Revitalizing Bark

[sorce]

Daily watering should/could make bark better than ground grown then.

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

I think the trees get bark faster in a pot because the roots and tree can go as far as possible. Fooling the tree into thinking it's mature. Maxed out.
And since they aren't really growing the trunk much more it turns to bark production.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

This is an interesting article:

Bark thickness around the world - bark thicker in areas prone to fire

Bark is thicker in savanna area than forests, and appears to be necessary to protect from fire and exposure to the elements (heat or cold).

I had once heard an anecdote that one of the downsides of overwatering JBP or not giving it enough sun is that it develops thin bark.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

But back to the OP's question:

Your post specifically mentions "revitalizing" bark. Are you talking about recovering from damage? Or healing of wounds?

 

[rockm]

It works....thats why they do it. If supplements and nutrients can have an impact on deads nail cells to make them stronger and healthier why cant the same be done for tree trunks?

A couple of things:

Trees aren't human. Tree bark isn't skin or nails. It's tree bark.

You can't make a dead cell "stronger and healthier." Dead cells are just that-- D-E-A-D. The dead can't be revitalized, rejuvenated, resurrected (except in a single special case), or otherwise helped along the road to recovery. Dead is Dead.
Dead things can be PRESERVED which is what is going on with finger nails, shellacking them, polishing etc. You can shellac tree bark or paint it with preservative, but that's really not good for the part of the tree that's living.

If you're asking how to get old bark back on the tree, you can't. It's old bark, it take time to produce.

To roughen it up you can wrap the tree with damp sphagnum moss for a year, which tends to stress the tree and deform the underlying bark and make it do weird things (rooting is one of those things).

Otherwise realize that bonsai shortcuts are mostly mythical and/or bullshit that doesn't work, or endangers your living tree.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

If you're asking how to get old bark back on the tree, you can't. It's old bark, it take time to produce.

Though I completely agree with the general point you are making, there are well-accepted practices for "accelerating" bark development on a younger/smaller tree - most of which involve scarring / stressing the tree. A classic example is wrapping wire around a shohin trunk to scarify it. It isn't a natural process, but it is a process

 

[rockm]

Though I completely agree with the general point you are making, there are well-accepted practices for "accelerating" bark development on a younger/smaller tree - most of which involve scarring / stressing the tree. A classic example is wrapping wire around a shohin trunk to scarify it. It isn't a natural process, but it is a process

I said as much, but the results of scarification aren't exactly "natural" looking for the most part.

 

[AZbonsai]

A couple of things:

Trees aren't human. Tree bark isn't skin or nails. It's tree bark.

You can't make a dead cell "stronger and healthier." Dead cells are just that-- D-E-A-D. The dead can't be revitalized, rejuvenated, resurrected (except in a single special case), or otherwise helped along the road to recovery. Dead is Dead.
Dead things can be PRESERVED which is what is going on with finger nails, shellacking them, polishing etc. You can shellac tree bark or paint it with preservative, but that's really not good for the part of the tree that's living.

If you're asking how to get old bark back on the tree, you can't. It's old bark, it take time to produce.

To roughen it up you can wrap the tree with damp sphagnum moss for a year, which tends to stress the tree and deform the underlying bark and make it do weird things (rooting is one of those things).

Otherwise realize that bonsai shortcuts are mostly mythical and/or bullshit that doesn't work, or endangers your living tree.

Dead cells are dead it is true. However, nail cells and tree bark were once living things. My point being, is there anything we can do in order to improve the strength or appearance of tree bark prior to it dying off that would make bonsai bark look better? I am not talking about preserving something dead either. They seem to think they can improve the strength and appearance of nails through the use of different nutrients. http://www.consumerlab.com/answers/...then+brittle+nails?/brittle_nail_supplements/

Why can the same not be done in trees?

 

[rockm]

Dead cells are dead it is true. However, nail cells and tree bark were once living things. My point being, is there anything we can do in order to improve the strength or appearance of tree bark prior to it dying off that would make bonsai bark look better? I am not talking about preserving something dead either. They seem to think they can improve the strength and appearance of nails through the use of different nutrients. http://www.consumerlab.com/answers/Can+vitamin+supplements+strengthen+brittle+nails?/brittle_nail_supplements/

Why can the same not be done in trees?

Because tree bark isn't a fingernail...
Regular old solid horticultural practices, effective feeding, soil and moisture are the keys to strong bark. No short cuts, no compressed time frame...

 

[rockm]

More precisely fingernails are keratin, a structural protein. .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratin

Bark is wood--cellulose.


The two are not the same obviously. You can preserve wood with all kinds of compounds, but those compounds can complicate and compromise the living thing the bark is attached to.

 

[AZbonsai]

Because tree bark isn't a fingernail...
Regular old solid horticultural practices, effective feeding, soil and moisture are the keys to strong bark. No short cuts, no compressed time frame...

Not looking for a short cut or a compressed time frame just curious.