up top and the repot I wanted to give it a few more years to heal over.
Schmikah
Shohin
And it's temporary spot waiting near the garage to make sure another heavy frost doesn't unexpectedly come in. Covered the soil surface with the Mirai sphagnum/collected moss mix so we'll see if if works as well as it does it Portland.
Schmikah
Shohin
@leatherback as requested
leatherback
The Treedeemer
That is a cool tree. Very broad nebari. Looking forward to where you will take this.
Schmikah
Shohin
it needs some grafts to knock out that inverse taper on the lower trunk, unfortunately I don't have the right drill setup to get all the way through the base so I'll have to wait a few more years.
Tidal Bonsai
Omono
Let some branches grow wild to use later if you intend on thread grafting in the future. Always start drilling on the side that the thread graft comes out of.
BobbyLane
Imperial Masterpiece
when people talk about correcting taper, the first thought is 9 times out 10 grafts. the forgotten method is to grow sacrifice branches low down and stick it in a grow bed.
i think it will take many, many years to correct the taper on that trunk in a shallow pot with even with grafts.
i think it will take many, many years to correct the taper on that trunk in a shallow pot with even with grafts.
Tidal Bonsai
Omono
Great point! Another option is air layering
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Ah, you saw that too, did you?
Do the pictures make it look way worse than it is?
The reason I ask.. One of the pictures is of the tree laying flat and there it is not that bad. Be carefull taking big steps. Sometimes it is worth accepting it as is. Solvind the issue might be more work than regrowing the whole tree, with no guarantee to success.
Schmikah
Shohin
Yah, especially when your not looking at the front. I'm gonna take some better shots when I get a white background setup. From the front it's a pretty small dip in so a couple grafts shouldn't take more than a couple years to bring it out the few mm it needs. Or that's the hope
Schmikah
Shohin
Yes. I was going to use a couple seedlings but with the lack of drilling setup I'm gonna let some branches run for thread grafts. There's a couple more I need to do anyway in the canopy so might as well do the same down low
Schmikah
Shohin
I've also thought about airlayering it middle way through the bulge. I'd want to put a few grafts on first to keep the roots alive because I think it would be worth saving the bottom half. Definitely not sure yet, but I have some time so I'll let it grow for now and see what happens.
luvinthemountains
Chumono
It sounds like you don't think the are any internodes in that lower trunk? That seems pretty improbable to me. Seems like it would sprout just fine after separating the layer.
Schmikah
Shohin
I just don't want to roll the dice if that's the direction I go. Plus, I would rather have more control over branch placement.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
It is a tree new to your garden right?
Stare at it for a year before taking any drastic steps. I have re-cut a trident that had been chopped for inverse taper. It is now 7 years or so down the road and this tree is just getting worse over time! (https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/trident-sulky.19044/).
I would probably now have accepted the inverse taper, developed the tree further. It would now have a closed cut, a reasonable canopy and not look like a project. Themore bonsai I see, the less convinced I am reverse taper is always bad; You now mainly see the trunk. As the tree develops you might focus more on the rest of the tree. (Note the reverse taper in this one: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/large-larch.41314/)
Stare at it for a year before taking any drastic steps. I have re-cut a trident that had been chopped for inverse taper. It is now 7 years or so down the road and this tree is just getting worse over time! (https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/trident-sulky.19044/).
I would probably now have accepted the inverse taper, developed the tree further. It would now have a closed cut, a reasonable canopy and not look like a project. Themore bonsai I see, the less convinced I am reverse taper is always bad; You now mainly see the trunk. As the tree develops you might focus more on the rest of the tree. (Note the reverse taper in this one: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/large-larch.41314/)
Schmikah
Shohin
Yes, I just got it in November. I have no plans on doing anything anytime soon, obviously other than the repot. I'm still not even partially sure what I want to do yet so keeping it as is for the moment leaves me options. I'm still too early in my bonsai career to feel comfortable getting crazy and doing radical stuff to completely restructure a tree.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Then maybe one thing, which I think you have learned already.. There are ten opinions for every 5 persons doing bonsai. The rules are never strict. And YOU need to look at the tree, so the work HAS TO be to YOUR liking.
Schmikah
Shohin
So, I didn't do a huge amount of work this year. I took a little of the goop from dead leaves and moss off the top layer of soil and worked on cleaning up some of the cuts that didn't completely heal over.
I did finally get a thread graft through the upper trunk in one of the larger bare spots from a trunk chop, but I still am waiting to see what to do lower down.
This was taken 19th of March.
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