PBA 2013 microcarpa

[Redwood Ryan]

Hey all,



Went to the PBA show/sale at the National Arboretum today. Bought two new trees, and this is one of them. This is a microcarpa with a pretty sweet base. The pictures don't do it justice (ask thams, he wanted to fight me over it ), but it lacks an apex because it recently blew over in a wind storm and broke. I paid a whole $55 for it. So into a training pot with some worm poop it will go. Should turn into a really nice tree, given its taper and movement.

 

[Si Nguyen]

Sweet! Good luck with it!

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Redwood Ryan,

Nice trunk at what appears to be a reasonable price. Are you planning on just growing it out for now?

What else did you get?

Regards,
Martin

 

[thams]

This is a microcarpa with a pretty sweet base. The pictures don't do it justice (ask thams, he wanted to fight me over it )

View attachment 35272
View attachment 35273

Obviously you know who to call if you ever want to get rid of it for any reason...

 

[KennedyMarx]

Nice find! Have you thought about wiring up one of those branches as the leader to create a new apex? The look too high on the tree for a banyan in my opinion.

 

[thams]

I was thinking a bunjin style tree. You could bend the (an) apex in a downward slant and build a single pad of foliage. Basically get rid of all branches except for a leader. Just my thoughts.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Sweet! Good luck with it!

Thanks Si!

Redwood Ryan,

Nice trunk at what appears to be a reasonable price. Are you planning on just growing it out for now?

What else did you get?

Regards,
Martin

Thank you Martin. For now, I definitely plan on just growing it out, in order to get it healthy again and to build a new apex.

I got another Willow Leaf as well, and its already got its own thread

Obviously you know who to call if you ever want to get rid of it for any reason...

If I EVER want to, I know where to go

Nice find! Have you thought about wiring up one of those branches as the leader to create a new apex? The look too high on the tree for a banyan in my opinion.

Thanks! Like I said, as of this point I'm really open to anything. I haven't really thought about using one of those branches as a new apex, but I did take the wire off them when I got home. There's bad wire marks, another reason why I plan on letting it grow for a little bit.

I was thinking a bunjin style tree. You could bend the (an) apex in a downward slant and build a single pad of foliage. Basically get rid of all branches except for a leader. Just my thoughts.

That's an interesting idea Tom. I'll definitely play around with some designs before settling on something. Should be fun.

Nice meeting you today, btw.

 

[tmmason10]

This is a nice trunk, which lends itself to a taller more graceful tree. I'd be tempted to pull one of those branches up as the apex but I would just study it for a bit.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

This is a nice trunk, which lends itself to a taller more graceful tree. I'd be tempted to pull one of those branches up as the apex but I would just study it for a bit.

Thanks Tom, it's actually backbudding all over the top, around the current leader, so I could always choose one of those buds as the future leader...


I also repotted this into a training pot to let it recover/allow for more growth:

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Lots of growth from this guy as well.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Looks good. Is that the front? That low branch would make a good start to back branching.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Looks good. Is that the front? That low branch would make a good start to back branching.

Woops, missed your reply. That would be the front, and here's the tree today:




I have gotten a few buds to pop near the top, but they haven't actually pushed any new growth in weeks....

 

[Redwood Ryan]

This tree found itself a new owner, thams (Tom). It'll be fun to see where he takes it.

 

[thams]

Small Update

This is what it looks like today. Just used some wire to shape the two branches. I may or may not keep the lower branch depending upon the final design. I'm just letting it grow for now. I'm thinking a much taller bunjin-esque tree. I know some wouldn't consider it a bunjin due to its taper, but the foliage will probably be sparse when it's nearly completed and will only be in the top third of the tree.

Any suggestions are welcome though.

 

[tmmason10]

This is what it looks like today. Just used some wire to shape the two branches. I may or may not keep the lower branch depending upon the final design. I'm just letting it grow for now. I'm thinking a much taller bunjin-esque tree. I know some wouldn't consider it a bunjin due to its taper, but the foliage will probably be sparse when it's nearly completed and will only be in the top third of the tree.

Any suggestions are welcome though.

View attachment 40605

I like that direction. I actually said that I think this could be a taller graceful tree. Keep us updated.

 

[thams]

I like that direction. I actually said that I think this could be a taller graceful tree. Keep us updated.

Yep, I totally agree with you. I picture a taller, more graceful tree with flowing lines and a rounder canopy. It's been pushing a lot of new growth from the apex so I'm going to let it grow taller and thicker.

What do you guys think - a round pot or oval? I won't be repotting until the tree is much closer to it's final state, but I like to have something in mind in case I spot a good deal.

 

[thams]

So I decided I wanted to style this guy into something a little more dramatic than a typical banyan and this is what I came up with. I'm aiming for a spooky, tortured tree. Thoughts and comments welcome!

 

[Cypress]

I really like it! To be honest, I think I get bored of seeing pictures of ficus bonsai. Maybe just because I don't work with them. But this is a bit different and I dig it, it's twisted and weeping. If you keep growing what looks like the new leader you could do a few more sets of weeping branches too. Cool.

 

[thams]

I really like it! To be honest, I think I get bored of seeing pictures of ficus bonsai. Maybe just because I don't work with them. But this is a bit different and I dig it, it's twisted and weeping. If you keep growing what looks like the new leader you could do a few more sets of weeping branches too. Cool.

I agree that many ficus can be boring -- but they don't have to be. More than any other tree they can be shaped and grown into many styles without even skipping a beat. I think the key is to add as much movement to branches as possible when they're young (I suppose this applies to almost all trees though). I'm still learning to wire, but I think I'm going to get a lot of practice this spring with all my trees.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

My lil' baby is growing up :')